koka

nr. 30 / 27 gusht 2002

alukit

numrat

 

The communists, resembling the beasts, want to see blood even when they eat

While it looks like the political groups have decided a truce, the open front of war, as well as threatening for the democratic values, is the persecution, murders and various threats. The balance of this persecution is tragic. The means and ways are the most inhuman. The army involved in this long and fatal battle for the destiny of the democratic values is the "red army", the army that accompanied the democracy and the era of the great changes, with a pathologic hatred against everything and everybody, as it was the communism. One of the many victims is the young guy 22-years old, Valter Mullaymeri. He was executed by exponents of the secret police of the state, for the simple reason he was a member of the democratic movement and a distinguished activist to eradicate the communism. The secret police of the communist state, empowered after the Bolshevik revolution of 1997, had not enough with the murder of Valter Mullaymeri, the kidnapping of his daughter along with her son and the husband, the explosive put to the house, but went on with the political revenge against the family Mullaymeri. This family couldn't resist for so long the persecution, threats of death and not founding a different way of escape, had to leave Albania. Their departure on May 2002 was also their "divorce" from the democratic movement and contributions. This wasn't the only way just for the family Mullaymeri, but also for all those who worked and acted against communism, against the dictatorial doctrine, now on power with a new contingent and with the support and management of the police structures of the state.

Tonin Frroku

 

Telling the truth is difficult in Albania

The wonders in the little country are great. Along with many negative phenomenons in Albania, a new one is coming out, as it is the physical elimination of the opponents. Such is the case of Mr. Iron Skënder Çano, former inspector in the municipality of Shkodra. He was raised up in an honest family, as a sincere and honest man, so he made known the stealing of a fond of 10 million DM, offered to build up a new aqueduct and to repair another one, in order to furnish a great part of the city. Knowing the stealth of this sum of money, he didn't permit this investment without finding the money. The persons responsible had to do something to save their heads. The best way for them was to get rid of Mr. Çano. Specialized people paid with the stolen money, in the midnight of June 18, 2001, knife him putting his life in serious danger. People going by, find him and send him at the hospital. Thanks to the good surgery of the well known surgeon Mark Mirashi, fighting death for 3 hours, he escaped the certain death. The crime has seriously hit the northern city. There are many murders, wounding, threats, kidnapping and other bad things, which could be envious even to Rwanda. In this case, as well as in most cases, the police, often involved in such crimes, give a look at the place of crime declaring that the authors of the crime have left in unknown direction, and they're working to catch them. How long will it go on like this? For how long should we be scared to tell the truth, even in cases like this when the money is openly stolen?

The criminals, used to do their work to the end, are not enough with the wounding of Mr. Çano, but keep on with threats and throwing explosive in the court of the house. They had menaced him even before, to make him close his mouth, otherwise…

For how long do we have to fear these criminals who make open pressure on the states' administration, hindering them to work honestly? We think it is the moment for the state to do his job in order to prevent these cases to be repeated.

Albert Vataj

 

The revenge strikes

There are many Albanians forced to submit the Canon's revenge of blood-feud. This comes because the law doesn't work. If a criminal kills one hundred people, he has his life still secured, as there is no death penalty. In these conditions, the little Albania has become a big slaughterhouse. The most banal envy might end in murders, all managed by the state. The northeastern area of Albania is mostly touched. There is neither one day without a record of a murder, wounding, or attempt to commit murder. A problem is also being the crime within the family. Ylber Burgaj, the guy you see in the picture, is also a victim of the revenge. He has escaped a long time a go in order to save his life but just two days ago, his father, Hilmi Burgaj, was shot with machine gun in his own home in the village Grizhë of Gruemira. He lived hidden, and while going home to have a bath and wash up, his enemies were waiting for him in an ambush. He had only two bullets in his leg, and as there is still anarchy, he had to go and heal privately. This started on November 26, 2001, when the family Neziraj killed Zenel Burgaj. In January 2002, as it is custom for the Albanian, the family Burgaj killed two of the family Neziraj. At that time there was an attempt for reconciliation, but the family Neziraj doesn't agree. The local power along with the non-government organizations failed in this reconciliation until the next scandal occurred.

The situation between these two families is bad and every attempt toward their reconciliation seems to be useless, although according to the Canon, these two families are "evenly balanced".

The phenomenon of blood-feud has no chance to be reduced. No matter the good job of the Mission for the Peace, in Shkodra there is a district of people shut in who defend themselves. This district is called the district of blood-feud, in Kiras. The state knows everything through the media, but is unable to do anything.

Sokol Pepushaj

 

The state killing its' citizens

After the political murder of Gjovalin Zefi in 1997, and the protest of the anticommunist city of Shkodra, the well known democrat Armand Dingu, nephew of the man killed by the communists, promised to insist on finding out the authors of the crime, but the dictators, the killers organized actions to kill him. Armand Dingu was thus forced to leave for Luxemburg, until the police caught him there sending him back in Albania on May 26, 2000. In Albania he faces the fascist police, finding as the only way of salvation, to escape in the near state of Italy. The gangs found him even there, where the Albanian governors control mafia's nets there. He comes back in Albania again and tries to find the killers of his uncle. The police are again organized following Armand Dingu and shots on his car, an Opel type. Being found in these conditions, the above mentioned democrat lives hidden, feeling death nearer than life. This is the Albanian state, the state killing its' citizens.

