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Pjetër Arbnori, just the way he
is
“The stone is
heavy in its own ground” (A man is highly regarded only by those who know
him). This verse of one of the Albanian rhapsodic songs captures your
thoughts, during the celebrations of the  anniversary of
the Albanian Mandela, Pjetër Arbnori.
Pjetër Arbnori and his
family and friends celebrate the 70th anniversary by the “Rozafat” Castle. Not only in Tirana, but nowhere else
could his anniversary have more meaning, beauty and warmness, as he is a
representation of opposition, the one who 44 years ago, when Enver Hoxha was at the ace of
his dictatorship, founded a political party, what he paid with political
detention from May 1961 until August 1989.
Many former political
prisoners, friends, intellectuals are by his side, wishing him many more
anniversaries. There is found a cooperation of the power of heritage,
environment, culture and human love.
The beautiful traditional
songs, the nice humor, the pure Albanian music and the seriousness of all
(over 200 people), even in the way they dressed, express a lot, we suppose,
about the image of this  respectful man, honored by everyone. Arbnori
would normally have desired to have many more friends there with him, yet
what one wishes isn’t always realizable, for a restaurant is just a
restaurant.
You feel deeply touched when
you see Pjetër Arbnori
greeting everyone, the one who had a death penalty in 1962, when you see his
wife Suzana, his son Filip,
and the daughter Gjystina praying God to spend many
more years with her father, you can normally ask if it could be any other
occasion in this world where a human being would have controlled with such a
great generosity the effects of persecution, simply because of an ideal?
The space gets wider. Arbnori is the light of another life. on January 14, 1990
he was present when the bust of Stalin was pulled down, on December 12, 1990,
he was at the tribune for the foundation of the Democratic Party of Albania
in Tirana, on December 13, 1990, he organized the protests and the drop of
the bust of Enver Hoxha
in Shkodra, where he leads the branch of the
Democratic Party in 1990-1991, in his town, this town where 153 of the shot
were priests and imams. Arbnori becomes very soon
one of the main personalities of the Albanian democracy as well as one of the
most respectful and complete politicians. Since 1991 he is member of the
Leadership of the DP as well as of the National Council. He was five times
elected deputy in the Parliament voted directly by the population; he does a
very good job as a Chairman of the Albanian Parliament of 1991-1997. Arbnori is the only Albanian politician who went on a
starvation strike from August 19 until September 9, 1997 for the freedom of
Mass-Media. Arbnori is an Academic of the International
Academy of Computerization in New York and Geneva, member of the headship of
the Writers League and the Association of the Politically Persecuted,
chairman of the Forum Against Police Violence, secretary of the Parliamentary
Group for Human Rights, president of the Council of the Political Research
Institute “Alcide De Gasperi”,
president of honor of the “Mother Theresa” Association in Albania. He was
also awarded “Democracy Lamplighter”, “The Honor of Shkodra”,
“Honored Citizen” of Vau Dejes,
and “Great Officer” of the Order of Pleiades (French Assembly). But most of
all, Arbnori is loved and honored by all, the
closest friend of Media in Shkodra and Albania.
That’s why the Northern Journalists Union awarded him with the diploma of
“Member of Honor”.
Arbnori
is not like the other politicians, as far as the Media is concerned. He is
the way he looks like, a good man, kind and discreet, not only during
elections’ campaigns, not only in anniversaries, but always.
Sokol Pepushaj
Kumanova: Why did Dilaver Goxhaj leave his country?
 Dilaver Goxhaj, born on July 25, 1984, in the village of Lopat near Kumanova
in Macedonia,
likewise many other Muslim Albanians, since a child, was despised and
insulted by the Macedonian children. He went through the same troubles in the
elementary school, where people get knowledge, culture and formation, because
of his nationality (Albanian) and religion. After Dilaver
ended the grammar school in 1998, he began working with his father in their
farm. After Yugoslavia
was divided, there was an evident split even between Albanians and
Macedonians, worsening the situation. The Albanians feel insulted and on
March-April 2001 started a conflict between Macedonians and Albanians. At the
beginning of the conflict, Dilaver Goxhaj and his father helped the UÇK, providing dresses
and food from their farm, as well as giving information. On April 2001 the
Macedonian police stopped Dilaver while he was
carrying dresses, and asked him about where he got and where was he going to
send them. He answered he was going at the market-place of the town, but the
police didn’t believe and brought him at the Kumanova’s
Police Station, where they held him for two days. There they told him they
knew everything, so he had to tell them who gave and where was he going to
bring the dresses. The police was perseverant on asking him where the
soldiers of the UÇK were, and they used violence on him. At that time, his
father became a member of the Democratic Prosperity Party in Kumanova, the city nearest to the village of Lopat. This Party’s purpose
was to fight in defending the rights of the Albanians in Macedonia.
