nr 46 / 1 korrik 2003

numrat

The long way of transition

The Albanian transition, the change of the state from a dictatorial to a democratic, does not only seem too long, but there is not much to see in it. The almost 13-years long way was very dark. Over eleven thousands of victims in an Albania of only three million inhabitants, this is terrible. The intellectuals, especially those who are democrats have constantly been suffering pressure, macabre strikes by the dictatorial system, still on power however. On June 10 of this year, a few days before the murder of one of the most powerful Albanian businessmen, Myftar Çela, a woman was beaten, an intellectual and democrat. Dashurije Vadahi was stricken by two unidentified persons in motorcycles, according to eyewitnesses. She was immediately sent at the Central Hospital of Shkodra by occasional people. This is the very dark view of the Albanian reality. The murder of the businessman Çela is still open, as the alleged culprit, Bajram Çulmulaj is being investigated in liberty in Montenegro. The Albanian well-known democrat Dashurije Vadahi was distinguished as organizer of the Albanian political persecuted in peaceful protests, in demanding their legitimate rights. She was born in Shkodra, in one of the most persecuted families by the fifty-year long communist regime of Enver Hoxha. She held the responsibility of the Chief of the Institute of Integration of the Political Persecuted in the prefecture of Shkodra. The communists fired her without any reason. She went to the tribunal were she gained the right to be readmitted, but this decision of the tribunal was never executed, and seems to have no chance to be executed, as long as these social-communists will be on power. In a few words it is obvious the political motive of this avenge, while the human rights are being explicitly disregarded, even when justice is on your side, even with the decision of the tribunal. Today is all-powerful the crime, the human discrimination, is a “normality” the political unfairness. This democrat has also received threatening anonymous phone-calls. This is a concerning fact in Albania today, a problem risen even by the diplomatic corps and the press and business in particular, while the phone numbers have been made public. One year ago the democrat Vadahi escaped death while threatened with guns. The last events of public murders and kidnaps on democrats have had such a curriculum. All of them have a “way out”. The victims are caught while the murders are not found. Even the parliamentary discussion on the murder of Florian Vila is a paradox of the Balkans. The specialized structures therefore keep quiet or collaborate with crime, the Parliament reveals its’ inability, even showing the real face, confirming the miss of the political will to build up a state of law.

Sokol Pepushaj

Presheva, model of antihuman crimes

The retaliations of the police forces in Presheva and in the areas around are continuous, harsh and inhuman. Since months ago you can notice a growing tension and insecurity of life. The Albanians are victims of beastly violence. In April of this year, the police forces retaliated on the neighbors of where Sokol Byrhan Sinani lived, ill-treating Hasan, his neighbor. The motive of such violence, according to some eyewitnesses, was to find and maybe to eliminate Sokol Sinani, as he was one of the main activists of the party on democratic action. The Serb forces are every day performing such violence, after the departure of the Monitoring International Forces. Sokol Sinani, a well-known intellectual, a distinguished political activist, has constantly been under survey by Serbs, who wanted to eliminate him. His activity in Presheva made it dangerous to him as it is now for many of his friends. Sokol and others are living examples of crime used on innocent people.

Our journal treated and will keep on treating such cases, no matter the threats made by terrorist groups, whom we have reported to the specialized structures even through internet, making it known to our readers all over the world.

Albert Vataj

The hard to swallow gulp

Medvegja, Bujanovci and Presheva seem to be a hard to swallow gulp, difficult to have a quiet life without troubles. The Albanians everywhere complain with heart tears bringing out shocking facts. Bekim Fejzullahu, born on Rahovic Presheva on December 23, 1967, is carrying a Calvary of persecutions on his shoulders, while his life has been many times threatened. Since the beginning of the democratic processes in Albania he came amongst the Albanian democrats giving his contribution to install the democracy and the free life, participating in peaceful protests and meetings, at the side of his brothers of the same blood. He escaped death as he suffered violence by the communists on power, the same way he went through troubles with Serbs. On 1999, Bekim Fejzullahu was arrested by the Serb police and after one year spent in prison, he joined the forces of PMBLA. After the peace agreement of May 21, 2001, he goes back home, yet constantly threatened by the Serb forces. On March 2002, Bekim Fejzullahu was shot and wounded in his left shoulder. Later on, on November 28, 2002, a great amount of explosion was put to his house, while all the members of the family were wounded. None knows anything for Bekim and all the members of his family, since that day.

It is painful to publish such facts, yet this is the destiny of the Albanians facing the human madness.

