On 14 – 15 July 1955, Unit No. 2 was moved to Rinas, Tirana, where it was named Unit 303. The new Tirana Airport was being constructed here, which was one of the regime’s most prominent works. Unit No. 303 operated here for four years until 1959.
On 30 October 1953, prisoners Abaz Korçari, Ago Çela, Shefqet Islami and Nexhip Dauti managed to escape through a 11-metre-long underground tunnel. Starting from the toilet, they jumped over the wires and were noticed by the guard when they were 50 metres away.
The camp reported that during 1955, 256 political and 498 ordinary prisons had been received by the camp. In 1955, there were 617 political and 199 ordinary convicts, totalling 816 prisoners.
It is reported that there were around 800 prisoners in 1956. In 1957 there were 414 political convicts in the camp and not a single ordinary one.
On 23 December 1957 at 1:50 pm, an American plane landed for technical reasons on the unfinished track of Rinas. It was not noticed by any of the regime’s “vigilant” forces and miraculously passed by the barracks where convicts stayed. The pilot was first questioned by the camp authorities and translated by convict Hasan Xama. Later, the pilot left Albania but didn’t take the plane, because the tyre system was damaged. The regime was taken from the regime to Gjirokastra.
Works for the Rinas Airport construction were complete on 8 February 1959.
Prisoners:
- Hasan Xama
- Jusuf Vrioni
- Abaz Korçari
- Ago Çela
- Shefqet Islami
- Nexhip Dauti