The Unfinished Business of rT ansitional Justice: Reparation of oF rmer Political Prisoners in Post-Communist Albania economic sabotage.48 Agitation and propaganda to overthrow or undermine the communist regime were punishable from 10 years detention up to the death penalty and high state treason by up to 15 years of imprisonment. The judicial system of the time used such accusations for agitation and propaganda to convict the enemies of the Communist Party. Typically, after serving their sentence those convicted were reconvicted,49 as two of the interviewees explained.50 Political prisoners were sent to designated prisons separate from ordinary inmates. Interviewees explain that the prisons designated for political prisoners were characterized by terrible conditions and forced labor that represented a severe violation of the rights and dignity of prisoners. The prison of Spac was interesting […] I used to think of how dictatorship and nature had made such a compromise?! It was like a natural prison, the sky and the sun were both discreet there.51 The situation in Spaç was difficult and treatment was inhumane […] All the time we used to stay outside despite the rain or the snow. It was designed in a way to continuously be engaged. For each activity prisoners were put in line, to eat, go to the mine or to listen in standing for two hours the readings from dictator’s books […] Those who failed to accomplish the work rate in the mine were sent to solitary confinement as punishment being fed only with bread and salt.52 In Burrel prison the treatment was severe, the food was scarce and without the support of families (bringing food), one could not survive.53 The communist regime applied a cruel punitive policy subjecting political prisoners to torture and degrading treatment that caused both physical and moral suffering. Interviewees describe how physical torture started on arrest, and continued during interrogation, and in prison. Moral and emotional suffering is associated with inhumane treatment, fear of being reconvicted for agitation and propaganda within the prison and blackmail by prison authorities to become an informer. Usually, every prisoner was pressured and trapped by prison guards to become an informant. Becoming an informant was considered degrading in prison and they lacked the respect of other prisoners. On the other hand, not doing as the prisons guards wanted exposed prisoners to false accusations and that could amount to their reconviction. All prisoners were continuously aware inside the prison to carefully control with whom they spoke, particularly speaking against the regime and were continuously under fear of being reconvicted.54 The prison was physical and moral devastation […] Moral because some were used as snitches. There was nothing more terrifying than after all of those years of imprisonment the family was waiting at the gate for one to be freed but they re-punish with another 15 years because one spoke inside the prison. This has not happened in any of the Eastern countries.55 I have passed spiritual sufferings only by believing in God […] and together with inmate friends we believed that one day we would go out of prison. 56 48. Eight interviewees were convicted for high state treason, nine for agitation and propaganda against the state and two for economic sabotage. There are also some interviewees where these charges are combined. The imprisonment period of the interviewees ranges from 5 to 21 years, without taking in consideration those reconvicted. 49. Fatos Lubonja, Reconviction (Koha 2018) 50. Interviewees Urim Elezi (14 July 2019, Korçë), reconvicted with another 10 years of imprisonment and Xhemal Zhuri (1 Agust 2019, Tirana), reconvicted with 12 years. 51. Agim Hakacani (31 July 2019, Tirana) 52. Gjeto Vucaj (23 July 2019, Shkoder) 53. Urank Kostreci (20 July 2019, Tirana) 54. Former political prisoner Fatos Lubonja explains all this moral and emotional torture in his book describing his reconviction in the prison of Spac. See further: Fatos Lubonja, Reconviction (Koha, 2018) 55. Fadil Daja (21 July 2019, Tirane) 56. Haxhi Ndrreaj, (20 July 2019, Durres) 39