Vasel Gilaj

The destiny of the Albanians of Montenegro

Persecution and physical elimination is still on the Albanians of Montenegro, even today, by special structures of agents of Yugoslavian UDB

This is the same destiny experienced by these young guys from the mountains of Tuz, who deserted the Serb army on 1997, to join the KLA. Nikoll Dreshaj, Nik Camaj, Gjovalin Ded Vukaj, Lek Luc Gjuraj, Shaban Istrefi and Ferit Ahmet Hysaj are like many other Albanians from Montenegro. On June 10, 1997 they fought against the Serb army by the Lake of Peja where Shaban Istrefi, from the village Dushiq died, while Ferit Ahmet Hysaj, from the village Nënhelmë of Tuz, was wounded. Since 1997, when these young guys deserted the Serb army, until 1999, when they were forced to leave their born place, because of the persecutions by agents of Yugoslavian UDB, they gave their contribution in the group “League for help”, led by Shaban Bisha, for the liberation of Kosovo.

Because of constant persecution and physical eliminations, many of these Albanian young guys from Montenegro had to depart from their country and emigrate in Western Europe. This is the case of Ferit Ahmet Hysaj, from Nënhelmë of Tuz, because wanted by the agents of the Yugoslavian UDB, as he was a member of the group “League for help”, led by Shaban Bisha. He left his birth place and went somewhere in West Europe along with his wife and children.

An example of constant persecution and murders by agents of Serb secret services today is even the case of the murder of Lek Luc Gjuraj, from Nënhelm of Tuz, the closest friend of Ferit Ahmet Hysaj, with whom he deserted, going thereafter in Italy because of continuous persecutions. After the year 2001, as the situation appeared normalized, his family in the village Nënhelmë asked Lekë to go back, near to his family. As soon as the agents of secret services of the Yugoslavian UDB discovered this, they trailed and killed him.

The correspondent of “Shqipëria Etnike”

Ylber Amuli, forced to departure

His name is Ylber Amuli. He was born in Deçan of Kosovo on May 28, 1983. He is the only son of Xhel and Zyra and the brother of Marsela, a little family with great sufferings and difficulties in facing life, yet surviving until the end of 1988, a few days from the end of the war and the return of the Kosovars who left during the Serb invasion. Right in those days starts the tragedy amongst two families, neighbors to each other, both Albanians, both patriots, yet unable to leave the patriarchal psychology, inherited from the depth of the centuries. The cause of the problems between the two families was a little piece of ground and neither of the families was willing to lay it aside, pretending the ownership. Neither Xhel Amuli, nor Refik Sylaj could imagine what this dispute between them was going to bring about. It was 9:30 AM on December 23, 1988, when after a dispute; Xhel Amuli took his gun, an old German gun he held illegally, shooting dead his neighbor, Refik Sylaj, 38 years old. Since that moment everything changed in the life of the family Amuli. The heavy burden of blood-feud with the family Sylaj was on them. This revenge was unavoidable as the canon of the mountains, scarily returned even in the after-war Kosovo, decisively demanded this, in order to bring the honor back to the family Sylaj. Ylber, helped by some his relatives, left Kosovo to reside in a western country where freedom, life and human rights are protected and guaranteed by law, while Xhel, Zyra and Marsela escaped in the mountains around Deçan to hide there. Since 1999, when Ylber left his dear birth-place, he didn’t have any news from his family, while living with the fear of the gun ready to kill him, by members and relatives of the family of Refik Sylaj, murdered on December 23, 1988 by his father Xhel Amuli. The homesickness and the fear from the killer is making suffer the young soul of the 20 years old Ylber Amuli. He can never go back to his dear country as the gun of the family Sylaj is ready to shoot him. The fact of not being the only is his only consolation. Hundreds are those from Kosovo and Albania, who have to leave their country and suffer the tragic consequences of an unwritten law - the canon of the mountains, coming from the depth of the centuries, making the law, also helped by the inability of the law of state. Yet we are in the 21^st century! How far?

