TEPELENE CONCENTRATION CAMP

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP80-00810A001300330001-0
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 8
• Document Creation Date: December 22, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 21, 2009
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: May 29, 1953
• Content Type: REPORT

Approved For Release 2009/10/21: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA001 300330001 -0
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 19, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of Its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorized person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form Is prohibited.
SECRET/CONTROL - U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
SUBJECT Tepelene Concentration Camp
REPORT
DATE DISTR.
NO. OF PAGES
REQUIREMENT NO.
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT IS TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
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1. In the concentration camp at Tepelene about 19000 to 1,300 persons are detained,
mostly families of persons who have escaped to Yugoslavia
tion to the Albanian prisoners, there are some Yugoslav
29 May 1953
who are not usually treated as well as the Albanians. About 70 per cent of the
detainees are women and children; the greater part of the remainder are able-
bodied men, most of whom are suspect for political reasons, among which is the
offense of having had friends who escaped abroad. The persons in the camp come
from all parts of Albania,, although the larger group comes from the northern
provinces,
2. The camp is situated about two kilometers northl of Tepelene9 near the point at
which the Bencia River empties into the Vijose River. The area has a barracks
building for prisoners which consists of a single building which has four rooms
5 x 20 meters. Within the rooms there are four rows of two-story bunks which
are placed in double rows along two of the walls,, with another two rows placed
in the middle of the room., The building itself is constructed of hard-surface
material with a tile roof but no ceiling. The detainees live in this building
grouped together according to families. About 300 to 350 people are quartered
in each room and the prisoners are permitted to pass freely back and forth
through the rooms. Due to the fact that there is very little insulation in the
buildings and no provision for heating,., living conditions become extremely dif-
ficult during the winter. In addition to the barracks building, there is also
a management building which is 8 or 10 x 4 meters. It is divided into four
rooms' of equal size and is built of hard-surface materias_ with a tile roof.
This contains the offices of the prison director and iris assistants'as well as
lodgings for the policemen. There is also a warehouse-in"which the food for
the camp and forage for.the animals are.` stored. The.s q.all hospital building.
has four rooms and is used mostly for medical examinations, although there are
some beds for those who are sick, The bakery building is 20: r;eteru; It is
, as. a
built with the same materials as the other buildings,. it '.sen.~s also
barber shop and storage room,, as well as a joiner shop.;; Other. structures in the-
compound include a kitchen which is divided into two rdoms, one'f or cooking and
one for food storage; a stable 4 x 4,5 meters; and ten or twelve toilets..
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3.
Each prisoner must furnish his own sheets and blankets since these are not available
at the camp. It is not uncommon in the case of prisoners who did not bring their
blankets from home or those who have no home or friends to have to sleep on the bare
bunk without bedding, Each one must also supply his own shoes and clothes since the
state issues none of these things even for replacement. As a result, many of the
prisoners are dressed in rags and remnants since the clothes wear out rapidly doing
heavy work. The only thing that the state furnishes besides food is a cake of soap
each month. Prisoners may, if they have friends on the outside who can help,receive
unlimited sums of money which can then be used to purchase food and supplies in the
town,
The guard system consists of five policemen who are on duty mostly during the night
with only one man on duty during the day. In addition, there is also a prisoner on
duty at all times in the prisoners? barracks. In generals treatment is not bad in
comparison with other camps and there is no serious maltreatment such as beatings,
The punishments usually consist of admonitionsV, particularly in the case of
Albanians and women; foreigners may receive rougher treatment such as imprisonment
or deprivation of food.
The food is cooked by the prisoners themselves. Each prisoner gets 600 grams of
wheat bread daily; there are three meals a day-. tea in the morning, a soup of beans,
macaroni, or potatoes for lunch, and quite often the same thing for supper; rice is
also added to this diet occasionally. The food is usually not cooked with proper
care and under unsanitary conditions so that it is tasteless as well as unhealthful..
It is always mnsuxf:ficient so that many when they get their bread ration in the morn-
ing eat it immediately and have none for the other two meals. Prisoners are per-
mitted to receive food, parcels from home after they have been inspected by the police,
and those who have relattres can maintain their health; hcaretier those who have no
relatives or no money are usually insufficiently fed. The food is served in canteen
cups for individuals and in a larger r?eceptaole for families. The cups and other
utensils must also be brought, from home by the prisoners. Some vegetables and fruits
are grown in the camp by prison labor; however,, these are used by the police and ad-
ministration and are not, fed to the prisoners. Large quan.tiiies of supplies such as
flour. beans;, macaroni, etc., are not stored in the camp but are usually brought in
daily from the outside.
6.
In this camp prisoners are not subjected to political indoctrination
owe'ver, the cta-L-Ly press Is react every evening and attendance ance is compu sory, The 25X1
reading of literary works and the daily papers is permitted. There are no movies or
other cultural activities.
7, Visitors are permitted to see the prisoners as often as desired, although they are
not admitted inside the camp enclosure. A policeman usually listens to the prisoner's
conversation; however,, there is no time limit on the visits and they may even last as
long as two hours.
