Departure to the mine

Departure to the mine for the first shift began at 6:30, after a head count was done by police at the camp’s exit gate, somewhere next to the sleeping area, where prisoners would line up, often irregularly, and meandered down to the mine areas where their brigade was assigned.Brigades were divided according to the intake of camp prisoners.In certain periods during Spaç Camp’s operation, there were 50 prisoners per brigades; sometimes the number would reach 65 prisoners.They would follow the path to the tunnel’s entrance where they were assigned.

In the cell with one blanket

Only one pair of cotton twill pants, one shirt and one summer jacket were allowed in the cell. Late at night, isolated prisoners were provided with only one old blanket that was taken away in the morning. The light clothes and a thin and torn blanket were all they had to go through the extreme cold in subzero temperatures.

Smith, the prisoners’ ally

The smith’s was a small 3x3m structure. The smith prepared the work tools prisoners used, such as pickaxes, axes, etc. Many prisoners respectfully recall the work of QazimVula, a great smith and great ally to them, as his very work helped them in the difficult work processes at the tunnel.

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Cold Shower or in Metal Tubs

Showers were in front of toilets.Mainly in the first years, but also in the later stages, there was no hot water in the camp and the showers only brought the mountain’s icy water.Prisoners mainly washed with water, which they warmed themselves in metal tubs in the private kitchens.They then washed with the warmed water by pouring it on their bodies themselves with whatever vessel they had.Showers, like the toilets, were open and doorless.Prisoners were forced to wash in these conditions of utter lack of intimacy.

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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.

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Tied limbs
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Often during the 30-day punishment in the cell, prisoners’ hands and legs were tied. This was another form of torture and a frequently seen phenomenon in former prisoners’ testimonies. Tied up prisoners could not feed by themselves. Therefore, when they had mates inside, they would help them eat. Meanwhile, when they were alone, they wouldn’t be able to even cover themselves with the thin blanket they were provided for the night, which they would move around with their teeth or tied hands.

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