Rifat Ymeri

General madness

The conflicts of revenge and blood-feud make a very troublesome phenomenon for the Albanian society. They give the impression of a general madness, as the law is not working in this direction. The President of the Republic, Alfred Moisiu, while visiting Shkodra, as the most problematic area in this direction, was pronounced, along with the leaders of the national society of reconciliation, with its’ seat in this northern city, on belittling this phenomenon by the logic of conscience and not the logic of the law. There is an entire quarter in Shkodra living shut in, now named “The Quarter of Blood-feud”. The politics try to hide this terrible fact to the world. Albania is not taking any step to make any linking ways with the Europe, so that as long as the law will not be able to work on the killers, at least the innocent risking their life might be given the possibility to reside there abroad, for the Canon of Lek Dukagjini, now six hundred years old, is so wild and admits the revenge for many generations. The focus of these few lines is Rroland Pashaj and his family, who have no address because of a possible revenge. It is not only about Rroland and his wife, but even about their two children, who are deprived of games, school and education, likewise thousands in Albania.

Such problems have been constantly considered by our journal, but depriving children from life, is a crime. We keep on saying that the Albanian state is guilty. The case of Rroland Pashaj and his family is even more problematic, for according to our investigations they have no address. The gun of revenge is shooting every day and night. The life of man, even the innocent, as it is the mentioned case, can be easily taken by a criminal hand.

Zog Hysenaj

The gun of the family Lumaj is ready to shoot on Rezart Kurhasaj

Even though smiling at the picture near this article, the shadow of death is following Rezart Kurhasaj for years. He was born on February 1, 1982 in the village Boriç i Madh, 8 km from Koplik in Malësi e Madhe. He is the only son of the late Riza and the mother Nurie. Rezart left his country five years ago, residing in London with the hope that the gun of his enemy won’t be able to reach him there. His mother Nurie, lives alone in her home in Boriç, and prays God with tears, and asks the family of the avenger to forgive the light of her eyes, her dear Rezart. But, why and who is trying to kill the only son of an unlucky mother?

The avengers are from the village Pult of Dukagjin. They are a big family and came in the village Boriç i Madh, near to the family of Riza Kurhasaj, since 1992. The problems between them rose during their attempts to gain the ownership on the land. Though having no documents, with the help of corrupted people, the family Lumaj, coming from Pult, could gain the ownership on the land that had always belonged to the family Kurhasaj. The patriarchal pride of Riza came out, and he took the gun in a sunny day, on August 27, 1997 shooting dead the two brothers Mark and Lulash Lumaj. He and his family lived shut in, since then, hiding from the revenge of the family of the victims, who lost no time to answer. Vesel, Marku’s son, shoots on Riza Kurhasaj, while in his courtyard, on June 12, leaving him dead. According to the canon of the mountains, making the law of the Northern areas, the family Lumaj should kill again. The only one to pay for his father therefore is Rezart, his son, who celebrated with sorrow his 21^st anniversary on February 1, 2003. Fearing the avenge of the family Lumaj, Rezart left his country, helped by some of his relatives, finding out a shelter in the British Capital, in London, on August 1998, leaving in loneliness and sorrow his mother Nurie, who waits on her son looking at the door, hoping to see her son, Rezart. However…, even the members of the family Lumaj are waiting on him, with guns in their hands, ready to shoot him without mercy. He might never be able to return in his birth-place, near to his beloved mother. The gun of his enemy is ready to shoot him! This is another tragedy, going as long as none knows its’ end.

Rifat Ymeri

Albania: 5000 killed in six years

Five thousands innocent Albanians have been killed since the beginning of 1997, when the social-communists violently toppled the democratic power. The break down of weapon warehouses, causing many people to be still today in possession of guns, as well as the political revenge, is a real tragedy that seems hard to have any way out. The democrats are being killed, suffering violence, discrimination. The black year 1997 made black and hopeless even the Albanian life, while still today in 2003, is hard to have a safe life. Those who love life, freedom, democracy, are the victims of anarchy with a political background. One of them is the democrat Françesk Simon Gavoçi, born on March 9, 1968 in the village Derragjat of Shkodra. He participated in many peaceful protests against dictatorship since the beginning of the democratic processes in North Albania. He was beaten and threatened to death if he wasn’t to lay aside his efforts in favor of the democratization of life. Even his wife Vitore, went through traumas, because of violence, while escaped kidnapping. The anarchists of this dictatorial state went so far to menace them to kidnap their child, Gabriel, who now must be nine years old, if he is still alive. We say this because there are six years now that this anticommunist family has no address. None knows either this family is hidden, eliminated or departed somewhere in the occidental countries. We hope this last way, as we had previously published many cases of murders still enigmatic, while the same special institutions of the state tried to put them out of sight. Françesk Gavoçi like many others who were murdered or departed from Albania, are a concrete and heavy accusation to this anarchist and dictatorial state.

Albert Vataj