The 1956 Tirana Conference of Terror

On April 14-20, 1956, the Tirana Conference was held. Those who discussed at that conference generally called for the elimination of Enver Hoxha's "cult of the individual" and the democratization of the party, but they also raised many problems, such as the "miserable economic situation of the people" and the "privileges of the "Block", to the request "for the rehabilitation of political prisoners" over the years - from Koçi Xoxe to Tuk Jakova. In fact, as the documents of the time write, they were not discussions, but were pretensions towards the regime of Enver Hoxha. It resulted from the discussions that the people were no longer tolerating the privileges for the leaders and were demanding changes, freedom of thought was required, they wanted more tolerance, and even a review of the party's line for life throughout the country.

All of this, communist historiography has blamed first on the Yugoslavs, then on the Soviets, and after 1974 and 1982 on the “traitors” Beqir Balluku and Mehmet Shehu. However, the truth turns out differently, which worried the “reformers” and had filled them with legitimate anger over the years, so they erupted at the Conference, as the most public place to unite their forces, where they demanded more “freedom and democracy.”

Alongside the “reformer” discussants who raised the problems as they were, Enver Hoxha’s “Aesop” language and violence of all kinds also stood out. The discussants at the Conference asked many questions that proved to be murderous for them, while Enver Hoxha, answering their questions, such as about Koçi Xoxe, told the delegates that “the crimes in our country were not planned by Beria, but by Koçi Xoxe and the factional activity at the head of the party; he started it in 1945. Even before the liberation of Albania… Therefore, Koçi Xoxe’s punishment is completely fair, factual and fully deserved”.

Before starting this monologue, Enver Hoxha, with feigned calm, studied the problem, took the pulse of the delegates and "unraveled" them, pitting them against each other, and even annihilated them one by one, emerging victorious himself, of course with the Security, the Police and the Army with tanks. Regarding Tuk Jakova and Bedri Spahiu, Enver Hoxha would confirm at the Tirana Conference that "I do not agree with Vandush Vincan (delegate to the Conference) who asks for the issue to be reviewed. The Central Committee has shown itself generous with Tuk Jakova and Bedri Spahiu. Tuk has made big mistakes. He was talking about the photographs of the leadership comrades that are not listed in the museum house according to their contribution. His line was the revisionism of the party line. What should the Central Committee analyze, Manol Konomi? ... Or let's take Abedin Shehu. He and his comrades wanted to attack the leadership, the unity. So how do we keep these people in the leadership of our party, how do we keep them in the Central Committee"? "Criticism has been made against the leadership", he addressed the delegates, "and this is not bad". "This is where the issue of the 'cult of the individual' arose. I'm explaining it to you... It has existed and will exist among us, not just today, but for a long time to come."

With these words and the language of Enver Hoxha's "Aesop", the first day of the Conference ended, while the second day found the hall surrounded not only by Police and Security, but also by Army and tanks. The continuation of Enver Hoxha's speech was the declaration that "some people may have been left wondering how Koçi Xoxe's work is. She was right too".

From a historical perspective, we mention that Enver Hoxha took the floor on the third day of the Conference. With the skill of a demagogue, during his speech, he first mentioned Tahir Kadare by name, addressing him directly with the words “what do you think about these issues that I am talking about, Taho? …”, an address that for Tahir Kadare, who was known in the Army and throughout the country as a determined anti-fascist fighter of the first hours and as one of the most prominent generals of the Army, was an open threat. Like Tahir Kadare, all the discussants were immediately targeted and pursued by the Security organs. Even before Enver Hoxha arrived at the Conference, he gave orders and put the forces of the First Infantry Division on alert against the Conference (an order that was immediately implemented), while a tank battalion commanded by Adnan Qatipi surrounded the Conference hall with combat orders.

What were the specific questions that worried Enver Hoxha?! I am listing them as I found them in the file stored in the Directorate of State Archives, which includes the materials of this conference:

1. "Why is there no concrete criticism of the work of fellow ministers and members of the Central Committee, as well as other key cadres"?

2. "Are there cases where people who have criticized their comrades responsibly have been persecuted?"

3. “Why did the Central Committee of the Labor Party not draw any conclusions in the spirit of the 20th Congress of the CPSU regarding the shortcomings of our party, as did the communist and workers' parties of other countries”?

4. "Why hasn't the party clarified in an organized manner about the Communist Party of Yugoslavia?"

5. "In the Central Committee itself there are many comrades, both men and women. Why is this problem not being seen in the Party leadership (Enver Hoxha-Nexhmija, Mehmet Shehu-Fiqrete, Liri Belishova-Maqo, Hysni Kapo-Vitoja …)"?

6. "Isn't it excessive for officials to receive guaranteed food as much as they want and to hire cooks with money from the government?"

7. "How is the issue of the cult of the individual with us and with the Politburo?"

8. "How can reducing employee pay be consistent with the Party's slogan of raising the people's standard of living?"

9. “What can a worker buy with 3000-4000 lek per month”?

There were other, even more daring questions, such as that of Nesti Zoto, director of Kinostudio, “Does the Central Committee recognize the impoverished state of the people and why does it not openly state the true causes?” This was accompanied by other questions of this nature, such as “what is the reason that the salaries of high-ranking party and state officials increased, while those of ordinary employees did not increase or decreased?” Then there were more complicated questions related to the punishments of some high-ranking party cadres. What stood out was that the discussions of the delegates at the Conference were very open, expressed with courage. However, this courage was “rewarded” with severe punishments. By order of Enver Hoxha, severe party and state measures were taken against Vehip Demi and Nesti Zoto, who were immediately interned and died in very difficult conditions. The filmmaker Viktor Stratobërdha, the well-known composer of partisan songs Dhora Leka, and the writer Gjovalin Luka were expelled from the party and removed from the Kinostudio.

From the Ministry of Agriculture, its deputy minister Peco Kagjini was expelled from the party and transferred to Elbasan, then exiled to Belsh. From the apparatus of the Central Committee of the Party, Vandush Vinçanin was removed; from the Tirana Party Committee, the first deputy secretary Njazi Jahon; from Radio “Tirana”, Skënder Tupe, Masar Bektesh, Findia Veizin and Sofokli Afezollin; from the newspaper “Zëri i Popullit”, Adriatik Kanani; Taho Sejko was transferred to Shkodër where he was later arrested and imprisoned; Masar Shehu was sent to work as a teacher, etc. From the newspaper “Bashkimi” Ibrahim Zeneli was removed and then imprisoned and from the newspaper “Luftëtari” Merkur Çela was removed and exiled.

Only from the delegates of the Conference during the days of its proceedings (work that was done at night and under terror), the Sigurimi arrested 27 delegates, all those who had spoken about the mistakes of the party leadership, among them the then Deputy Minister of Defense, Major General Tahir Kadarena; the commander of the Army Artillery, Major General Hulusi Spahiu; Major General Nexhip Vinçani; the deputy director of the Political Directorate, Pëllumb Dishnica, and many others. Then this work continued with violence and terror in all the party organizations throughout the country, where based on the resolution of the Conference, 4346 of its members were expelled, an unprecedented purge. As a conclusion, it can be said that the Tirana Party Conference was a losing battle of idealistic communists, who aspired for a little democracy.

(The author is executive director of the Institute for Security and Defense)