8. The sanitary situation in the camp is very bad and a large number of the prisoners
are sick, many with tuberculosis,, which is also aggravated by the lack of food and
heating facilities, as well as the hard work. The largest group among those who are
sick consists of children and, adult men. The children are affected because they are
not strong enough and the men because they are exhausted. by the hard work, Medical
care in the camp is inadequate and the camp is usually visited once or sometimes
twice a month by a physician from the town of Tepelene. He usually sends the serious
patients to the hospital in Gjinokaster and the others are treated and remain in the
camp. Other ill.n.esses which affect the prisoners are malaria, which is chronic with
many prisoners, and dysentery which occurs occasionally in epedemic proportions.
During the epedemic.of dysentery in.l950, about 100 people died in the course of the
three months which it lasted, These illnesses are aggravated by the fact that no
hygienic measures whatsoever are undertaken by the administration and there are no
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assigned days for laundry or bathing, as well as by the shortage of soap. Nothing is
done to get rid of the numerous insects, fleas, bedbugs., and lice., which are in the
living quarters and particularly in the beds. No brooms are furnished and the rooms
are swept occasionally with branches; the floor is washed once a week,
9. The main work of the prisoners is to cut trees on the mountain above Tepelene. Each
worker has a daily quota of work which must be completed; the quota for cutting trees
is at least one cubic meter of lumber per person for each day. The workers also work
within the camp itself, building new installations, or are assigned on other projects
such as building railroad lines or installations in some other city. For instance,
from May to November 1950, part of the prisoners went to work on the railroad line be-
tween Elbasan and Pecina, and others were assigned to help build a factory in Vlone.
All able-bodied male and female prisoners work., and only the very old women., children,
and women who have babies are excepted from work. Usually the healthiest of the male
prisoners are selected for cutting trees, and the female prisoners are used for the
transport of logs or for housework. There is no particular work schedule and the
work is done from dawn to sunset for a least six days a week without regard for the
weather, and quite often on Sunday. For the mid-day meal the prisoners get one hour
and usually receive their lunch on the job. The groups of prisoners who are working
usually vary from 20 to 150 people; one prisoner is selected as chief of the group
and he is responsible for the work of all members of the group. Other than the
group leader and one policeman who may accompany the prisoners., the work is not super-
vised because each has his own quota which must be fulfilled. Those groups who are
not assigned a specific job are notified of their particular work at roll call in the
morning; the jobs of these groups may be changed from time to time without regard to
previous assignmentse If a prisoner feels ills he can report to the administration
and request an easier job. If he should be quite ill, he may be excused from work;
however,, those who pretend to be ill in order to avoid work are severely punished.
10. Amnesties are granted occasionally, as on 29 November 1950 when a member of the
Ministry of the Interior came to the camp and stated that in order to celebrate the
liberation of Albania under Hoxha, 150 families as well as the children in the camp
could be released; these latter were to be taken care of by relatives and friends.
The prisoners were also warned that 'when you go back home keep in mind that you
must respect and execute the orders of the authorities, Otherwise, you will be re-
.turned to the camp."
Comment: The directions given are not clear, since the text locates 25X1
ne .a - . rth of the town,whereas the sketch locates the town north of the
camp.
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 Approved For Release 2009/10/21: CIA-RDP80-00810A001300330001-0
Town of TEPEJJ ---j ,
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1
MANAGEMENT 0
BUILDING
DISPEN-
SARY
STABLED
CONCENTRATION CAMP AT TEPELEI
NOT TO SCALE
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 Approved For Release 2009/10/21: CIA-RDP80-0081 OA001 300330001 -0
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
This Document contains information affecting the Na-
tional Defense of the United States, within the mean-
ing of Title 18, Sections 793 and 794, of the U.S. Code, as
amended. Its transmission or revelation of its contents
to or receipt by an unauthorised person is prohibited
by law. The reproduction of this form 1s prohibited.
SECRET/CONTROL -'U. S. OFFICIALS ONLY
SECURITY INFORMATION
SUBJECT Lake Maliq Concentration Camp
REPORT
DATE DISTR. 29 May 1953
NO. OF PAGES 4
REQUIREMENT NO. RD
THE SOURCE EVALUATIONS IN THIS REPORT ARE DEFINITIVE.
THE APPRAISAL OF CONTENT 13 TENTATIVE.
(FOR KEY SEE REVERSE)
.The came is managed by a Camu Commissar o Lt.. D_iGord ii (inu).
1. The Maliq concentration Camp is located about two kilormeterp northeast of
Lake Maliq between the edge of the swamp formed by the lake and the road
to Pogradec. There are usually about 19500 prisoners in the'camp and they come
from the various smaller prisons located in the area at'Elbasan, Tirana, Korce,
and Vione. The prisoners are both political offenders and common criminals; -
however, they are not separated according.to these categories as is the'case in
the various prisons. There is much dissatisfaction among the. prisoners, par-
ticularlythe political offenders9 since'manyof.them are innocent and have
been placed in the camp merely on suspicion or because of the escape from the
country of relatives,
The chief "
The camp
supply officer is Captain Lazo
posure of the prisoner to the sun.
