|
Albania, the same as when Azem Hajdari was killed
On October 12 of this year, there are six years since the red
gangs, back on power through the Bolshevik revolution of 1997, killed in
front of the Democratic Party seat of Tirana the hero of the Albanian
democracy and pluralism, the unforgotten Azem Hajdari. The murder of this leader and deputy of the
Albanian Parliament was the most terrible murder of the twentieth century for
Albania,
for this murder warned the murder of democracy and pluralism, so desired for
us who suffered half century of communist dictatorship. The murder of Azem Hajdari was forewarned by
the socialists on power about one year before (in 1997), when the socialist
deputy, Gafur Mazreku,
shot five bullets in the Parliament on Azem Hajdari, who was wounded and escaped death by God’s sake.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, Neritan Ceka, designed dozens of incidents, one of which was that
of Milot where Azem and
his 14 years old son escaped death miraculously. The socialists, though
missing the target for so many times, on killing Azem
Hajdari, didn’t miss it on September 12, 1998, when
the executors were Fatmir Haklaj
and Jaho Salihi, two
officers of the socialist state police. To escape the arrest they were helped
by Taulant Dedja, the man
of the government in the Prefecture
of Kukës,
who lied telling that the two officers had been in service in Tropoja that night. After the Occidental and American
organisms’ intervention, it was proved that the killers were Fatmir Haklaj and Jaho Salihi (now one is
murdered and the other is in prison for the crime). The criminal Gafur Mazreku is out of prison
now and was chosen as chairman of the Socialist Party for the District of
Has, as well as one of the possible candidates for deputy in the coming
elections. The deceiver and protector of the criminals, Taulant
Dedja, is a deputy of the SP as well as the
preferred one of Fatos Nano. Neritan
Ceka is a deputy of the left alliance as well as
chairman of the Commission for the Order and SIS. With these actions, the SP
is telling Albanians that criminals are part of the structures of the party
and the state of socialists, ready to lacerate whosoever is in the target of
the rose seat. It seems impossible to notice at the center of Europe today a terrible class struggle, while democrats
and anticommunist are not only deprived from work and development, but also
unsafe because of the gangs on power. It is interesting the evidence of the
family touched, for it is equal to the lists of those who were persecuted by
the communists in 1945. There are many examples of those on target of the
socialist power even in Malësi e Madhe, but in our journal “Shqipëria
Etnike” want to tell about a family from Vermosh in the municipality of Kelmend,
the anticommunist family Tinaj. The long sufferings
for this family begun in 1945, when the communist on power proclaimed this
family was an enemy. The communist isolated the family Tinaj
in Vermosh, surveying on it continuously with the
spies of the Security of the State. They didn’t let it go out of the village
and gave it the hardest works to do with a salary just to buy some bread to
stay alive. It was just this story of sufferings and persecution that caused
the sons of the family Tinaj to join the anticommunist
tornado of the end of 1990 and the beginning of 1991. The participation of
the sons of family Tinaj in the anticommunist
protests in Koplik and Shkodra
were unforgotten for the democrats of Malësi, as
they had to walk for 60-70km from Vermosh. The
three brothers, Mark Tinaj, Prel
Tinaj and Anton Tinaj,
were even in the first mass held in Shkodra on
November 1990. These three were also in the protests of December 13, 1990,
for pulling down the bust of the dictator in Shkodra.
