nr. 50 / 7 tetor 2003

numrat

The property conflicts still taking human lives and keeping families shut in

The property conflicts are still problematic in the Albanian society. During these years of transition, many families have become prey of those conflicts.

The young Lekë Kola, born on April 20, 1978, in the village Mazrrek, of Guri i Zi, now living in the “Mark Lula” quarter, of Shkodra, is still living shut in, since September 2001, just because his father defended his property with all he could, so that the others might not take it away. Leka’s father, though an old man, took care alone of the property, in order to let his children out of this. They had their property with all the documents requested by law. His fellow citizen, from the family Zefi has attempted several times to take unjustly the property to the family Kola. The conflict between the two families continued for several months. On September 27, 2001, the family Zefi tried to hit Leka’s father with some hard stuff. This last one wounded, in self-defense, the member of the family Zefi. After this incident, 3 families Kola have to live shut in, fearing the revenge of the family Zefi toward them.

The youth is suffering the most this drama and particularly Leka, who had to leave Albania, looking for a free life, as he couldn’t live shut in.

The correspond. of “Shqipëria Etnike”

Mark Ferra and dictatorship

Mark Ferra is one of those who spent a lot for a free Albania, without dictatorship and discrimination toward people. The communist dictatorship fights people like Mark. It is just Mark Ferra, born in Serma, in the municipality of Shosh, on June 8, 1978, who was educated since very young with strong feelings for his nation and a great hatred against the communist system. He remembers many times during his childhood, when the communists surveyed his father, during religious festivals, either he had lighted the candle or if he prayed. In many religious festivals, one of the members of the family had to look if anyone was coming for inspection. The next day, the teachers used provocation, asking if they had eaten meat the last night, or if the father had lighted the candle. Mark grew up in this life of sufferings. Since February 10, 1998 he joined the DP as a member, being active in all the elections as a commissioner and representative of the ADP. He was menaced that his firm attitude in commissions would cost him the life. The communists and agents of security chased him in every step he made. As the DP won for 12 years the elections in the municipality of Shosh, since January 1, 2001 until June 1, 2003, he worked at the service office. While the local elections were drawing near, he had death threats by unknown people, and he had to leave Shosh and any other village or voting centre. The socialist leaders and the gangs of the socialist deputies forced him to leave the country in order to save his life. There isn’t yet any information about his address, but he hopes in the changes the elections of 12 October would bring, until then he is morally down, as it is impossible to him to help defend the free vote and the ideal with which he was educated with the hope of a secure life. His return in Albania means death for him, as he is still on the target, as a zealous democrat that allows no submission. His presence might bring problems even for his parents, for he is well known as the defender of the democratic ideals in all the area.

Zef Nika

Lec Bzhetaj trying to survive

Many anti-communists, especially the members of the Democratic Party, have to leave their country, even more after the violent return of the communist back on power, in 1997. They depart toward Occidental countries, in order to survive. All this comes as they are threatened to be fired from work, so they are discriminated and menaced even with death, because of their political convictions. One of them is Mr. Lec Mark Bzhetaj, from the village Dobër, in the municipality of Center in Malësi e Madhe. Since 1990, with the beginning of the democratic movements, Lec Bzhetaj became a member of the Democratic Party, giving a great contribution to pull down the communism in Albania. But troubles came very soon. On April 2, 1991, during the protests against dictatorship, he was wounded in his right leg. After that Lec Bzhetaj was arrested several times and kept in isolation because of his activity, continuing in the Democratic Party as a member, propagator and commissioner during elections. Troubles go on for Lec, and on October 6, 2001, at around 21⁰⁰, while coming from a meeting of the party, along with his friend Preç Deda, in a vehicle on the road Dobër-Koplik, right at the beginning of the road of Dobër, some people wearing police uniforms, stopped shooting on them, but Lec came out safe, while his friend, Preç, was wounded. This is the tragedy of Lec Mark Bzhetaj, from Dobër of Malësi e Madhe, all for his political convictions.

Vasel Gilaj

Human rights are openly ignored in Albania

Our journal has treated several times many cases when human rights and liberties are openly ignored in the Albanian society. What mostly hits the eye actually is the phenomenon of conflicts, blood-feud and revenge, property conflicts and armed kidnapping toward the citizens of this country, as a result of the inability of the state to protect their life.

Betim Nazim Kubaj, born on April 24, 1981, from Shtoj i Ri, in the municipality of Rrethina, the District of Shkodra, married, was forced to live shut in since November 3, 2002. This came after an incident with a car that his brother had suffered from the citizen E.P., who took the gun and shot on wounding the citizen Qemal Kubaj, the brother of Betim. The incident occurred beside the University “Luigj Gurakuqi” of Shkodra. The author of the incident is a military of the division of Shkodra, while the injured is a police officer in the Police District of Shkodra and the incident occurred while the injured was in service.

The citizen Betim Kubaj is member of the Democratic Party in Shkodra as well as on of the most important activists of this party. He comes from a poor family of democratic principles for an open and civilized society, supporting the pro American spirit, with firm convictions in fighting terrorism and all those who want to deprive people from their rights and freedom. Living shut in and continuous threats by the family of E.P., makes his life harder, all this because the young Betim Kubaj saved the life of his brother when he was wounded. Because of this conflict, a relative of Betim tried to take revenge on the brother of the author of the incident. This made more difficult the return of peace between the two families.

A few months later the family Kubaj asked the intervention of the missionaries of peace, yet there isn’t any hope. Because of this, the young Betim Kubaj had to leave Albania, to save his life and his family.

