nr. 40 / 25 shkurt 2003

numrat

Mark Mrizi an accusation to the terrorism in Kosovo

KLA was one of the terrorist bases where many terrorists gathered during the war in Kosovo. It is thought that even certain segments of Osama Bin Laden have trained there and have had missions under the “authority” of the KLA. These last days there was a visit from Carla Del Ponte, Chief prosecutor in the Tribunal of Hague, in Belgrade, Podgorica, Skopje and Montenegro. The arrest of two people wanted from Hague for war crimes under the “authority” of KLA, the criminal trail to four members of KLA of the area of Llapi, being hold in Pristine, one of whom is the former commandant in the KLA Rustem Mustafa, better known as “Commandant Remi”, tell about a long list of crimes in Kosovo and maybe further in Balkans. Our journal has continuously given its contribution for this purpose. Another accusation this time is Mark Mrizi from the village Bajgore of Mitrovica. During the war in Kosovo, he was called to join the KLA, but based on good authority we were told that Mark Mrizi was terrorized by the massacres he had seen refusing this way to fight. He had seen with his eyes macabre murders made by KLA especially on Catholics. Since then he left his birthplace and none knows his address until now. During wartime, the Serb police had killed his father Fran Mrizi and had wounded his older sister Drane Mrizi, who lost her leg as a result. Fran Mrizi had been threat even by the KLA before Serbs killed him, for he had been a communist, so they considered him a spy of Serbs, and this made thing a little bit more confusing.

Yet we have to deal with three problems here: 1- Find the criminals and send them to the justice; 2- Give security to the familiars of Mark Mrizi, sot that their life might be safe from terrorists; 3- Establish normality in Kosovo and minimize terrorism, so that Mark and many other might not be anymore wanted, as they were good people and gave no problems.

Sokol Pepushaj

Albania between democracy and anarchy

Transition brought along many bad scenes. The fight between new and old, democrats and anarchist communists cost the life to many innocent Albanians. In these last days the anarchists of the Parliament, during the talk of the democrat leader Sali Berisha, hit the deputy Edi Paloka and Azgan Haklaj, giving this way a clear picture of a beastly violence even in the legislative building. All the democrats today are threatened, while the activists are seriously threatened with death. One of them is the intellectual Mehdi Teofik Qehaja, member and activist of the DP since the beginning of the democratic processes in Albania. He had organized the first groups to overthrow dictatorship and clear up the Albanian horizon from violence and injustice. In the beginning of 1997, for some time Mehdi Qehaja was member of the leadership of the Democratic Party in Shkodra, where he showed himself to be a true intellectual and brave man until the elections of June 29 of the same year when the gangs of the social-communists broke open the military ware houses all over Albania and with a Bolshevik revolution usurped the power which they still keep unjustly. The democrat Mehdi Qehaja was distinguished during the parliamentary elections on June 24, 2001, giving a great contribution for the candidate Mark Krroqi. Violence was used in that area and the socialist Lekë Çukaj got the mandate. Yet still today, the democrat Mehdi Qehaja has his life in danger. He was often threatened to be killed, but God helped him. He has no address today, fearing the anarchists.

These are the problems of Albania. These are the traumas following it in the way stuck between democracy and anarchy.

Albert Vataj

Why was Genc Selmani, the close collaborator of Azem Hajdari, forced to leave Albania?

Another Albanian, another zealous democrat, another victim of terror is signed in today in the lists of the independent “Shqipëria Etnike”. He is the well-known democrat Genc Selmani, born in the anticommunist town of Shkodra on September 8, 1964. He was one of the close collaborators of Azem Hajdari, killed by the communists in front of the seat of DP in Tirana on September 12, 1998.