The family Tinaj was now an important part of the
anticommunist tornado. The elections of March 31, 1991 were won by the
Democratic Party in Vermosh, but in other areas of Albania they
were unfortunately manipulated. The protest of April 2, 1991, caused the
death of four martyrs in Shkodra, Arben Broci, Bujar Bishanaku, Nazmi Kryeziu and Besnik Ceka, as well as 80
democrats wounded and hundreds ill-treated, amongst whom were the three
brothers Tinaj (Mark, Prel
and Anton) who were arrested, but the police had to set them free after a few
hours. While Anton Fran Tinaj this year became an
active member of the Democratic Party, his brothers continued as supporters
of the DP. The triumph of the DP in the elections of March 22, 1992, caused
the persecuted to return to a normal life, either moral and material, what
they’d lost for about half a century. Unfortunately this didn’t last, as in
1997 the new communists were back on power with their old ways of struggle
against the political opposition. September 12, 1998 was the sign of the true
struggle designed by communists, on September 14, thousands and thousand of silent protesters from all over Albania came
to say hallo for the last time to the hero of the democracy, Azem Hajdari. Even in those
dark days, the socialist state didn’t stop, but attacked the protesters,
committing murders; wounds and mistreatments, amongst whom there were many
democrats from Malësi. During 1998 the police
killed at home the democrat from Fier, Bujar Suli, for the only
“fault” of writing “PD will win” on his TV antenna. The democrat from the municipality of Gruemirë (Malësi e Madhe), Senahi Gjekaj, was killed at
his house-door. Mistreatments and persecutions went on even in the following
years, when during the local elections of 2000, the chairman of the voting
center of Gradec (municipality of Kastrat), as well as chairman of the DP in Gradec, Engjëll Broqi, was wounded. After this crime, the police menaced
the deputy of the DP, Sandër Uldedaj,
etc. etc… Follows July 20, 2001, when the DP organized a protest in Shkodra, because of the manipulation of votes by the
Socialist Party during the parliamentary elections. The police arrested
numerous protesters. The brothers Kanto Tinaj, Prel Tinaj and Mark Tinaj, are still terrorized, even today telling about the
tortures. These brothers had suffered such a mistreatment when they were
arrested on December 2001, just because a flag of the DP was found in their
car.
A new wave of mistreatments came in Malësi
on January 2002, against democrats and anticommunists, who had to leave Albania in
order to save their families and their lives. This is what happened to Anton Tinaj and his family. During the 2003, the democrat
businessmen Florian Vila (in Tirana) and Myftar Çela (in Malësi e Madhe) were killed, and the police commissar, Gani Malushi was executed.
In the elections of October 12, 2003, violence by the police
rose in Malësi e Madhe,
while the days of 3, 11 and 19 November were the hardest. The police arrested
and mistreated democrats, especially in the areas where the DP had won the
elections. This was the destiny of the municipality of Kelmend, where Kol Alia of the DP had won. The brothers Tinaj, Mark and Kant, suffered mistreatments, while they
were asked to sign as winner the candidate of the SP and not that of the DP,
what went on for months. During 2004, the political clime didn’t get
softened, for many arrests and mistreatments came on the democrat families of
Albania.
It was significant the reprisal on the peasants of Vermosh
on April 11, 2004, the day of Easter, when the police who mistreated the
family Tinaj, mocked them saying: “Today is the day
of resurrection of the Christ and we’re beating you. Won’t you ask your Lord
to help you?!” Menaces and mistreatments are daily, so that the brothers Tinaj, Mark, Prel and Kant are
living a life full of terror, living mostly in the village of Vermosh, away from the
socialists’ sight. It is interesting that in every menace to the family Tinaj, they are asked about Anton…
In these last days the police shot on the democrat village of Lazarat from
the helicopter, as they were “looking for drug plants”. After Lazarat, even on Malësi e Madhe helicopters of the police area flying, while there
is rumor that they’re designing to attack houses of democrats and
anticommunists. The life is unsafe and will keep on being so, as far as the
Socialists of the hell will keep on being on power…
Sokol Pepushaj
Time
for terrorism
Orland Zef
Gjoni, 17 years old, was shot on August 28 in the village of Trush. The
macabre crime occurred openly in a bar. Ocular witnesses said for the “Shqipëria Etnike” newspaper,
that the young was killed in the name of Allah, for an Islamic group were
offered sweets at the bar, shouting out that the Muslims shall win the battle
in Iraq, defeating America and the multinational alleys. The young Gjoni interfered saying that terrorists have no God, as
the self-sacrifice of kamikazes is inhuman and against religion. This was
enough for them to kill him immediately. After shooting the entire magazine
of bullets, an Islamic person with a long beard said that they had to take a
lot of revenge in northern Albania,
mentioning also the name of Ardian Urita, a cousin of the victim.
