After Unit 315 moved from Valas to Lezha by order no. 664 dated 21 July 1973, Unit No. 307 was created in Valas, Elbasan. The drastic majority of convicts were ordinary, very few were political. Convicts started to be collected there on 8 September 1973 by several units simultaneously, such as 301 Bulqiza, 305 Borsh, 309 Ballsh, 313 Tirana and 315 Lezha.

The starting number of prisoners was 487 convicts. Convicts planned to work in agriculture for the Belsh Agricultural State Enterprise.

The unit’s capacity was 450 prisoners.

In 1977, a total of 382 prisoners worked in the unit. According to a report dated 15 November 1978, there were around 318 convicts, of whom two were political, in the unit.

By the end of January 1979, there were 327 ordinary and two political prisoners there. By the end of 1979, there were 522 ordinary and two political prisoners.

In the years 1978-1981, this unit also had Unit No. 318 under its dependence.

By order no. 4 dated 6 January 1983, the unit was dissolved. This unit was definitively closed on 7 February 1983.

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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

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During their stay in Skrofotinë, near the Vlora-Fier national road, 10 km from the Mifol Bridge towards Vlora, convicts worked on a rough terrain at the saltworks, where deep canals were built.

This camp’s purpose was soil desalination to turn the area into arable land, but the project failed.

Kiço Gjançi was the commissar.

*In April 1968, a convict attempts to escape his site by jumping from the wire, benefitting from the lack of the guards’ vigilance due to them not being fully alert, but this convict was caught by two soldiers.

In 1969, 340 political convicts worked in this unit.

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In 1974, the unit had almost 670 prisoners. They served their sentence in three different sectors: 200 in Fishtë, 70 in Ishull Lezhë and 400 in Leras (Torovicë). There were around 17 collaborators of the Security in the unit at this time. Prisoners were guarded by 16 officers, 17 non-commissioned officers and 47 soldiers. At the end of 1975, the unit experienced a leptospirosis (skin marks) outbreak.

In 1976, 962 convicts, of whom only 30 were political, worked there. The prison staff was made of 80 people. Records indicate that a part of the prisoners in 1976 worked in agriculture at the Bishti i Jubës area. In 1977, a total of 1,070 convicts worked in the unit.

According to a report dated 15 September 1981, there were 750 convicts in the unit, 11 (five for agitation and six for escape attempt) of whom were convicted for crimes against the state. The others were ordinary.

Prisoners worked in four groups with four brigades in agriculture. Through the 1982 amnesty, 523 convicts were released, of which it was highlighted that 12 were collaborators of the Security.

By order no. 4 dated 6 January 1983 of the minister of Internal Afairs, Unit 315 Leras Lezhë was closed.

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Around 800 prisoners were taken to the camp in very harsh living conditions. Work placement was unorganized whereas prisoners were inexperienced for the type of work they would perform. In the assigned work site, hard work was performed such as transport of gravel (more than 100 meters by wheel cart), carrying of rails, connectors. According to the data, more than 65,000 workdays were performed. Profit figures are large, but the documented amount is corrected and is not clearly legible. Prisoners were also exploited to open the railway tunnel in the most primitive of conditions. The work continued further and it took 40,040 workdays to open the tunnel, followed by other works. In September 1950, the prisoners of this site were transferred to the Beden Camp.

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According to the data, in Autumn 1951, Unit no. 301 was transferred from Korça to Gosë, Kavaja to open the Peqin-Kavaja irrigation canal. It is mentioned that during this period, political convict Ram Halili was killed on 26 December 1951 while attempting to escape the camp. Halili had been serving his sentence for two years. At that same date, convict Hysen Mustafa is found dead from the mines.

Camp No. 2 convicts, who worked for the Peqin-Kavaja canal, was also moved to Gosë, which appears to be the center of the camp in March 1952. They worked there for a few months and then were moved to Çengelaj and Peqin in July-August.

Prisoners:

• Ahmet Bushati (Maj, 1951 )
• Ahmet Sadedin (Maj 1951)

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According to a record from 27 July 1954, provided in on the operative daily communication, it was required for Unit 301, Bulqiza that 515 prisoners work underground and 223 outside. As there were 732 prisoners, 400 were sent to work underground and 110 on the ground. To guard the convicts, a military personnel of 152 people was established here.

In 1969, a share of the prisoners classified as dangerous for committing serious crimes worked here.

In 1979, due to severe work conditions, it was reported that on 26 January 1979, a serious accident took the lives of nine prisoners, which is one of the most tragic accidents having occurred in this mine.

In 1980, there were 80 political convicts in Unit 301, Bulqiza.

There were multiple deaths not only in the mine, but also among the guards. Between the years 1954-1982, according to official statistics, 81 prisoners died in the mine of Bulqiza (Unit 301).

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To extract the chromium ore, a new re-education unit was opened, the Batër-Martanesh Camp.On 16 August 1975, works commenced, and after a few days, the first 70 ordinary prisoners were transferred to this camp.

The Batër-Martanesh Unit was numbered 301/1.At this time, Bulqiza’s Unit 301 continued operating.In 1976, the first year of the work, 382 prisoners were registered at this camp.The unit’s capacity was 600 prisoners, but this figure was frequently exceeded.In the years 1977-1983, there were on average 700-900 prisoners per year in the camp.

By Order no. 4 dated 06 January 1983, Unit 301/1 Batër was renamed as “Unit 301, Batër”.Some prisoners were transferred there from Camp 301, Bulqiza, which was closed.In 1984, the new figure of convicts was 739, but by that year’s end, it reaches 912.According to the report dated 12 April 1984, 523 convicts worked in this unit with three shifts in five galleries.This unit was closed in 1991 after the fall of the communist regime.

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The prison was populated by ageing and incapacitated convicts.Therefore, prison 302 was a place where convicts usually did not work.According to information from September 1983, known figures such as  Fadil Paçrami, Todi Lubonja, Vasil Kati, Zija Rexha, Miço Veshi, Kristofor Mërtiroand Hekuran Yzeiri served their sentences there.  A month after, some of them would go to the Burrel Prison.

19 police officers and 37 military men worked in Unit 302.In 1985, there were 381 political convicts and 326 ordinary convicts worked.According to a study made by the end of 1986, there were 588 convicts in the prison (386 political convicts and 202 ordinary convicts).  50% out of the political convicts were sentenced for agitation and propaganda and 20% for escape attempts.  Around 42% convicts were over 60 and 18% were 55–60.As such, this prison was a place where senior convicts stayed, who were tired from the long sentences.

According to CMD no. 438 dated 20 December 1987, the Re-education School for Minors was opened in this unit.  Then, it was thought to gradually replace its old population with younger convicts.The convicts were moved there from other units.Ordinary convicts mainly went to Unit 301/1, Batër, whereas political ones to units 303 and 311.

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