Ex-President of Albania Freed From Prison
The last Communist president of Albania, Ramiz Alia, walked free from a Tirana prison Friday after an appeals court ordered his immediate release. He vowed to resume his career in politics.
Alia, 69, took power after the death of Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha in 1985 and led a tough Communist regime that turned the Balkan state into the poorest, most isolated country in Europe.
He was imprisoned in September, 1992, for eight years after being convicted of abuse of power and violating the rights of the people.
Judge Rahman Qinami said Alia, who contended the charges against him were political, could no longer be held under Albania’s new, more liberal penal code.
Asked what his plans were, Alia said: “I’m a politician and I will go on doing that. But first I want to go to kiss my granddaughter.”
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