The murder of the 17 years
old Gjoni, is supposed to be linked to the murder
of the father and the brother of Ardian Urita, called Gjon Shuk Urita and Gjeto Gjon Urita,
happened years ago. There are many years that Ardian
Urita had to leave Albania, to save his life and
maybe for a never return. The barbaric act of the murder of the young Orland Gjoni occurred a few days after the fundamentalist Abdi Baleta had a long
interview at “Shkodra TV1” television, clearly
appealing the multinational forces led
by America and Britain, to leave Iraq and not to provoke his “Muslim
brothers”. When terror comes through media, it means it’s time to kill
Catholic believers without problems. It’s the job of the State, if there’s
some moral in it, to do concrete steps toward peace and religious tolerance.
Vasel Gilaj
CAN WE GAMBLE OUR NATION FOR THE POLITICAL AGENDA OF THE FEW?
By Sami Gjoka
In response to
some suggestions of supporting Kerry at the Bush’s expense. Albanians as
citizens and Albanians as a community, facing hard choices and taking wrong
turns many times in their history are once more confused in the cross roads
of the American politics. It is an unfortunate way of life that the small and
the weak in this animal kingdom of mankind, has to always trust its inner
instincts, selecting to bribe the perceived stronger ones, hopping to get an
appreciation smile in return (from the rulers to be of our society) that
makes them (the small and the weak) feel a little bit more secure for a very
short time. As small and weak, (in fact the smallest and the weakest in the
whole world we are, if we keep in mind our geo-politics surroundings), being
the fastest distinguishing nation in the world, once spread from Aegean Sea
to north of Danube and now squeezed under the slavo-greeko
pliers, in the verge of our own death, and while being diminished and
degraded every day not by the cruel world that we love to blame but by our
own misdeeds, our eyes are looking for help far far
west where this great country of America stands. Albanians are a nation
without friends. No body can gain from us anything.
If someone chooses to be our national friend we are for sure going to become
their unnecessary burden. No mutual benefit that we can think of. What do we
have to offer except our empty extended hands that seek help? Such we cannot
risk spoiling what we are getting with so much effort. We do not have to
listen to individual judgments that always have had irrevocable and
disastrous consequences in our being as a nation. We do not go to a family we
like while there is fight among themselves to pick sides like some of our “great
minds” are suggesting to support Kerry at the Bush’s expense, just because
Kerry has confirmed a true fact that Albanians are the most pro-American
nation in the world. We as Albanians are touched to be informed that senator
Kerry has stated "The people of Kosovo must be able to determine their
own future, including how they want to be governed." I only hope this
statement is not simply made in front of some Albanian groups, worst even
than that I hope it is not extracted from Kerry by some Albanian interviewers
because if that is so, it is simply a cheap talk to reap only a few more
votes, from large Albanian communities in a few major American cities. Since
many Albanians seem to resonate this promising stanza of the Presidential
candidate, I believe that Kerry made this statement, perhaps talking about
his foreign policy in front of mainly non-Albanian audience, even though I
did not hear it, nor did I hear any of his political agenda of foreign policy
mentioning Balkans let alone Albania, while he gave that brilliant speech of
his, at the Boston Convention. Well, I am not the most well informed where he
said what have been said, but I must accept that it is strange for me trying
to imagine the American voters worried and being influenced by what will their
next American president intent to do about Albania or Greece or Bulgaria or
Macedonia!!! Said or not said, meant or not meant I only wish and hope that
some Albanian individuals will not misuse this hopefully honest statement to
force their political opinion and agenda to the Albanian community in the
name of our future national interest. While many nations look upon their
leaders for guidance how to prosper it has come the time that the Albanians
are struggling how to survive. Albania, while it run to be among the first US
allies in the war against terrorism, is now believed to give its only
international airport to the Greek control for fear that the Albanian army
and police can not secure or be trusted to secure a
stop-arrests to the Terrorists with the confidence that the Greeks can (by
the way, to add shame to this shameful Albanian decision, —Greece is not in
the list of the wholeheartedly-contributing-nations in the fight against
terrorism, like Albania is. And, to add salt to this shameful injury of the
Albanian pride by the government of Moisi Nano, let
me remind this anti-Albanian government of Tirana that the country of Albania
