TIRANA, Oct. 19 – The process of opening the files of the former communist secret police, Sigurimi, is moving forward at a slow rate, experts say.
For the moment, both political sides have produced their own format of a new draft law, and they are working toward a bipartisan version.
Albania had a deeply penetrative communist secret service with an estimated 20 percent of Albanians collaborating with the secret police.
The Albanian parliament has approved the setting up of a special office to handle the opening of secret police files that were compiled during the 45 year rule of the Communist dictator Enver Hoxha. It is believed about 120,000 files existed.
Unfortunately, thousands of those files were destroyed during the transition period, from 1991 to 1992, and again in 1997, following the pyramid schemes riots.
The draft law makes it possible for those prosecuted under Communism, as well as their families, to ask to see their files and learn who spied on them.
According to the Albanian Association of Former Political Prisoners, there were 5,577 cases of men and 450 cases of women executed for political crimes during the Communist era from 1944 to 1990. Up to 100,000 others were imprisoned or sent to labor camps.
The body will also have the mandate to check who among the current political elites was a former secret police collaborator.
