Lutfi Kelmendi is a victim of the communist regime. In 1984, when he was only 25, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for attempted escape. Today, he is beneficiary of full indemnity, a promise that the government has kept for all political prisoners who are still alive.
Lutfi shared his family history with the Prime Minister Edi Rama who was today a guest in his house in Fushe-Kruje, along with the Minister of Social Welfare and Youth Olta Xhaçka.
Lutfi told them that his father, who was economist by profession, was condemned by the regime for agitation and propaganda. For this reason, the Kelmendi family used to be supporters of the DP, which has disappointed and offended them because none of the promises it made was kept. “We supported Berisha, but he turned out to be a traitor. We went even on a hunger strike to claim our rights, and he called us “scoundrels”. I’ve been his opponent since then”, Lufti said.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister said that the issue of indemnity of former prisoners has been important for the government as a moral issue of our society, and not merely for electoral interest. “Although the historical circumstances were such that the Democratic Party identified itself with the political prisoners, and the Socialist Party was seen as a successor of those who built the prisons, for us the issue of indemnity of prisoners has been important as a moral issue of our society, not as an issue of votes or electoral interests. One of the great sins of DP and Sali personally was that they have never dealt seriously with this issue. 27 years have passed since the persecuted people left prisons, and we are still discussing the instalments to be paid to those who are still alive. So for us it was imperative to dot the i’s and cross the t’s in this story. Those who have left the political prisons and are still alive should obtain full indemnity. Many former persecuted people died without receiving anything. It was such a big mess, and nobody knows who received or didn’t receive the money.”
Being actively engaged to defend the rights of those he represents, Lutfi told that he encountered various obstacles at the time of the previous government, but he is determined to go all through with it. “Associations were created to divide us. We went on hunger strike to ask for our money. I was asked why I would go on strike, and I told them because I was claiming my right. And I’ll ask for it until I get it”, he said.
As for the indemnity payments, Lutfi said that he has already obtained all seven instalments: “We received them. Others didn’t believe that they would get them, but we did. Some did not believe, and they have been left behind.”
With regard to this issue, Minister Xhacka explained that “the 8th instalment is expected to be available in June. As for those who have not benefited anything because of the paperwork, they can apply by December of this year.” The Prime Minister said that everyone will obtain indemnity. “It was a bit difficult also from the legal point of view, but we did a good scanning in order not to have any abuse.”
Being an old resident of Fushe-Kruje, Lutfi knows well the problems of his town. “The area used to be flooded by the river, but thank God this time you detected the problem. So, well done because you allocated the money for the compensation. Nobody has done this before. They used to come here and create discord. A second issue, which is also important, is related to dust because we have here two cement plants. Meanwhile, the ring road has also to be completed so that trucks can circulate. They also must be covered in order not to release dust”, Mr Kelmendi told the PM who promised him that these issues will be solved soon. “We need to make a system that can be controlled, otherwise it will be difficult. Meanwhile the ring road is about to be completed”, the PM said.
The Prime Minister said among other things that a lot of work has been done in Kruje in terms of infrastructure, but there is still much to do. “Even here in Kruja, we are doing a lot of work. But there is still a lot to be done.”
Pension increase is another sensitive issue, not just for the family of Lutfi. With regard to this issue the Prime Minister said that “pensions have increased a lot, but it is about the pensions after the reform. With the current reform, it depends on the contributions. Everyone can determine their own pension now. But it is still difficult for those who retired before the reform. We made a slight increase of 3%, which is not enough. Big increases are done step by step. Meanwhile, the pension of those who retired after the reform can even exceed 300,000 ALL (old currency).