never had a terrorist action against any western countries while quite to the
contrary it is Greece who always have embattled, terrorists and has been
frequented by terrorist violence against western interests. Yet we seem to
continually make wrong choices as the one calling a nation with terrorist
viruses in its veins like Greece
in the name of securing us from being infected by the same virus; it is a
choice of the Albanians themselves that invite the Greek foxes to tend for
the Albanian hens. This is our long national history of making wrong
international choices in many very difficult times. It has started since the
time of the recorded history and continues constantly day after day. Based on
some irrational decisions many times who have chosen to treat like friends
people and nations who treated us back like enemies. Wasn’t it like that with
the Marco Bocaris of the Greek revolution, only a
few decades ago? Yes, it was like this for Albanians, time after time. Wasn’t
it our Illyrian ancestor’s wrong decision to ally with Greeks during the Greeko Persian war that sent King Dareo’s
Army north to the Illyrians of Pannonia? That was the only big resistance to
the Persians until they reached Skithians north of Danube. A fierce long battle where Illyrians got no
support at all from the Greeks in return. A wrong calculated Illyrian choice
to assist militarily a neighbor who did not care to help back when the same
help was needed from them that caused the very first forceful ethnic
cleansing of our people, sending them as far east as the Caspian Sea where
still a few remain un assimilated. It was a bad choice of Alexander the first,
Philip’s father and grandfather to Alexander the Great, who for the simple
reason to participate in the Olympic games, restricted at that time only to
the Greeks, decided to claim that he was not Illiro-Macedonian
but a Greek descendant because, according to an ancient legend that he
himself invented, his great ancestors had immigrated to Pale from Hellenic
territories. Yes, that choice made him able to participate in the Olympic
games at the cost of speeding up what Herodotus will later call expansion of
Greek family by assimilating northern non-Greek population and claiming their
non-Greek territories. It was our ancestors wrong choice when the Balkans
were eyed as the first step toward east expansion by Romans to time after
time manifest to the roman fleet daring attacks that when Romans fed up with
these attacks lunched in the Balkan shores, they destroyed everything
Illyrian on the site while saving with a great care everything Greek, from
whom they met no serious resistance. As a result of that choice, a choice
bolder than their might, Illyrians suffered the second recorded massive
ethnic cleansing, this time not east but west. Thousands and thousands of our
people were expelled to central and southern Italy
while Dardanians and Celts living among Dardanians at that time, were expelled in what is today
northern Italy.
It was our bad choices to attack when it was time not to do so and resist
when we were not able to, that headed us for distraction and disappearance
for many centuries to come and that still is going on day after day. And
again when our people chose to finally befriend with the roman empire that
bad choice came with the consequence of surrounding to the Romans the Dardanian territories as a recruiting ground for the
empire’s soldiers. While they chose to be friend with occupiers in order to
be treated by Romans no longer as enemies, their males started instead of
dying defending their homeland as they had till now, they started to spell
their blood to expend the empire at the cost of reducing their own
territories. It was the centuries long suffering and longing for the
shrinking Illyrian population the fact that the Serb Slavic tribes crossing
south of Danube
River on the 11th
century AD to the Illyrian territories were welcomed by the local remaining
population, as way of balance. History had to prove once more how much damage
we have done to ourselves with such, at that time, appearing good decisions
to welcome Serbs, mostly in the field of Kosova.
Today Serbs claim Kosova as their historical
cradle, which of course it is, but in perverse way their claim hides the fact
that such a small cradle was sheltered and rocked peacefully among our people
and in our ancient land. So if any and all aspects of our history will be
analyzed, no matter what, it will resemble the fable of the wolf and the lam.
So it was fighting the ottomans alone betrayed by the other Balkan warlords
that fled Kosova to the Bosnian Mountains
with the death of the Serbian prince Lazar. This sole Balkan resistance to
the ottomans when others had understood it was not time to waste their
precious lives in vain, while the power of the invading army was still in the
rise, caused the Albanians after Skenderbe’s death
its third massive ethnic cleansing to the almost disappearing Illyrian traces
of the southern Italy.