Though the DPP has often made present such problems at the Macedonian
Parliament, it wasn’t able to solve anything, as it was the smallest group in
the Parliament. This lack of consideration was the cause of the conflict and
the forming of UÇK. The father of Dilaver was going
to Kumanova for a meeting with the leaders of his
party when the Macedonian Police stopped him and found some documents after a
detailed inspection. He was brought at the police-station for a few hours
where he was interrogated. As he didn’t give any information, they beat him
and then set him free. Even Dilaver, his son, was
beaten so hard so that he had wounds and bleeding on his young body. They set
him free, as he was young, menacing to imprison him if he would go on like
this. The young boy ceased his activity, scared. But the situation was
getting worse. One month later, his father asked Dilaver
to deliver some letters of people involved in UÇK and DPP. He accepted. He
didn’t end his mission for the police stopped him and found the documents. Dilaver Goxhaj was again
brought at the police-station, going again through violence and tortures,
repeated interrogation about who gave him the letters and whom were they
addressed to. In the meantime he was suffering tortures; the police went at
his house where they found other information. This was enough for them to se the house on fire and everything was burned. Two days
after his arrest, Dilaver Goxhaj
was set back free after suffering tortures. He had accepted to collaborate
with the Macedonian Police, to give them information about the identity of
leaders of UÇK and where the hide and met. He had accepted this because of
the violence and fear, and probably just in order to get out of prison, for
many Albanians did never come out of the Macedonian Prisons and this might
need investigation by the internationals on inhuman crimes. Dilaver Goxhaj leaved Macedonia on August 3, 2001, to go to the
country of human freedom, in England,
and probably he might not see his country anymore, as it became a real
horror.
Vasel Gilaj
Terrorism, a dangerous return
 For many years,
Albania was subject to severe criticism by other states, for the violation of
human rights and freedom, as well as for giving room to terrorism, where even
Osama Bin Laden used as a residence this post-communist country easily used
by terrorists. Terrorism, this horror menacing the world has, in this way,
found possible links to the Albanian politics, serving each-others’
interests. Many of those who gave their contribution for a free and
democratic Albania,
without injustice and terror, have been victims of explosive stuff. Even at
the center of the capital, in Tirana, innocent people were killed,
supermarkets, independent journal offices and private properties were blown
up, and even priests were knifed. Terrorism is back again as a danger for Albania.
Those who work for a democratic Albania are persecuted and
terrorized. This young guy you see in the picture was a victim of such a
terror. He is Arion Duka
and was born in Shkodra on February 9, 1977. He
left his home and the people he loved, in order to save his young life. He
and his family were persecuted by this State for his family wanted and
aspired for democracy and a free country, without terrorism. His father, Haxhi Duka, member of the DP in
Shkodra, as an activist in activities and protests
pretending for a democratic State, involves his son, though still young, in
the pulling down of the bust of Stalin on January 14, 1990, that of Enver Hoxha on December 13,
1990. On April 2, 1991, when Arben Broci, Bujar Bishanaku, Nazmi Kryeziu and Besnik Ceka were murdered as martyrs while other 163 were
wounded, Haxhi Duka and
his son Arion Duka were
at the battlefield with the wild dictators, who wanted to keep the power at
any cost. Many teen-agers faced violence, for the protest was started by
them, because of the votes stolen by the power of the former President Ramiz Alia.
Besides his wide activity to raise a
State of Law, Haxhi Duka
was the vise president in the voting center in Xhabije of Shkodra, during the
local elections of October 12, 2003, when his life was menaced, for he
defended the free vote of people for the DP, whose program is more acceptable
to the Albanians as well as more occidental. In October 14, 2003, two days
after the elections, explosive stuff was placed near the house of the family Duka. As a result of this terror Haxhi
Duka had an infarct and died. In these
circumstances, his son, Arion Duka,
feeling death so close to him, shuts in. threats are continuous through
phone-calls and he chooses to leave his country, as the only was of salvations, leaving his mother and his young wife
in anxiety and tears.
However, terrorism and medieval revenge
in Albania
cannot be stopped by individual will alone. The system of the institutions of
the State should follow the spirit of law what seems so far away for this
country. An example of the frightening reality is even the incident of the
Minister of Public Order, Igli Toska,
with the Mayor of Shkodra, Artan
Haxhi, within the building of the police-station. Haxhi protested vigorously and left the meeting where the
Minister, who should be independent of politics, according to the
Constitution, likewise the Police led by him, used a terror language against
democrats during an inauguration ceremony.
This is then the face of the politicians
and leaders of the State, faces that are “washed” and “wiped” by terrorist
and criminal clans.
Sokol Pepushaj
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