42 The Unfinished Business of rT ansitional Justice: Reparation of oF rmer Political Prisoners in Post-Communist Albania Financial Compensation Financial compensation plays an important function in the transitional justice process. It is argued that financial compensation has value because it helps victims to manage the material aspect of their loss and represents an official acknowledgment of the wrongdoing.71 Money facilitates inner healing by providing respondents with medical care and compensating part of their economic loss, thus relieving some physical and psychological consequences of imprisonment.72 It also restores agency by letting victims decide what they do with the money. Interviewees explain that when being convicted part of the court’s decision was also confiscation of wealth (house, earnings and other property). This was a routine practice applied to all persons convicted for political crimes. Additionally, financial compensation provided by the government is a key moral indicator demonstrating state commitment to the victims. Speaking about his satisfaction with financial compensation one interviewee stated “There is no treasury in the world that can pay for our lost youth and our sufferings. However, it is a moral obligation of the state to compensate us, that should be commended”.73 Monetary compensation has been at the forefront of the sorrowful battle for reparations of political prisoners in Albania. Speaking about financial compensation one interviewee declared that “financial compensation, with procedures and documentation, etc., is the evidence that our persecution continues”.74 I received one installment in 1997, then we were forced to go on strike to get the other installments. I came from Greece for every protest, and our friend, a former political prisoner set himself on fire in a protest in 2009, then they gave us the other installments.75 The study found that political prisoners when discussing the receipt of financial compensation speak in terms of relief and express delight after the irksome process of demanding it. Most of them did not anticipate that the current center-left government of the Socialist Party76 would commit to the financial reparation of political prisoners. Based on the law adopted in 2007 each political prisoner is entitled to 2000 ALL (approximately $18) financial compensation per prison day.77 This government, to tell the truth in four years gave us six installments. I am grateful for this, ingratitude equal to wickedness. With that money, my son finished his Ph.D.78 We are the backbone of the Democratic Party,79 however, we were given financial compensation by the leftist party.80 Despite interviewees expressing a positive attitude towards the receipt of monetary compensation, they have different opinions about their satisfaction with the compensation. Out of 20 interviewees, only one expressed satisfaction with financial compensation. Dissatisfaction 71. Neil J. Kritz, Transitional Justice: How Emerging Democracies Reckon with Former Regimes (vol 2, first published 1995, United States Institute of Peac) 37 72. Roman David, Susanne Choi Yuk-ping, ‘Victims on Transitional Justice: Lessons from the Reparation of Human Rights Abuses in the Czech Republic’ (2015) HRC 27 73. Urank Kostreci (20 July 2019, Tirana) 74. Nebil Cika, (11 July 2019, Tirana) 75. Fadil Daja (21 July 2019, Tirane) 76. The Socialist Party (SP) was created out of the ashes of the Communist Party of Labor of Albania. Until 1991 Fatos Nano was a member of the Labor Party and deputy prime minister for a short period, he became chairman and started the reformation of the communist party. 77. Article 6/a, Law no.9831, date 12.11.2007 For the Compensation of Former Politically Prosecuted by Communist Regime 78. Agjelin Dabardaku 79. Democratic Party (DP) was the first opposition party founded in 1990. After the fall of the communist regime, all political prisoners engaged in politics joined to DP or its close allies. 80. Zhivko Petrovic (22 June 2019, Shkoder)