When finally the Albanians understood that their small population was no
match for the Turks, under whose feet laid the whole Europe and started to
convert to Islam to make peace with their enemy it was again an attempt in
vain, a false hope; it was the time of the fading shine for an old empire now
in decline; the ottoman caravan was all exhausted unable to defend itself
from the revolts that the long-sleep-and-snorings
had just now bring upon that slow dying horse, because those nations that had
fallen asleep, now were waken; it was because those nations among the many
choices, chose the better. They had known it was time like the snails to pull
and hide and they knew when to come out of no where
like an army of cicadas, and start to fight. This terrible choice of
conversion left the Albanians to be portrayed by the world as collaborators
with invaders and now they even shared the same religion with a dying old
giant and with the Turkish retreat, the only country who fought the
occupation while others gave up since the midst of the 13th century, or worst
who massacred the neighboring people like Greece did against the Bulgarians
under the protection of the “half moon”, was now
made to pay for the invaders cruelty. That gave birth to the massive fourth
ethnic cleansing of more than a million Albanians from Sanxhak
and Nish areas to Turkey
and thousands and thousand of Cames
from, then, southern Albania
in and around Janina. How many times did we mess
up? Why everything goes so wrong with us? While the only country under WWII
occupation where not a single Jew was killed but to the contrary the Jewish
community grew in numbers, Greeks and Serbs would accuse Albania as the German collaborators for the
shear fact that the Albanians applauded the decision to reunite the ethnic
Albanian territories, mostly given to the Former Yugoslavia, by decisions of Europe. Yet while fighting the nazi
occupation we made another very bad choice to embrace the communist ideas not
that we hate communism as an ideology, as much as we hated the fact that
communism became a Slavic issue, like some armature politicians want to make
Albania a Kerry issue, and Slavs had only one interest in mind, that of
wiping out Albania, giving access to the Adriatic sea only to their Slavic
race. And where is there a good choice that we made. We came to embrace the
western values at the time when all the communist world was begging to Europe
and no one even noticed us that we were coming to be part of Europe (again) in
fact we never had been. Yet our leaders with foolish hopes and shameful ideas
pushed us once more to destroy whatever little we had accomplished in the
name of throwing away the communism. The Social-Communists were afraid they
were losing power and desiring to see Democrats fail more than seeing the
country prosper were only interested for distraction. Democrats on the other
hand afraid that socialist again might win elections, wanted everything
destroyed so the socialists would had no grip in
power, if they would win, and would be forced to turn the country to them,
who in turn would get a lot of help from west as long as they were pro
westerners. And again we had to learn tragically what a disaster and childish
choice that was. It was wrong to come to the west with an empty plate in one
hand and with the spoon on the other while we had missed the boat only a few
years before, when Alia was presented that chance. Unfortunately there had
arrived others of more interest than us to Europe begging for Europe’s help. And it was even a worst decision to go
to the Islamic world to secure some help when we were trying to convince the
world we do not feet where we had gone. And that’s why we are left alone in
our poverty and confusion because of our own miscalculated choices that
brings us back to the American elections of 2004. I am not in position to
influence any one to the Albanian Community. I am no body to the Albanian
decision-makings. My pessimist believe is that a country that is not able to
feed itself can not be expected to fight famine in
other parts of the world, a country who has never shown to the world any
ability to vote for their right people with heart and logic, but votes
instead with narrow mind and closed eyes to simply please a cousin who has a
low paying government job that he still intents to
keep if the new election cause no major changes, to my pessimist believe it
is laughable for such a country and such a people to whom I belong to
indicate and promote the elections of other countries. This said, I think any one can promote any candidate he likes, but in no way
shall it become and Albanian community decision. That is gambling with your
country and no one shall have that right to gamble in the name of a country
in the elections of other nations. We Albanians who for about 40 years called
the Asian of China our brothers while calling Albanians of Kosova our friends, can not be
expected to clear-see who will next American president be.
