The idea and paranoia of Enver Hoxha and the senior leadership of the Albanian People's Party, announced sometime in the mid-1960s, for "the creation of a new man, with the norms of socialist morality", was not simply a "project-idea" to be applied only to us Albanian citizens of the People's Republic of Albania, but also to be "implemented" to all foreign citizens who would enter Albanian territory. Among other things, this is also made known by an order of May 1973, by the Minister of Internal Affairs at that time, Kadri Hazbiu, (who was also a member of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Albanian People's Party), addressed to all Border Control Points, where, among other things, he wrote: "All those foreign persons whose external appearance is contrary to the norms of our socialist morality, such as, for example, men with women's hair, with very exaggerated sideburns, with unkempt beards, as well as with inappropriate clothing, specifically women in miniskirts and maxiskirts, should not be allowed to enter the Albanian Border Control Points!"
According to him, this was done on purpose; “to prevent the influence of bourgeois revisionist ideology through the extravagant dress and appearance of foreigners who come to the People's Republic of Albania for various reasons”! But it seems that this decision of the Albanian government of that time, which came after the proposal of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the People's Republic of Albania and which was meticulously implemented for years at all Border Crossing Points of the People's Republic of Albania and the only international airport of Rinas, not only made official Tirana ridiculous in the eyes of the world (from the articles published in foreign media by those few journalists who were allowed to come to Albania), but that decision also seems to have had sad consequences.
As was the case of the 22-year-old tourist, William Patrik Ottonell, who committed suicide by jumping from the fourth floor of the Apollonia Hotel on the beach in Durrës, simply because he had been shaved and his clothes changed, just after entering Albanian territory. This is revealed by an archival document with the acronym "Secret" extracted from the Archives of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which is published for the first time and with the corresponding facsimile by Memorie.al.
Along with this document, we are also publishing several other archival documents extracted from the Central State Archive in Tirana (the fund of the former Central Committee of the Albanian People's Party), which contain several documents dating back to 1973, when the Minister of Internal Affairs, Kadri Hazbiu, issued an order addressed to the Border Control Points and the Customs Directorate, with several criteria that should be applied to all foreign citizens entering the People's Republic of Albania, regarding their clothing and external appearance, such as long hair, pigtails, etc., and the prohibition of religious literature that they may have in their possession, etc.
As well as the document with the report-information of the Customs Directorate at the Ministry of Trade, addressed to the Foreign Directorate at the Central Committee of the Albanian People's Liberation Army, regarding the event of 20.7.1973, where a group of tourists from the company "Retel Tours das rrollende hotel", from West Germany, consisting of 36 Germans, 5 Austrians, and 1 Luxembourger, were prohibited from entering the Customs of Hani i Hoti, as they were in possession of religious literature, etc.
SECRET ARCHIVE DOCUMENT WITH THE OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION OF THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR, ON THE INCIDENT WITH THE IRISH TOURIST AT THE “APOLLONIA” HOTEL ON THE BEACH OF DURRES
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA SECRET
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS Copy No. 1
DIRECTORATE OF ADMINISTRATION AND STUDIES Tirana, 28.7.1975
OPERATIONAL COMMUNICATION NO.175
On 27.7.1975, at 8.00, the Irish tourist, William Patrick Ottonell, aged 22, born and residing in Qater, Republic of Ireland, with a plumbing profile, with secondary education, unmarried, who was hospitalized and his condition is serious. (There is hope of survival). It is previously thought that he did it because when he entered our territory, on 17.7.1975, according to the rules, he was obliged to cut his hair and change his clothes. He expressed this to his friends and developed a delusion of persecution, which he also displayed in his country, after which he had mental depressions. The case is being followed.
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PILO SHANTO
ARCHIVE DOCUMENT FROM 1973, BY ORDER OF THE MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS, KADRI HAZBIU, SENT TO BORDER CHECKPOINTS, ON THE CRITERIA THAT ALL FOREIGN CITIZENS COMING TO ALBANIA MUST FULFILL
MINISTRY OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
No. 479 Copy No. 1
Tirana on 4.5.1973
CRITERIA
ON THE PROHIBITION OF ENTRY INTO THE RPSH OF FOREIGN CITIZENS WHOSE DRESS AND EXTERNAL APPEARANCE CONTRARY TO THE NORMS OF OUR SOCIALIST MORALITY
In order to maintain the rules of appearance in our socialist country, as well as to prevent the influence of bourgeois revisionist ideology through the extravagant clothing and appearance of foreigners who come to the RPSH for various reasons, as well as through the literature they bring with them, the following criteria should be applied:
1 - All foreign persons whose external appearance is contrary to the norms of our socialist morality, such as men with women's hair, with very exaggerated sideburns, with unkempt beards, as well as with inappropriate clothing, specifically women in miniskirts and maxiskirts, should not be allowed to enter the RPSH.
