The Institute for the Studies of Communist Crimes and Consequences in Albania ( ISKK ), was approved by the Albanian Parliament’s Decision no. 10242 of 25. 2 . 2010, as a “central public institution” and “independent” one and enjoys the status of a “legal person”. It is funded by the state budget and other sources.

The ISCC’s mission is the study and the objective evaluation of the crimes of Communism in Albania, to highlight and demonstrate them by means of documentation. Our staff consists of 15 specialists. Currently our work, beyond sensibility of the society about the crimes of communism, is focused on the oral testimony and materials of the survivors of the dictatorship and especially on the research in the national archives and the former State Security archive, among them.

The tragic past of Albania under Communism is not cancelled and there isn’t ever any legal distant split from the crimes of Communism and the communist heritage. For 20 years, our society has not had a clear support from the state politics, doing nothing for the rehabilitation of the former class of the ex-political persecuted peoples. Meanwhile the successors of dictatorship had the courage and strengthened their positions in politics, science and culture, intensifying their actions. In addition, a great number of ex- former associates of communist State Security made ​​a career in the public administration. There are also serious problems with the de-communistisation of the textbooks, academic studies and school methodology from the communist dense symbolism; the same about the communist symbols in public squares, streets and institutions, which still bear the names of the persecutors. The transparency of the past is not done; the dictatorship files were not opened. But they are used by today’s policy as a blackmail to recruit. A serious negative effect on Albanian society had the continuous failure of the Albanian parliament to approve and dispense the Lustration Law. None of the responsible persons, persecutors or collaborators of the communist regime was charged; no one spoke, even formally, not a simple “sorry”. There was no place for justice for the persecuted class; the victims and their families live as they previously found themselves in Communism: abused, humiliated and differentiated from every economic, political and cultural aspect. Therefore, ISKK is the first institution that should prove throughout research projects the size of the crimes of communism for over 45 years of state terror.