Therefore to make such instructive statements that Albanians must vote
Democratic is a bad idea that means in other words- Albanian community
against the Republicans- that in turn translates – against the current
American Government. Albanians as US citizens can vote even for Ralf Nader if
they so desire, but not as a community. The open call even in the public
media of some, that the Albanian community must vote for Kerry, risk turning
Albania in a Democratic issue, and as such it is a rushed decision, that must
immediately, without delay be taken back, even more when it is made by people
who only wants the best for Albania and work for the good of our country.
Four
bullets shot on Emin Spahija
Emin Spahija,
former Chariman of the Nationwide Mission of
Reconciliation of Blood-feud, was shot with four bullets at the center of Shkodra, the center of the Northern
Albania. The lifeless body remained four hours at the gate of
his house. After the sensational happening, as his activity was much known,
four investigation ways were considered, which stopped after exactly four
days, so that is might not be found anything even after four centuries!
Few on this Albanian land had such a great background like Emin. He saved the lives of over 5000 Albanians in
conflicts, who were just waiting the execution as written in the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini. It is ironical
that it wasn’t find at least four hairs, four footprints, four drops of
blood, four thumb-marks, or four drops of “sweat” of the killers. The
investigators know at least that Emin was in a
wedding feast for four hours, had driven his car for four hundred meters and
afterwards had done forty steps walking, for he was a man who wanted the law.
It is terrible that Emin Spahija is not alive today. It is terrible the
professional murder, what gives the impression it was not the first time for
the killers. There might be four even the actions of the killers.
There are numerous permanent factors. The one who remains
unknown is as if he didn’t exist. Emin was
well-known. He will be remembered after hundreds of years. For forty years of
life he lived as if it was for four thousand of
years of his killers, whom will face justice sooner or later. In the name of Emin it will always be peace.
Everywhere and every time, crimes, based on what we’ve
studied, are performed depending on the place and country. There were many
murders undiscovered in Shkodra during these years,
as well as numerous people lost. If it is so, Shkodra
is not a lake full of water, but a town where you can find civilization,
culture as well as the desire to have a safe life, even though you cannot see
a policeman by night, you cannot find security by the state, a light
lightening.
Even in places full of water and full of boscage in the
world, there were investigations, searches and results, and not only in the
midst of the city.
Everyone knew Emin, old and young.
He was respected by everyone, men, women, children, elder, so the pain is
even greater. He left behind a glorious life. He left behind children living
shut in, who will come out as soon as the state will become a real state, and
will seek the killers, before others like Emin
might be killed.
Sokol Pepushaj, Albert Vataj
Politics
producing anarchy
Albania
cannot give another reality but the political, economic and social
victimization. Insecurity of life is a noticeable phenomenon allover.  Politics keeps on producing
problems, crimes, anarchy, what caused a very dark situation in the
post-communist country. The acceptance of such a dark reality by the
Government and the State isn’t more than another crime, for Albania is the Sicily of fifty years ago, with records on
crimes and human rights and freedom overlooked, where the law is powerless
and the crime is holding tight the society. The guy you see in the picture,
called Otis Shestani, though guiltless, is forced
to leave Albania,
scared to be shot. But what did this young Albanian do? His father, Zef Shestani, on October 3,
2003, as he was drunk, had run over another Albanian with his car. In that
incident, the citizen P.M. had died. Zef Shestani didn’t leave, as it is happening in most of the
cases when police declares that “they left in unknown direction”. He was
arrested and condemned. Three days after he was freed, he disappeared.
There’s no notice of him today, either he is alive or dead. The family of the
victim of the incident, according to the Canon, wants to avenge. In these
conditions of unsafe life, the young Otis Shestani,
after living hidden for a long period, left Albania, to escape death, what
was the experience of many other innocents murdered by the avengers. Similar
cases of conflicts have left behind victims killed with barbarity, as the
State hasn’t found not only the possibility, but even the good will to
establish the law.
The only way out for Otis Shestani
and many others, was to leave their country. Manners used by the State to
soften conflicts through NGO-s have caused only disappointment; giving people
the impression that law will be established very late, for revenge has become
“normal”.
Sokol Pepushaj
The
arrogance of the arrogant State
Freedom is violated and democracy is menaced in Albania.