The prisoners are organized into twelve work brigades, each consisting of from
120 to 140 men. Each brigade is composed of three companies, and each company
of three platoonso The personnel commanding the various units are elected by
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e assistant camp manager
is the Cadet Sefket fnu There is also another assistant,
a former sergeant, who is n c arge o e camp warehouse. In addition to the
foregoing, there is also the camp Secretariat which consists of a non-commissioned
police officer and a private policeman; they maintain the list of prisoners and
make roll-calls, The attitude of the management toward the prisoners is very bad
and. mistreatment, beatings., and stern punishment for the slightest errors are-
common. Other punishments include the prohibition of food packages from home,
prohibition of visitors, solitary confinement without food and water, and ex-
X ARMY
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I NAVY I X AIR
X FBI
r _T
AEC
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the prisoners themselves, although each brigade is under the supervision of a poolice-
man, In 1951 the prisoner-commander of all the brigades was Hari Lena who had for-
merly been a Captain in the security forces in Korce but who had been sentenced to
ten years in prison.because he killed his wife.
4. The prisoners are lodged in wooden barracks with a brigade in each barracks. The bar-
racks are not divided into rooms and along the walls there are two rows of two-
storied bunks in which the prisoners sleep. The state does not provide any bedding
aftd those prisoners who have none must sleep on the bare bunk. The barracks are not
insulated against the weather, however., they do have electric lights. Each. prisoner
is furnished a work suit consisting of pants,, shirt, and coat., since their work is
concerned with the drainage of Lake Maliq and requires that they work in water ptuch of
the time. However, if the prisoner does not have some clothes of his own for a change
when he returns from work., he must remain.in the wet clothing., and many have become
ill for this reasons In addition to work salt6, prisoners are also furnished a pair
of sandals; no underwear is furnished.
5, Prisoners work 10 hours a day, unless overtime is ordered by the commander of the bri-
gade. Since they are digging the channel to dry Lake Maliq, they are usually in water
which comes up to the knees, and sometimes up to the waist; however, the work goes on
without regard for the weather or the season of the year. Another work hazard is the
large number of leeches in the channel which attack the prisoners. As a result of
these conditions, many prisoners become ill and often as many as 150 of them require
daily medical assistance. The camp doctor, Isuf Isen Regasi, is also a prisoner - o
has been sentenced to life imprisonment. He is a native of the village of Starova
in the Pogradec District. Although he is a good physician., he has neither the instru-
ments nor the medicines required, Besides this work,., the prisoners also work in the
camp and at various jobs for the camp management as they are assigned.
Work Schedule:
Awakening eaooeooooocooooooaoe.eaoeaeeao.a.oooereeoaaee0300
Washing and room cleaning..a.9ea.a4.,aoooooaaa.....e0...0300 -.0330
AreaAJ.a~tasaaae.oaoooeeas.oo..ooaose.a.es.aaeasoro.sefao33o - 0400
Traveling to work...ooaOOOoeoO.eoOeioooo..e00000a.seae..0400 - 0500
'Fork .. 0 .. O 0 0.0 0 .. 0 0 0 0 0 a 0 0. o a e 0 a. a e a .. a e. 0 0. a. o e a a a 0500 - 1400
Traveling back to camp..noeoaa.eeeeee.o..e.......o.....1400 - 1500
L u n c h ... a a a a a a . . 0 o a ? 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 4 0 5 5 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 0 1 0 0 . a 1500 - 1600
Recreation (free times rest)......eaee..e..e..........e1600 - 1830
Supper...nano..ne.00000.0o..oosne..aaa.......a.....n.:.1830 - 1900
Recreation (free time,, rest)..eeae.a.a.a.ee...e..e.e...1900 - 2100
Lights out (Curfew,*0000.ee.ae....aaaa...aa.?...o?o.nes2100
In addition to this regular schedule, work is often continued for one or two more
hours so that quitting time may be 1500 or 1600 hours. The time provided for recrea-
tion or rest is usually used for some other kind of work.
6. Food is provided three times dailye The bread ration is 500 grams$ a mixture of wheat
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and rye which is usually insufficiently baked; it is given to the prisoners at noon.
Cooked food is provided only for breakfast and lunch, and for supper there is tea.
The cooked food usually consists of soups of macaroni', beans., or squash. Each prisoner
is supposed to receive 100 grams of meat daily,although this rarely happens. Prisoners
are allowed to receive food parcels to supplement their diet.
?. Most of the prisoners plan to escape; however,, since the camp is well guarded there are
only a very few attempts and.. in fact,, only six or seven escaped in 1951. In case of
escape the border guards are immediately. informed;at the same time patrols are sent
after the prisoner. After a few days,9 the management usually states., in order to dis-
courage others,, either that the prisoner has been captured.,or that he was killed while
attempting to cross the border to Yugoslavia or Greece.
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SIFhBE
\ a.
C-
Symbol for machine g'
Store-
house,
CONCENTRATION CAMP AT MALIQ
(not drawn to scale)
Camp Command
dwelling
house of
camp
IPolic~
n static
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