After some investigations we had made we were told that Genci was hidden along with his family in Montenegro. Nevertheless, once then we came to know he lived there from December 2000 until August 2002, while none knew his address afterwards. This came on after the abovementioned democrat had threats to be killed, just like his friend Azem. Murder, violence, corruption, contraband, clear political discrimination is not hard for the communists. Genc Selmani is an active anticommunist since the beginning of the democratic processes, one who does not support those things. Do you want evidence? Behold, he was member of the leadership of the Anticommunist Association “13 Dhjetori 1990” (13 December 1990). He comes from an anticommunist family, his father Hysen was a political prisoner for 10 years since 1955. His family then was interned and their possessions confiscated, his wife is from the family Kazazi, while his grandfather was sentenced to be shot in 1946, as participating in the raising of Postrriba. This is evidence that does not sound good for the communists’ ears. Genci was distinguished in the protests of January 14, 1990, June 16, 1990, December 13, 1990, April 2, 1991, where he suffered violence from evil segments of the disreputable security of the fascist state. On 1991, Genci had founded the Independent Syndicate in the Shoes Enterprise in Shkodra. He was many times threat because of his dense democratic activity. In 1997, during those hard times that will be for a long time as a dark hole at the sight of Albanians, this democrat had voluntarily asked to be engaged on defending the democratic institutions. He was distinguished in the rise in the city of Vlora and in the defense of the Albanian Presidency building. The day of the funerals of the deputy Hajdari, on September 14, 1998, the democrat Selmani had organized the defense of the right-wing Albanian politicians. After the funerals, he was arrested and suffered violence. The fascist state had no evidence, so he was set free, but threats increase from the socialists, sons of their dictator fathers. In 2000, some unknown gangs, through letters, fined him. Then his home was shot with sniper, yet it was not over, for the state not only does not defend the democrat but also terrorizes them. On February 2002, Sabri Selmani, Genci’s uncle, kills a thief in the courtyard of his house. This was for self-defense, before he was violated, robbed or even killed. Selman thus, according to the Albanian Canon had to live shut-in. That is why he left his birthplace, for his life is in danger.

Vasel Gilaj

Sabahet and Emiljon Laze, mother and son in a Calvary of persecution

The true democrats are being persecuted, surveyed and even killed today in the post-communist Albania. There are numerous examples, each more inhuman than the other. That is why the opposition is rightly denouncing the fascist violence, the present anarchy, the corruption and political discrimination, to the international community.

Sabahet Xheladin Laze is a woman, a mother, an anticommunist from the northern town of Shkodra, born on August 25, 1942, an old woman who suffered so much during the regime of Enver Hoxha, but she is still suffering the same violence today. Since 1973, as she was only 31, until 1990, when in the Southeastern Europe the foundations of the dictatorship were shaking, with the fall of the Wall of Berlin, she has been selling her blood, to survive, to have a piece of bread. She sold her blood time after time, so that she might have at least a piece of bread and some salt to eat. Referring to the folder Nr. 14 in the Hospital of Shkodra, she has been giving blood of group “A” positive. Sabahet Laze has a wide democratic activity. During the parliamentary elections of June 24, 2001, she was member of the elections staff, supporting the democratic candidate Astrit Bushati, while the socialist candidate Esmeralda Uruçi attempted to steal the votes. The votes were protected, but the democrat Laze suffered violence. On September 25, 2000, during the campaign for the local elections of October 1, 2000, she suffered violence again.

Her son Emiljon Laze is the Albanian anticommunist who grew eating that piece of bread bought with the money of the blood her mother sold. During the elections of June 24, 2001, he surely joined the Democratic Party, in order to prevent the communist dictators from installing violence and anarchy, as it subsequently happened, after stealing the votes with the power of tanks, TNT, violence and murders of democrats. Emiljon Laze was member of the elections’ staff of the candidate for deputy of the DP, Mark Krroqi, in the area Nr. 2. The police there stole the votes and gave the mandate of the deputy to the socialist Lekë Çukaj. The police used violence; torture Emiljon Laze like all those who did not want to take the offerings they made to manipulate votes. After that, Emiljon Laze suffered violence again by the communist gangs on July 8, 2001. In the Folder Nr. 1003 of the Regional Hospital of Shkodra, it is registered that he “Had great pain in the left kidney and reddish urination”. The diagnosis was Hematuria Colica Renalis Sin, so he had to undergo an intensive qualified medical therapy in order to live. It is the case to give thanks to the Albanian physicians for saving many lives of democrats, many lives of innocent people. Being in serious danger, Sabahet and Emiljon Laze had to live hidden in the mountains. Since 1997, with the victory of the communists, who wanted those dead, until June 2001, they lived in the village Shllak, in an area of democrats in the mountains, at the house of the democrat Ndue Kol Gjoni, but there was a high pressure used on them. It was a great fortune for them as they escaped death but left Albania, as many others did.

Zog Hysenaj

The child trafficking and the state of trafficking

The child trafficking is a great problem for Albania. This state shows inability and direct responsibility, being involved in this crime, giving so the worst example amongst all the worst surrounding it. These last days an irresponsible couple sold two children for 30 thousand of lek. The condemnations are too small. We do not want to mention here the child trafficking for organ transplantations, where the prices put by the Mafia are too high, this is of course supported by the state that also gets its part of gain. Albania is hitting the eye of the international organizations and the trade of organs in Turkey with half the price of the trade of Russia, tells us about a net realized through Kosovo toward Turkey.