2 – No type of literature with counter-revolutionary, religious, or pornographic content should be allowed to pass through. This type of literature should be held at customs and, if its possessor requests it, should be returned to them.
3 – Technical, cultural, and artistic literature is permitted for all foreigners coming to our country, in the amount of one or two books or magazines that are claimed to be for personal use. While the rest of this literature is prohibited and immediately sent to the Customs Directorate which, after carrying out verifications according to the rules, sends it without delay to the institution or department that is hosting the foreigner.
4 – Persons with inappropriate content and those who bring prohibited literature must be treated in a correct and civilized manner by border and customs authorities, making clear to them the reasons why these measures are being taken. All foreigners who will correct their appearance and clothing on the spot are allowed to enter the territory of the Republic of Albania.
5 – Border and customs authorities do not implement the measures provided for in points 1. 2. and 3.
A – For diplomats accredited to the Republic of Albania and employees of diplomatic and trade missions, as well as for their family members.
B – For officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, diplomatic couriers of foreign countries that have diplomatic representations in Tirana.
6 – Border and customs authorities do not implement the measures provided for in point 1.
A – For members of official delegations received by various departments or institutions of our country.
B – For members of sports teams who come at the invitation of our country or within the framework of international sports meetings.
The persons mentioned in points 5 and 6 will be allowed to cross the border of our country, regardless of their appearance. In such cases, the border crossing points and customs authorities will politely point out to them that the rules of our country do not allow such an appearance, however, you are free to cross.
In addition, in each case, they send detailed information on these findings to their superior body as soon as possible.
The information is forwarded to the host institution, which takes its own measures to arrange their presentation.
MINISTER OF INTERNAL AFFAIRS
KADRI HAZBIU
REPORT OF THE GENERAL DIRECTORATE OF CUSTOMS, TO THE FOREIGN DIRECTORATE AT THE CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE ALPS, ON THE BLOCKAGE AT THE CUSTOMS OF HAN I HOTIT, OF A GROUP OF TOURISTS ARRIVING FROM WEST GERMANY
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA
MINISTRY OF TRADE
CUSTOMS DIRECTORATE
No. 307 Prot.
Tirana on 21.7.1973
CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE ALP
FOREIGN DIRECTORATE
TIRANA IS
We inform you that on 20.7.1973, at 16.00, a group of tourists from the West German company "Retel Tours das rrollende hotel" arrived at the Hoti customs, consisting of 36 Germans, 5 Austrians, and 1 Luxembourger.
According to the established procedure, they were asked if they had any propaganda materials. All of them handed over various newspapers and magazines, with the exception of Jean Etien, born in Nechen, Luxembourg, who declared nothing.
From the data that was obtained on the spot by Customs employees, a detailed check of the aforementioned was carried out and they found 70 religious prayer booklets in French, 50 religious prayer booklets in German, 120 pamphlets with photographs of Christ in two forms, as well as 50 photographs of the bloody Christ, printed in Belgium.
Likewise, in an envelope addressed to comrade Enver, they found 5 threads inside, 10 photographs of Christ, 8 religious appeals, and 5 photocopied sheets.
After the inspection, he declared that he would distribute these materials to foreign tourists in our country, and would give the letter to Enver Hoxha.
Under these conditions, the Hoti Customs employees brought him out in front of the group of all the foreign tourists to whom they spoke about violating the rules of our country, and all unanimously demanded that this person be turned back.
Regardless of the group's request, according to our rules this person would be returned and his return was decided. While all the others were decided to return to Tirana, giving them the permitted materials, while the other materials were forbidden to be given to them in return. Jean Etien, after his return was communicated to you, left for Yugoslavia, without saying anything.
Attached, we send you the envelope addressed to comrade Enver, along with the material inside, as well as a copy of other materials that he left at Customs/ Memorie.al/
