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Life and death, so
close
 For
the family Çuni in Shkoder, life and death are so
close to each other. Since February 17, 2007, this family didn’t have a good
and quiet day. It was February 17, 2007, when Kreshnik
Çuni, after a psychological shock, during a quarrel
in the enterprise where he worked, wounded the two brothers Mark and Zef Nikolla. Zef Nikolla lost one hand
because of the wounds. This is what sustains Gjovalin
Lokthi, the reeve of the village Theth of Shale. The family Çuni
comes from the village Theth and today they live in
Shkoder, while the family Nikolla is from Puka and they live in Shkoder too. The two families are
in enmity now. According to the Canon, Gjergj Nike Çuni, the father of Kreshnik,
asked the reconciliation, in order to save Kreshnik,
Françesk and Dritan, his
three sons, from the revenging gun. But the family Nikolla
didn’t agree. Neither the many efforts of the Association of the Missionaries
of Peace and Reconciliation of Albania could smooth the conflict. We knocked
at the door of this association, where we could get the picture of Dritan Çuni, one of the sons of
the family Çuni, to publish here. This young man,
now away from Albania, though innocent, we were told that was born in April
15, 1980. We said this to show that enmity could take the life of anyone of
the family in blood-feud, according to the Canon of Lek
Dukagjini. Dritan and the
other members of this family are in serious danger. Even in the
Administrative quarter Nr.2 of Shkodra, where the
family Çuni lives, the administrator of this
quarter, G. Kraja, confirmed the fact with a
document. The family Çuni is seriously threatened.
According to the Canon, even a quarrel is paid with the life. Dritan Çuni might have been more lucky, because the reeve of the village Theth of Shale, as well as the president of the
Association of the Missionaries of Peace and Reconciliation of Albania, and
the administrator of the quarter where the family Çuni
lives in Shkoder, confirmed us their serious concern and the departure of Dritan Çuni from Albania. They
were at least a little confident that Dritan,
though forced, is far away where the enemy cannot find him.
Vasel Gilaj
Through the
labyrinths of a life full of dangers
 The
medieval codes of Lek Dukagjini
have accompanied the Albanian people during the centuries. If they were some
kind of regulator for the 15th century, today, in the century of
internet, though de jure they have no sense, de facto they’re
the most terrible and powerful phenomenon challenging even the laws of the
State. In the northern town of Shkodra, near the
quarter of Kiras, there’s the “blood-feud quarter”,
where hundreds of families are closed-in and their children deprived from the
school, games and the most elementary freedom, even to go a few centimeters
beyond the bailey. This is without doubt the darkest paradox not only for
Albania, now negotiating membership in the great Euro-Atlantic family, but
also for Europe, where pronouncements are not sufficient not only to eliminate,
but even to minimize the phenomenon in question. Old and new resentments are
taking away every day and night innocent lives. The
object of our article is a conflict of 50 years ago. At that time, in Theth of Dukagjin, right in the
birthplace of the creator of the Canon, Lek Dukagjini, Gjergj Prel Thana stabbed and wounded the fellow-peasant Gegë Lulpeta. The wounded
didn’t report because of his pride as an Albanian who doesn’t complain to the
State, yet he couldn’t even take revenge, for the laws of the dictator Enver Hoxha were very severe
for murders. Nevertheless, according to the Canon, the anger not only doesn’t
diminish, but it grew and was left to the successors, to “have the honor
back”. After 1990, when the dictatorship in Albania fell, it opened the “Pandora vase”
and the evil things come out. Though Gjergj Thana
and Gegë Lulpeta were
dead, their grandchildren are in enmity, according to the Canon. In 1994, Pjeter, the grandchild of Lulpeta,
shot on Mark, the son of Gjergj Thana, killing him.
The conflict didn’t end there. The family Thana shoots. Dedë
Thana avenges his father, killing the murderer, Pjetër
Lulpeta, two years later, in 1996. Now is the turn
of the family Lulpeta to kill. The target is this
guy you see in the picture, Agostin Mark Thana,
because Dedë, his brother, was hiding. Though very
young, born in September 1st, 1980, a bullet is waiting for this
young guy. It was 1997 when the military warehouses were broken and people
got guns, starting a civil battle that took away 4100 innocent lives, and
this young guy had to be killed at any cost. It was 1997 when Pal Lulpeta shoots on Agostin
Thana, in Vrakë, about eight kilometers from Shkodra. But he was lucky for the bullets didn’t hit the
target and Agostin is now living hidden, though
innocent. His only hope is the Association of the Missionaries of Peace and
Reconciliation of Albania, which sometimes could close some conflicts.
Nevertheless, in this case, despite the great efforts, the conflict didn’t
close, for the family Lulpeta didn’t agree. Even a
few days ago, right on August 4th, 2008, Agostin
Thana escaped death miraculously, after a car “Audi” without plate-number,
crashed on the car he was traveling in, though hidden in the back, a Mercedes
2400. The conflicts of blood-feud are now growing and it would be necessary
for Albania to apply for some more years the death-penalty in cases of
murder. Yet, what is mostly concerning is the inability of the State to
normalize this medieval phenomenon that is taking every day and night
innocent lives of men, women and children.