The people involved in preventing and minimizing this trafficking are opposed by the state, instead of being stimulated and defended. This is the case of Mrs. Majlinda Temali. She has been giving a great contribution during the eight months of work, this evidenced in the documents of the Integrated Community Service Center, headed by Mr. Beniamin Todhe, founded and approved by UNICEF, in cooperation with the Instruction Directory of Shkodra and the school “Dëshmorët e Prishtinës”. Majlinda Temali was trained by UNICEF as an instructor to work with children. She had professionally developed very important themes like school desertion by the children and the causes of this phenomenon; the orphan children with divorced or emigrated parents, for whom trafficking is potential; for the children with inherited disease; for the poor families or those with problems within.

Having thus close relationship with the children, she treated as if were her, trying to report the trafficking, she entered conflicts that almost cost her life. Behold a mother, an instructor doing a human job, defending the life of children; she becomes prey of criminal groups, who are thought to be managed by the state. On December 2000, after being beastly beaten she was brought at the hospital of Shkodra, but has to leave soon for the trafficker could find her even there and kill her. The hospitals are insecure. Behold the surgeon Zamir Shazi was killed while working. Majlinda Temali along with her children and her husband had to leave Albania to escape the traffickers and this state of trafficking.

Sokol Pepushaj

Pressure on Legalists

The difficulties in Shkodra seem to have no end. The day is not different from the night, as they are both dark. Poverty and fear of what will happen make everything wear a dark mantel. Murders occurring every day, beats, violence are suffocating everyone. The only thing you hear on the road, at home in different conversations amongst friends is the difficulty to live here, for everything is bothering and life is hard.

Life is harder for those who join the right-wing political forces. They have suffered for fifty years of dictatorship and keep on suffering at almost same way today. Since 1945, they have been politically and economically persecuted this long Calvary is following them with almost the same ways.

Having free convictions in Shkodra and Albania means condemnation for them, what does never occur in any other free democratic country in the world.

Elmaz Hamza Jakupi is the name of the legalist from Shkodra, one of the first to participate in the protests to pull down the bust of Enver Hoxha, as well as one of the initiators of the movement for democracy in Albania. He participated in almost all the activities for the freedom of speech and that caused him suffer persecution. Often he has met direct threats at home where people have come and told him not to speak or follow his activity. Nevertheless, these threats have never scared Elmaz, for as he said he was never concerned for himself, even during the communist regime, but he is more concerned for his family. Recently, however was not just scaring but a real menace for his family. Elmaz Hamza Jakupi, born on April 3, 1961, is member of the Party of Legality as well as one of the founders and organizers of its foundation in Albania and especially in Shkodra. In 1998, when the monarchy won the elections, according to the legalists, Elmaz and his wife Ermira were engaged in this process, for what they were on target by those who have no interest for democracy in Albania. Communism took away all their properties, destroyed them economically and denied them the right to be free as all the citizens of the democratic world. Now, almost 60 years later, is being repeated the same scenario. Having to face this situation when Elmaz could lose even his life by those pressures, he felt forced to leave his country.

Xhemal Berisha

Flee from blood feud!

The person you see in the picture featuring this writing is Enver Pelingu, born on August 10, 1949. He worked as a bus-driver for many years and every day he used to go through the muddy roads of Shkodra. One day, on November 15, 1999, while driving his bus, almost drunk and under the influence of alcohol, he makes an incident knocking down two brothers, Ari and Dritan Xhaka, both from Shkodra, who died at the hospital of Shkodra, though they had the first aid from the medical personnel. This is the beginning of enmity between the families Pelingu and Xhakaj. On April 7, 2000, early in the morning, two people shot dead Enver Pelingu while driving his bus. Those two people were not identified by the police of Shkodra, maybe because of the links they might have had with the Mafia’s structures of the organized crimes. Nevertheless, after this murder, when the authors vanished, the members of the family Xhakaj were not satisfied. Obeying the terrible laws of the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini, widely obeyed in north Albania, also helped by the lack of authority of the state, the number of dead in the family Xhakaj should be two, so the family Xhakaj has to kill again! Their target now is the only son of Enver, Ervin Pelingu, born on August 8, 1982, only 21 years old. Since the death of his father, Ervin lives in loneliness, scared and menaced by the gun of the enemy ready to shot on him. None is protecting him. He has only his mother Sabahet and the sister Rovena, both spending their days in the fear of hearing the gun of crime shooting. The intervention of the Missionaries of Peace and the local authorities gave no result in this tragedy, so Ervin had the only way out to leave Shkodra and Albania. He went in a western state, were freedom and human rights are guaranteed by law. However, he has left in loneliness his mother Sabahet and the sister Rovena with tears looking the open door, hoping to see their dear beloved Ervin! Where the state is missing, the Canon is the law. This is the picture of Albanians in the new century!