People without ideals and patriotism lead the State! The true intellectuals,
those who  aspired and
aspire in an Albania free from violence and injustice, have been and keep on
being at the edge of the arrogance of the State of anarchy, this State where
it is killed the chairman of the Mission of Reconciliation and Peace, Emin Spahija, at the center of
the city, while the State is silent, if it didn’t kill him, as he could
reconcile over 5000 Albanians in conflicts. Albanian intellectuals in great
difficulty, facing murders, give messages of peace, giving a contribution for
integration. Such is the intellectual Besnik Enver Bushati, born in Shkodra on August 22, 1976. He comes from an anticommunist
family. When Albanians found a little hope after the fall of dictatorship of Enver Hoxha, he was able to
graduate in the Faculty of Natural Sciences, for Physics, in the University “Luigj Gurakuqi” of Shkodra, in 2000. He was involved in the democratic
processes giving great contribution as intellectual. He works as a teacher
for some time in the 8-years school of Laç in the
municipality of Vau i Dejës,
and later on as a teacher in the secondary school of Velipoja,
about 33 km from the city. In meantime, many teacher not graduated, were
teaching in the schools of the city, what shows a differentiation by the
Socialist Party on power toward the democrats in opposition. This yet is the
least. The intellectual Besnik Bushati
was menaced several times to be eliminated. During the parliamentary
elections of June 24, 2001, when he was beside the candidate for deputy of
the DP, Valentin Palaj,
he faced serious menaces by anarchist forces interested on stealing votes for
the Socialist Party. False values and violence against the political
opposition are part of the manners of these dictators who kill every day and
night. Many intellectuals today, in order to save their lives, have decided
to leave their country, as the only way. This is what Besnik
did. He is not here now, but somewhere abroad.
Such antihuman acts will keep Albania away from the great
European family for a long time.
Albert
Vataj
The
power of crime
The power of crime in Albania has crossed the limits of
endurance. None of those not at the side of the Power is safe. A personality
of the Albanian  literature is
trying for a long time to write something important on a deputy, and several
times received death threats if he would dare to touch him, even with proven
evidence. The next edition we’ll give our opinion, no matter the
consequences. What about the simple people in this pottage of crime, in this
clime full of pressure? They feel bad, very bad and unsafe. Such is the young
democrat Florian Hilë Vuka,
born on September 22, 1979. He grew up in an anticommunist persecuted family.
He was distinguished as an activist of the DP. He was a commissioner of this
party during the local elections of October 12, 2003 in the “Tre Heronj” district, where
police officers were caught dropping 100 false voting papers for the
socialist candidate for Mayor of Shkodra, Gjergj Leqejza, and now Deputy
Minister of Energetic in Albania.
Florian Vuka faced the pressure to accept the
manipulation of votes. He faced violence, like many others, as he didn’t
accept it. His father and mother, an intellectual, a teacher, as well as his
brother and sister, were menaced. Pressure was continuous until the day he
was forced to leave Albania.
Florian Vuka, like many friends of him facing death
threats, chose to escape from this power of crime, as the only way.
Vasel Gilaj
Afrim Kurtaj should be condemned for a crime he never committed
He is Afrim Rexh
Kurtaj. He was born in the suburbs of the city of Koplik
on January 6, 1971. His family is Muslims, but the habitants call them  gipsy, and none
knows where they came from since more than 50 years and were established in
the district “Palvar”, about 2km from the city of Koplik,
the center of Malësi e Madhe.
His father, Rexhë Kasem Kurtaj with his wife, Rushe,
previously divorced from Shaban Hotaj,
from whom she had a son, Durim, living with his two
brothers, Ziai and Afrim,
had built up a normal life with great difficulties. The worst came
unexpectedly… The brother of Afrim, Ziai, during a banal conflict, had beaten Zef Martini. This happened on June 2003, near the city of
Koplik.
After one month, Zef, feeling insulted, as beaten
by a gipsy, raises an ambush to the father of Ziai,
Rexh Kurtaj and shots on
him leaving him dead. It was not over yet. The gipsy in Albania act
according to the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini.
