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Fear of the regime/ Rama: They pulled me by the hair, I was mocked the whole time

2025-12-18 21:48:00, Aktualitet CNA

Fear of the regime/ Rama: They pulled me by the hair, I was mocked the whole

Prime Minister Edi Rama recounted on the show "Opinion" some of the key moments of his confrontation with fear during the last years of the communist regime.

Rama said that the first moment was reflecting in the dark during a meeting, where the idea was for the microphone to circulate in the hall without people being able to see each other. According to him, the biggest fear was not simply the pluralism of opinion, but the courage to say things openly.

Another decisive moment, according to Rama, was the night when, at his friend Ardian's house, he wrote Enver Hoxha's name as "hostile material." He said he erased the text several times, as it was the first time the dictator's name had been written in this form and the fear was still present.

The climax, according to him, came the day he publicly mentioned Enver Hoxha's name. "Everyone stood up, it was like scoring a goal. There was a kind of exorcism," Rama said, describing the reaction of the audience.

He also confessed that, even in physical confrontations with the authorities, he felt no fear. “They pulled me by the hair, but I didn’t feel anything other than being mocked the whole time,” he said, adding that the feeling of lack of fear accompanied him constantly.

Rama also recalled the events of January 11, on a cold day, when the idea for drafting a petition was born. It demanded the review of the figure of Enver Hoxha and the release of political prisoners. The petition was signed by part of the hall and then submitted to the authorities.

He described entering the large crowd of people and the strong public reaction as an unforgettable moment. “The whole palace shook when I said to review the figure of Enver Hoxha,” Rama concluded, describing that moment as a final breaking of fear of the regime.

"The first moment was the first reflection in the dark, the idea was for the microphone to move around the hall and people not to see each other. The party was about saying things more than pluralizing opinion with another party. After that, the second happened, when we were at Ardian's house at night to write the name of Enver Hoxha written as hostile material, we erased it several times. It was the first time I saw it written as hostile material, it came out of us. In the end, I told Ardian to erase it and tomorrow when I print it, we will write it.

What happened that day when I mentioned Enver Hoxha's name, everyone stood up, it was as if a goal had been scored. There was an exorcism.

I've had a couple of three situations that were confrontations, but I never felt afraid. I had the feeling that I wasn't afraid. They grabbed me and pulled me by the hair. I had longer hair, but I didn't feel anything other than being laughed at the whole time. When that big thing happened, the scoundrel Kasem Trebeshina came out and then. It was January 11, it was cold and there were cars around and I thought, "Now it's over, let's go, there's no television here, there's no newspaper," and that's when the idea came to me. I said, "Why don't I tell them, come on, sign a petition and leave it here."

The signing of the agreement to review the figure of Enver Hoxha and release political prisoners began, and the hall where the signing took place was half full.

"The entrance into the large crowd of people who heard that I will not forget that the entire palace shook when I said to review the figure of Enver Hoxha," Rama said, among other things./ CNA