Rifat Ymeri

The other “war” of the Kosovar after war

The Kosovar and international political factor is continuously treating the final status of Kosovo, while the reality witnesses the temperature of those declarations. The part of the Kosovar reality, is still the contradictions inherited during and after war ending in murders. This index keeps on the “war” of after war in Kosovo. Incredible stories are the today’s ornament from the time of war. They make the tragic of many Kosovar families; the misfortune for many others who have to live in emigration, for the life is mostly insecure.

The tragic of Skënder Aliaj is the rape of his wife, now pregnant of 6 months by Mihajloviç, the house bombed where his father died, while his brother Taulant Aliaj escaped for having his life menaced. The life of Skënder goes by narrow roads, passing through his involvement in war gathering the weapons and other needs for KLA in the municipality of Deçan, through the accusations for collaboration with Serbs. He was born in Kodralia in the municipality of Deçan and like his brother; he was part of the tragic reality of Kosovo and the victimized part of after war. The fight for freedom involved the whole family Aliaj, yet it is not over here the long Calvary of this Kosovar saga. Skënder takes revenge for his wife as soon as he comes out of the prison of Nish, killing the author of rape. He would commit the same murder even after war. Finding himself in different conflicts, involved in a double game, becomes the author of murder of many Kosovars. The enmity with Serbs as well as that with Kosovars causes the family Aliaj to have no way back to Kosovo. Another motive that causes Skënder and Taulant to stay somewhere out of Kosovo is blood feud, as one of the plagues ruling the hole Albanian area, being a serious menace mainly for Kosovo, which bears numerous stories like this of Skënder. Following this line of tragic, we think that not only the family Aliaj, but also many other families and Albanians of Kosovo are the characters of those fatalities. By this you can understand the difficulty of experiencing peace in a country where the dreaming wounds of war wake and kill the wills for living together in peace, for prosperity and integration.

Kosovo cannot be anymore a part set aside of this tragc, that’s why it is fighting every day to conquer even this other “war” that time after time wakes killing the Kosovar peace, causing the borders of independence go even further, what is being so much talked about. As much as the wounds of war will keep on rising, the return of Skënder and Taulant will be impossible.

Drini Gashi

The tragedy of February 4: They’d failed in business

Lavdimir Prekaj, member of the DP since December 20, 1998, has received death threats from segments of the dictatorial state. The communists, unfortunately still on power since 1997 when they took power through guns and tanks, have shot about 2550 democrats. Lavdimir Prekaj would have been one of those victims if he didn’t escape somewhere abroad. Yet, what seriously threatens his life and that of the family Prekaj is the tragedy of a few days ago, the 4^th of February. That morning, Lavdimir’s uncle, Gjeto Prekaj, shot on Mark Nicaj killing him.  According to the police, the families Prekaj and Nicaj were in business together since the last spring. They had signed a business contract with a sauce factory in Shkodra. According to the legal contract the factory was to be supplied with tomatoes. Gjeto Prekaj and the victim Mark Nicaj, engaged employees and planted a large quantity of tomatoes. According to the investigation, the employees were paid regularly. Prekaj cured the documentation and the victim, Nicaj, cured the payment of the employees. In autumn, when the contract with the sauce factory was over, ther business resulted with great loss. Thus, Mark Nicaj accused Gjeto Prekaj for abusing with the money. This generated the disagreement that ended in murder. Gjeto Prekaj had explained that he had lost that same amount of money, but Mark warned him that if he wouldn’t give his money back until December (of the last year) that would result in blood-feud. An effort made the past November by the elders of the village didn’t result in conciliation. Gjeto Prekaj couldn’t gather the money requested according to the condition, so the morning of February 4, the victim Nicaj took the gun and went to revenge. He found Gjeto Prekaj releasing his sheep from the stockyard. Gjeto noticed him and hided. His brother, Ndrekë, came out calling: “Gjeto, where are you?”, so Gjeto came out shooting on Mark Nicaj, thinking that he would kill his brother. Though the victim was send to the hospital, but he died on the way. A blood-feud started and the revenge doesn’t seem to have an end. The family Nicaj didn’t want the family Prekaj in the funeral, as the area of Malësi e Madhe is known for the wild tradition of blood-feud. Any attempt for reconciliation failed. Laws are missing while the two families are in blood-feud according to the Canon. It’s a paradox that an entire quarter in Shkodra is called the blood-feud quarter, as many murderers hide there and defend with guns, likewise in ancient times. Yet murders happen every day. It is Kiras, or the so-called “Livadhet”, the quarter where neither the State, nor the people can move freely. The family Prekaj, although innocent, is waiting for the next victim to be caused by the family Nicaj, for the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini is over the State.

Vasel Gilaj