Zog Hysenaj

 

The situation in Kosovo is serious

During my visit in the last week in Kosovo, as soon as went through Tropoja in the border between Albania and Kosovo, I noticed Gjakova; the villages deserted and burned up by the war, army forces clearing the ground from mines. I stop in the village Qerimaj, in the municipality of Gjakova. This village was a powerful base for the KLA. There we met Afrim, 19-years old, who told us he had come back to the village in July of this year, and there he came to know his father Shaqir and the mother Sema were killed. The house was totally destroyed. With tears in his eyes he tells us that only his sister Valdete and his brother Përparim Rexhaj, born on July 16, 1972, were alive, and this last was in England since August 1998, while their parents in a tomb.

The situation in Kosovo is still unclear and follows the families who were a base to the KLA.

Zef Nika

 

State, family, person

Often, walking by the roads of Shkodra, you notice a young handicap boy, walking alone on crutches. When people ask him if he has anybody to help him, he answers: My mom and my dad are old, while I know nothing about my only brother. Where is this brother that leaves his brother without help from the state, which cares not about these persons?!

The story is hurting. By the end of March 2000, in an incident (suddenly) Dejnis Hysenaj, trying to protect his handicap brother, who had nervous disturbs because of the ill treatment by some criminals, is violated and later sent to the hospital. Being menaced, and having no protection by the state, he is forced to shut up and make no denounce, saying he was crashed by a car. A few days later, after he came out of the hospital, the criminals ill treat him again, menacing his family. Since then Dejnis left his town, as none protects him, for the Albanian state doesn't feel like it's their duty to protect the lives of its' citizens, who are forced to leave their country, having no security of life. That's the motive he left his handicap brother in the hands of the destiny.

But who are those criminals? Does anyone know them? Yes, of course, but just like Dejnis, we too are afraid to mention their names.

Flori Slatina

 

The love between to younger risks the life of others

This is a very shocking story that occurred in the Albanian reality in the northern areas of this country. Nosh Shkami, a young guy from the village Qerret of the municipality of Temal, came to know a girl from Laç of Vau i Dejës, whose name we are signing D.P., for her security. After many efforts to talk to the parents of her, who were against this marriage, the above mentioned Nosh Shkami kidnapped the girl and brought her in his house. The girl's parents pursue to kill him, as it is custom in the mountains, although they have decided to stay together. Her parents feel dishonored and according to the Canon of Lek Dukagjini he should die. Feeling the danger, he emigrates from Albania. His family went on the mountains. They treat his wife as part of the family.

The missionaries of reconciliation, time after time have made efforts to close this conflict, but nothing was done. In these conditions, Nosh and his family are in serious danger.

Zef Nika

 

Selman Ramollaj, victim of the communist dictatorship

The Albanian communists, converted in socialists, are famous to make up conflicts between people, more than ever during elections. A similar episode occurred in the village Ura e Shtrenjtë, the commune of Postriba in the region of Shkodra. During the parliamentary elections in this village, the democrat commissioner Selman Ramollaj, was at logger heads with a member of his village, for political as well as for property motives, and killed him, in the day of the elections of June 24, 2001. Since then the family Ramollaj is shut in, in the security of life, because of the phenomenon of blood-feud, making a slaughter in north Albania.

In these circumstances, Selman's son Jetmir Ramollaj, born on November 21, 1972, was hidden for some time in the mountains and to some of his friends, although he had no fault and not linked to the murder. In Albania, particularly in the north where is the birthplace of Jetmir Selman Ramollaj, the Canon is still today the wildest ever, for everyone has a gun. The intercession of the Mission for the Reconciliation was unsuccessful. As he had no hope to escape the revenge, Jetmir, although not guilty, is forced to leave his country and go abroad in Europe. His return in Albania is dangerous for his life. This is a painful reality, a story we were told by a relative of Jetmir. This relative also told us that still today the family Ramollaj in Ura e Shtrenjtë is still shut in and has no contact with the world outside, because of the blood-feud. Their enemy is out there waiting to kill them. The situation in the family is distressing, economically as well as humanly speaking, for the state makes no intervention to stop this phenomenon of blood-feud, particularly when it is about political motives, as it is the case of the family Ramollaj. In these conditions, Jetmir cannot come back in his country anymore, for the gun of blood-feud is waiting for him.

This is one of the painful stories of the Albanian life where the social communists on power, put disagreements between the people, causing murders, to make it easier for them to keep the power. However Jetmir is now far away, but he is concerned about the destiny of his family, yet this is the bitter Albanian reality. Artur Dega