Meeting the target at all costs, “Either your plan or your soul”

Meeting the rates was often impossible. Few prisoners could physically handle that titanic load at work.  In many cases during the cave-ins in the tunnel, there was not enough mineral to fill seven wagons. But prison command never accepted any justification for not meeting the rate. The most common expression of officers in Spaç was “Either your plan (target) or your soul”, which implied that death awaited all those who didn’t give the regime whatever was required at all costs.

Spaç during the last years of the regime

This is an image of Spaç Camp during the last years of the communist regime.  The camp had exactly this structure at the end of the ‘80s, where two three-story buildings are noticed within the camp, which were used as sleeping areas.  Furthermore, there are also multiple vantage points where armed guards stayed to oversee the camp and make sure prisoners didn’t escape.

Obligatory reading of ideological books

Afternoon at the camp for first-shift prisoners continued after roll call with what was called ideological education. In the camp library, the literature and press of the Labor Party of Albania was read. We learn from many testimonies that this process started from 05:10 pm to 7:30 pm. For the prisoners of conscience, this was another form of psychological violence.

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Reinforcement

Whereas the two miners loaded wagons and did seven hellish trips on pyrite or copper tunnels, the other prisoner prepared the bodies to reinforce the whole dug area once it had been emptied. This area would be entirely reinforced on the sides and ceiling of the tunnel with wooden bodies, which were torn up and shaped in such a way to be fitted with one another. This wooden reinforcement secured the tunnel up to a point to avoid collapse and provide for further digging.

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Mine accidents

In Spaç’s tunnels, tragedies caused by accidents were frequent.    The main cause of accidents were technical conditions out of any standard as tunnels were secured with primitive methods.   Often, prison command, to meet the high targets of mineral extraction, forced prisoners to go and work in dangerous fronts, declared as such by engineers, too.   After the accidents, the wounded were mainly medicated in the premises of the camp infirmary.  Those who died were buried by prison command in a secred terrain.

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Food from Families
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In the first years of the camp’s operation the cafeteria served only as a kitchen where the prisoners’ food was prepared.The latter took their personal utensils, bowl and aluminum spoon and took their respective ration at the camp’s kitchen.As the food was very poor, prisoners frequently cooked themselves, too, at the barracks called private kitchen, a small room where they lit fire with over three stones or something similar, placed an old pot or pan their relatives may have brought them and cooked something out of the food they were allowed to receive from their families.  The private kitchen and consumption of foods coming from the family continued almost throughout the period of the camp’s operation and many witnesses say that this food brought to them by their families kept them alive and saved their lives.

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