Only one year after the murder of Rexh, Afrim’s brother, Durim, on July
9, Friday at 10 A.M., kills at the center of the city Zef
Martini and his cousin, Pjetër Agnori,
revenging his stepfather, but causing troubles to the two sons of Rexhë, Ziai and Afrim. While Durim disappears
without trace, after committing the murder, his two brothers, Afrim and Ziai decide to leave,
in order to escape the gun of the avenger from the families Martini and Agnori. Afrim is married to Agime Kurtaj, born on October
14, 1972 from the village Hysaj of Gruemirë, and they have a son, Valmir,
born on March 4, 1998 and a daughter, Blerta, born
on December 29, 2001. Helped by some relatives, the two families entered a
barge and went abroad. During the way, the older brother, Ziai,
who had sold his land and 10 cows, drops from the barge along with his wife
and disappears, leaving all the burden of blood-feud to Afrim
and his only son, Valmir 6 years old, who have to
be killed for a crime they never committed. The families Martini and Agnori want to kill them for only two dead gipsies can revenge a white inhabitant. Afrim, Valmir, Agime and Blerta, looking with
hope in the picture illustrating the article, might never be
able to come back in the homeland. None wants the gypsies in Albania, Kosovo,
Montenegro and Macedonia,
like in the civilized world where life and human rights are protected by law,
no matter their race, religion or ethnics.
Rifat Ymeri
Persecution
continues on anticommunist families
Shkodra, known as the anticommunist
city, is still facing persecution by the social-communist government who
continues on persecuting. One of  the most known
anticommunist families in the city of Shkodra is the family of Benard Shtjefni, born in Shkodra on February 9, 1941. He was a political prisoner
during the regime of Enver Hoxha,
condemned for 18 years.
Today he is still persecuted and terrorized by the State on
power, because of his convictions against this power.
After the return of the social-communists on power, in 1997,
the sufferings of persecution continued rapidly for the family Shtjefni. The sons of Benard,
Anton Shtjefni and Arjan Shtjefni, were persecuted for their great contribution
for the Democratic Party of Shkodra. The
persecution reaches its ace when the older son of Benard,
Anton Shtjefni, born on November 19, 1974,
disappears after March 21, 2003, and the family knows nothing about him.
The other son, Arjan Shtjefni was imprisoned several times, and on October 2,
2000, he was imprisoned and wounded in the prison cells.
As persecution continues, Alberta Shtjefni,
Benard’s wife, watching this injustice on her
family and sons, had an infarct. With tears on her eyes she hopes the return
of her two sons, Anton, disappeared and Arjan, who left
Albania
along with his wife in order to save their lives.
Zef Nika
Vlora in
unquiet because of unsafe life
In the city of Vlora, the evening of August 27,
unknown people attack the 70 years old woman, Fize Seferi, while going back home. The wounded woman was
found by some people passing by, who sent her at the hospital where she
stayed for three nights. She had fractures, but overall she was terrorized.
As the old woman sought for help at the police station, the police officer
answered her: “We can’t do anything”.
Many might ask who could attack and torture a lonely old
woman. As we couldn’t get an answer from one of the police officers who
“knew” about the incident, we asked Fize Seferi, who mistrustful told us her version.
A few months ago she came back from Greece, where
she stayed almost one and a half year. Hoping that the happenings of two
years ago, summer 2002, were forgotten and she could live in peace at her
home; she comes back in her birthplace. Some people went at her house. They
asked her where her son, Gani Seferi,
and his wife, were hidden. She didn’t answer and they broke and destroyed
numerous things and left menacing her to death. In order to escape them, she
left her home and went in Vlora. She was afraid the
same could happen to her son, from these criminals. She, scared, doesn’t want
to tell what happened to him, but she says he was forced to live hidden with
his wife so that they might not find them. But she doesn’t know either he is
safe where he is hidden.
After a few weeks she was living in Vlora,
she had this attack. She admits there were the same people she was trying to
escape. They told her this wasn’t over until they find Gani
Seferi for whom they said had to give account. She,
now, lives with the fear they will return and none can help her. The State is
powerless, and hasn’t even the good will to secure the life of the citizens.
The
Correspondent of “Shqipëria Etnike”
|
