nr. 36 / 3 dhjetor 2002

numrat

Albania is following the methods of 600 years ago

As Albania has received over five hundred of “home works”, as named by the President of the Republic, Alfred Moisiu during the celebrations of the 90-th anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence in Vlora, which are the requests of the European Community to have integration in the European Union, the Albanian society is still following methods of the “law” of about 600 years ago. The Canon of Lek Dukagjini is prevailing over the Albanian law, especially in these last twelve years.

In the office of the Mission of Reconciliation and Peace in Albania you can take notice of thousands of cases of conflicts because of blood-feud. Only in Shkodra, the most problematic area in Albania has more than 530 families living shut in deprived from life.

Under this point of view, despite the great work of the Mission of Reconciliation and Pace, seams to be too far the day when the Albanian state will enter to be part of the great European family. Today’s article is focused on the Albanian citizen Ardit Isuf Ibro, born on July 16, 1986, a young guy from Shkodra who committed no crime nor had any penal procedure in process by the Prosecutor or the Albanian court. The victims of blood-feud are not only the young people, but even the women and children, but let’s follow the case we mentioned. The family of Ardit Ibro is living shut in because of a conflict about property. The law on property has left many motives for conflicts as incomplete. Isuf Ibro, Ardit’s father, had wounded in this conflict for property the citizen Deli Smajli from Kastrat of Malësi e Madhe, who died in the hospital of Shkodra as a result of the wounds. It happened on April 19, 1997, while the property belonged to the family Ibro, who had the documents approving this.

A few months later, on November 24, 1997, the family Smajli avenges killing Isuf Ibro, the father of the young guy, whose picture is shown here with the hope of reducing as much as possible the feeling of revenge, as a very concerning problem in Albania. The families Ibro and Smajli keep on living shut in, thinking only about finding the right moment to kill each other. As Ardit Ibro is the only son of this family and didn’t want this conflict to go on, although opposed by his uncles, who admit no reconciliation, he felt forced to leave Albania and go abroad, in those ways that disillusioned many Albanians until now.

Albert Vataj

Vasel Gilaj

The persecuted people of Puka

The village Bugjon of Puka is a mountain village. It is confined with Fierza in North and the river Drin in South. This village had leaders who led its people in struggles for liberty and independence. This village had many nationalists, amongst whom we can mention Prendush Gjon Gega and later on his son Nik Prendushi. Nika’s family was interned in Tepelena when he was 2. At the age of 12 Nik was set free from internation and after some time he was sent in the farm of Luf, for reeducation. On November 29, 1978 he was arrested and condemned with 10 years of prison. His family was ill-treated while his mother died later on, after she had been following her son on the ways of Spaç, Qaf Bari etc. to take care of her son, grown up in internment. She died when she was 73. When the condemn ended, Nik, unable to suffer the communist back on power, those who followed the lessons of their mother party, decided to leave Albania and go in America along with his family, where he is still living.

Shan Sokoli

Tragedy in Kosovo

Although Kosovo is now improving its ways of integration, there are still hereditary problems of the war which erode, making it weak and unprepared yet to realize the early dreams of Kosovo and Kosovars. Neither the international factor, nor the political developments could close the wounds of war. This wound is getting even worse now, when certain extremist powerful groups, are trying to use the still unclear situation, in order to settle the scores with the so called traitors. Whosoever refused to join the KLA, is considered by them to be collaborator with Serbs, and was considered even worse, as being in their service. This is the cause many young people are forced to emigrate, others became victims of this absurd brother-killing “struggle”, many others suffer insecurity, but Kosovo above all is suffering its’ integration. This struggle coming out after rivers of blood, piles of cadavers, and rubbles out of fighting with the enemy, the Serbs, can surely be called: “A Kosovar tragedy”. The brothers Myzafer and Zamir Dida from the village Domian of Gjakova are victims of this tragedy too.

Their “Odyssey” begins in January 1998, when Zamir emigrates. Myzafer chose the same way. They emigrated because of the accusations of collaboration with Serbs, followed then by death threats. The accusation of collaboration with Serbs was motivated by their refusal to join the Kosovo’s Liberation Army, which was made up as a necessity to give an end to the Serb dark night.

Myzafer comes back to Kosovo on July 2002, hoping to find another more quiet reality that everything would had already changed. But this was not the case. It was the same situation, the same accusations and the same insecurity of life was waiting them. The threats of death were more evident, as the crime was worn with power it was everywhere laying down the law, and not only that. In Kosovo Myzafer found no trace either of his father Hysen, or of his mother Sanije Dida. This was hurting Myzafer more than everything else, who reached the conclusion that there was no way to live in Kosovo feeling so completely abandoned. This darkness and awfulness, this situation made them leave Kosovo again on October 18, 2002, to have now no return for a long period. This is the Kosovo’s tragedy, the open wound as a result of the war. This is the spiritual murder for the brothers Dida as well as many other Kosovars, who didn’t join the army for different motives, being so accused as traitors and collaborators with the Serb police, and many other accusations. None knows how long it will take this tragedy in Kosovo. The greatest loss for the brothers Myzafer and Zamir Dida is their life away from their birthplace, from their childhood dreams, from the burials of their relatives, from the reddish sunset of Gjakova. But Kosovo is going to lose even more from this absurd struggle led by irresponsible people, by criminals worn with power it is going to lose its integration and independence.

Dritan Gashi

Sokol Myftari with his family from Presheva is missing

Sokol Myftari, born in Presheva on July 19, 1972, has left his birthplace along with his wife and the two children, and none knows his address. Just like many other Kosovar people, he risks his life, for the Serb beast is insatiable in crimes against the Albanians who aspired and keep on aspiring to live a free life in a free Kosovo. Sokol Myftari with his family has left Presheva on May 2001. Not only Presheva, but even Metvegja and Bujanovc are today under pressure, while the Albanian community is deprived of any freedom or human right.

Sokol Myftari has actively participated in the protests of October 1989, when the regime of Slobodan Milosevic deprived Kosovo of its constitution crushing with violence the protests of the Kosovar people. Sokol was subject and victim of arrests and ill-treatments by the Serb police. At that time he was a high school pupil and worked as a barber in his shop, where he illegally followed a political activity serving the Kosovar cause. He was arrested on 2000 and was sent in the prison of Belgrade, while after five months in the investigation bureaus, was condemned with 13 months of imprisonment. On March 2001 he came out of prison. This is only a little part of the many problems the Albanian community in Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanovc is going through. Other facts will be published in the other editions of our journal.

Zef Nika