Arben Cubaj
Flee from blood-feud
 Blood-feud
is still taking innocent lives in the area of Malësi.
Conflicts for property have often turned in battlefields with consequences
impossible to end in a country where the strong hand of the state in applying
laws is inexistent. The tragic fact is that the victims of these acts of the
medieval Canon are the young people who pay unduly with their lives, these
conflicts that are in their substance, atavisms of articles of the Canon of
the mountains that is still coming up even dominating where the state is
absent. The picture featuring the article is a young guy from Grude-fushë of Gruemire in Malësi. His name is Vullnet Mustaf Rexha, born in June 9,
1984. He didn’t commit any crime or wrongdoing, yet he has four years living
closed in, hiding from the gun of the enemy, ready to shoot on him. His close
cousin, Mirsad Rexha,
after a ordinary conflict
for a piece of ground, the afternoon of November 23, 2004, shot on his
neighbor Pashko Lec Gjonaj killing him instantly. The tragic event occurred
in the national road Shkodër-Koplik nearby the
village of Shtoj i Ri.
Since that time, the two families, Rexha and Gjonaj are in enmity. The gun of the family Gjonaj is ready to shoot on one of the men of the family Rexha. Vullnet could escape
twice the ambushes of the enemy. The first was on July 13, 2005, at about
17.00 in the quarter “Rus” of Shkodër,
where killers shot, yet without touching his body. While in May 27, of the
same year, the premeditated murder of Vullnet
remained in attempt, thanks to the quick and professional intervention of to officers of the criminal police of the Police District
of Shkodra. Time ago, Alban and Ardjan,
the two brothers of Vullnet, had left toward Italy,
in order to escape the revenge of the family Gjonaj.
Even the efforts of the associations of reconciliation and the structures of
the State couldn’t convince the family Gjonaj to
forgive and reconcile with the family Rexha. Finding
himself in these conditions, Vullnet, with the help
of some friends of his family, could leave Albania, residing in a democratic
country where human life and freedom is guaranteed by law. He might never
return in his birthplace, in the village Grudë-Fushë
of Gruemirë. Conflicts and murders for property
have turned now in a ritual, mostly in the northeast areas of the country.
Three months ago, Qamil Hasani,
about 63 years old, stabbed his nephew Zudi, after
a property conflict. 10 days after the brother kills his brother in Stajkë (Shkodër), and three
days after that, there are three victims in the Velipoja
beach. All of them started for property conflicts. The drama continues… There
are dozens of young men like Vullnet Rexha who are forced to leave the area of Malësi, because of the fear of blood-feud. A sad and
painful reality in the 21st century… For how long?
Rifat Ymeri
Fear from the gun of
the enemy
 His
name is Besmir Qemal Kodraj. Was born in the city of Koplik,
on December 30, 1988. His parents were grown in extreme misery and were
established in the center of Malësi during the ’90,
a few meters down the national road Shkodër - Hani
i Hotit. With great work and efforts they could
create normal life conditions in a very quiet city where the inhabitants live
in great harmony. In these conditions was grown and educated the only son of
the family Kodra, Besmir,
until he was 18. Every thing changed into bad when
none expected it. The cause was a separation wall that his neighbour, Dervish Hasa, started
to build, he too had come to Koplik
from Repisht of Shkrel
during the years of democracy. Qemal asked his neighbour to stop building the wall, for it was in his
property, while Dervish pretended it was right the opposite and the debate
degenerated in a conflict where guns were involved with tragic consequences.
This happened the afternoon of September 29, 2007, at about 17.00. After
discussing between them, Qemal irritated went home
and came out with a gun he held illegally and shot a shower of bullets on his
neighbor Dervish Hasa, who died instantly. Many
police forces that reached the place in a short time,
arrested the aggressor and took steps to protect the family Kodraj from the revenge of the family Hasaj.
Since that tragic moment, the two families are in enmity between them. The
condemnation of the murderer by 14 years by the justice and the efforts of
the local authorities and the association of reconciliation couldn’t convince
the family Hasaj to shake the hand of
reconciliation with the family Kodraj. “The State
does his job, and we do ours”, said Selman, the son of Dervish, who is
waiting to revenge his father, for this is the only way to have the honor
back, according to the Canon of the mountains. The target of their gun is the
innocent Besmir who hadn’t celebrated yet the 20
years of life. After staying closed in for 10 months, in these last days Besmir could leave Albania, but the burden of blood-feud
is still following him. With his father in prison, the mother in solitude and
the craving for his birthplace, Esmir Kodraj might never come back in Albania. The gun of the
enemy is ready to shoot merciless on his body. “Blood demands blood” say the
unwritten articles of the Canon of the mountains, which is sitting
cross-legged and establishes the law in the region of Malësi.
The origin of murders until in our days is mainly based on conflicts for
cultivable property. There are many tragic cases. Dozens of young men like Besmir Kodraj are innocent
victims of this paradox that has grasped the region of Malësi
in the 21st century…
Zef Nika
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