Because of this drama, while hundreds of women became widows, on September 30, 2003, this organization organized a meeting with 300 hundred of mothers, and in their midst there was the wife of the Albanian Prime Minister, Mrs. Xhoana Nano.

The situation is still difficult for all those families in conflicts. We wish to the young Betim Kubaj to be set free from living shut in, as soon as possible, and the return of peace between these families.

The correspond. of “Shqipëria Etnike”

Why do the Albanian artists leave the country?

Though thousands of Albanians leave their country for economical and political motives, during the last 13 years, what is mostly suffering is the Albanian culture. Many artists have left because of their art, which was not endured by the socialists on power, as they do not accept the critics made by the artist on the stage. It is a clear case, that of the menaces received by the actress Valbona Babaj, well-known in the municipality of Kastrat in Malësi e Madhe. She is known for her work in the gender of humor, especially in the show organized every end of year. The socialist power keepers had not swallowed her humor as she showed their problems and weaknesses. On December 25, 2002, when a show was being prepared, Valbona couldn’t go on but until December 29. That day she was not allowed to participate at the show. This was because Valbona had directed her humor toward the people on power. This is the motive she received many threats, to stop her in her activity, otherwise she would see the consequences. This was clearer even when the lights were turned off many times when Valbona had to go on the stage. She was many times mocked and insulted, saying that if they knew what she had prepared, they would had blown up the whole building. In these conditions, Valbona Babaj had to leave not only her profession, but even her country, Albania. This was proved to us by her colleagues, especially by the leader of the group, Qazim Çela, who is really sorry about her departure, and not only hers, but even of another actor of this group like Vebi Kurti. Even though they were the best, they had to leave because of threats.

Vasel Gilaj

Albanian lacks of tribunals, law and state

There are already 13 years passed since Albania opened the doors to the Occident, while the freedom of speech, economy of trade and religion triumphed over the rough communist laws, nevertheless, revenge, blood-feud and medieval avenge increased greatly. In the Northern Albania, where he law and state are ineffectual, the Canon of six hundred years ago is making the decisions, taking every day the lives of innocent people. This happens even for a single word, or if the chicken goes through the fence of the neighbor. This phenomenon is getting so dangerous that in the last days, the wife of the Albanian Prime Minister, Mrs. Xhoana Nano, decided to take a responsibility, standing at the head of the League of the Missionaries of Peace, as a chief chairman. Our journal has been treating these themes several times, when many are killed and many others have to live shut in. Such is the case of Tonin Deda. For a while he stayed hidden, until the day he decided to depart and leave Albania. But why did this happen?

Some times ago, the father of Tonin, in a quarrel of the moment, had killed two people, A.P. and N.K., but the day comes (in July 2 of this year) when a person of one of the families of the victims, kills him. According to the Canon, Tonin Deda had to pay for another murder too, so even though he has no personal charge of that, on the contrary he is a very good and respectful person, even with the man of law, he is forced to depart, just to escape the bullet.

Zog Hysenaj

Plagues of Prishtina

Kosovo is not finding out the way, so that the evil, revenge and even terrorism might become just a reliquary of the evil in the museums. In the memory of Kosovo there are still fresh the massacres of the criminal of humanity, Slobodan Milosevic. Yet crime is taking away lives every day, and is moving away Kosovo from the integration in the Occident. The last days in Prishtina was killed a young boy, Selim Xhemali and the murderers were not found. On reliable sources we had, that guy was killed because his father was supposed to have spied the members of the KLA. So Selim was the son of the spy, the son of the traitor, according to KLA, which had many others on the list, standing on our sources. In the KLA were involved even terrorists. The KLA had given for Selim Xhemali and his father, Haki, the death penalty. Selim had gone for a few times in Germany and in these last times he had come in his country, in Prishtina, by permission. But the gun and death was waiting for him. Former members of the KLA in Prishtina and other hot areas of Kosovo, time after time commit specialized murders, like this. These plagues obviously move Kosovo away from the way toward their independence and rights, making the Occidental countries more cautious on answering the requests of the government of Kosovo. To ask for independence, you should obviously show the work and devotion to build up a state, even within the Former Yugoslavian Federation. Such hard plagues and inhuman crimes make a bad sign to the future of Kosovo.

Sokol Pepushaj

Increasing crime rates

The political "temperature" is not the only growing higher these last days, but even criminality, even crueler, having a great diffusion all over Albania. There are numerous cases, each uglier than the other. One such was recorded the evening of May 29, 2003, when the 77-years old man Mark Kol Pepaj died as three bullets were shot on him, while coming back from a friend he visited. The incident occurred in the village Kushe-Hot of the municipality of Kastrat in the district of Malësi e Madhe. Despite the requests of the family to know the motive and author of the crime, this isn’t brought out to light yet. As the state showed inability on bringing out to light crime authors and arresting them, not only in the case of the 77-years old, Pepaj, but even in other cases, gives us reason to openly say that it is this same state who is incriminated, it is this state that kills, doing massacres.

Mark Kol Pepaj was born on 1926. He was the father of five girls and two boys, all married now. He wasn’t member of any party during all his lifetime. Likewise all the other mountain dwellers of Hot, he was a worker who brought up his children with his own efforts, by the sweat of his brow. But the day comes when the gun cuts off his life, though having no debt to anyone.

This is a sad feature of life in the post communist Albania, where crime cuts off one’s life even in the midst of the day.

Vasel Gilaj