The Albanian institute responsible for studying the crimes of the almost 50 year communist regime has been criticized in parliament with several recommendations made for its future functioning.
The Institute for the Study of the Crimes and Consequences of Communism was set up following the fall of the regime that killed tens of thousands of people, starved, imprisoned, and persecuted thousands more, and from which, over 6000 people are still missing.
The Albanian government has never apologised formally for the atrocities carried out, there is no state memorial or day of mourning, and some of those who held positions of authority during the regime are still in institutions today.
Parliament last week adopted a resolution and presented seven recommendations that should be fulfilled. The Socialist Party majority criticised the work of the institute for its work and the composition of its board, stating two members are in violation of the law.
Some of the recommendations presented include finding new ways to pass information on the regime to the younger generation. Proper and historically accurate information on the regime is currently missing from Albanian school textbooks. There was a call for “radical change” to this situation.
The Assembly also renewed an agreement with the Ministry of Education to increase access to schools on information about communist crimes and the aftermath of the regime.
Chairwoman of the law commission Klotilda Bushka criticised the institution, expressing reservations on how effective their activities were, nothing that budgets for work had gone up every year.
“In other countries where there are such institutions there is a limited period of time, it is 32 years since the fall of the communist regime, and we will have to have today a clear overview of studies conducted to improve historical facts,” she said.
PS member, Denis Delili asked the institution to “take measures to stop the cases of incompatibility of its members and political impartiality” referring to members that hold duties in the Democratic Party.
The Socialist Party is the direct descendant of the Albanian communist party, while the Democratic Party was the first party formed after the fall of communism. Many members of the PD, however, include those that were formerly members of, or aligned with communism.
PD MP Dhurata Cupi said, “the study of communism without political influences and without emotions will make us better understand what happened in the dictatorship”.
She lamented that similar discussions had been had in parliament before and nothing has been done in Albania to punish the crimes of communism.
She requested that the Ministry of Interior make available to the institution the archive for studies, “I encourage ISKK to do everything possible to create this culture of memory and pass it on to young people.”
The institute was previously headed by Agron Tufa who then fled the country and sought asylum in Switzerland following reports his life was in danger, and he had received threats related to his work.
