A search has started for the remains and graves of 44 Albanians who were imprisoned and then died in the infamous communist-era labour camp of Space.
The Authority on Access to Information on the Sigurimi Files, said on Friday it was preparing for an administrative investigation into the death of 44 individuals who were imprisoned in the gulag. This is the first initiative of its kind while more than 6000 people remain missing more than 30 years after the fall of the regime.
“Research on the files preserved at the authority and other state institutions, such as the General Prison Directorate, Ministry of the Interior and State Archives, indicates that at least 44 prisoners were executed, died while attempting escape, perished in labour place incidents, or died due to the cruel conditions,” the authority’s press release noted.
“The initial data collected by a task force dealing with the matter suggests that those who perished while imprisoned were buried in unmarked graves outside the prison perimeter, thus denying the families [a chance] to retrieve their bodies,” the authority added, noting that there are several places which are believed to be burial grounds.
The authority stressed that their investigation is an “administrative one”, meaning that no prosecutors will be present, according to BIRN.
