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Purging of the Democrat Party Membership
First on the DP’s Leadership Agenda
On its last meeting of July 25, 2005, held in Tirana, the Leadership
of the Democrat Party of Albania announced that the Democrat Party will
commence purging its membership of the elements that oppose it and who failed
to support its program.
 It is already known that there exists a fraction with in the Democrat
Party, which opposes Berisha and his program. This
became conspicuous when Berisha himself laid off the deputies, as well as some of the District
Party Chairs, who were not supportive of him.
These Deputies, whom Berisha did not allow
to run for Parliament in July 2005, were Gjovalin Bzheta, who called Berisha Mr. Hoxha, Vini Minaroli,
Uran Butka, Azgan Haklaj, Pllumb Berisha, Shaban Memia, and Emin Gjana.
These Deputies voted against Berisha when he ran solely
for the Party Chairman, where he asserted that out of 750 delegates 700 voted
for him, meaning he received 93% of the votes. His opponents, including Uran Butka and Gjovalin Bzheta, accused Berisha of attempting to establish an authoritarian party
instead of a democratic one.
Berisha’s opponents within the DP demanded that the Democrat Party be reformed.
They requested the following changes:
1. To put an eight-year limit on the Chairmanship of
the Democrat Party of Albania, making it same as is for the Chairs of the
District Parties.
2. The critiquing of the Party must be allowed
without the fear of reprisals.
3. The Democrat Party must support the Politically
Persecuted and should fight for the return of their property, or for their
fair and complete compensation.
4. The DP must be cognizant of the fact that its
foundation is the Politically Persecuted.
5. Law no. 7501, which was decreed by Berisha, and which bars the Politically Persecuted from
demanding their land and property, must be repealed.
6. The Democrat Party must hold primary election for
candidates for deputies instead of nominating them.
7. All the voters must be issued Voting Cards.
8. Voter lists should be published three months prior
to the election and must be distributed to all political parties, regardless
of the party size.
9. There should be no secret negotiations with the
leftist parties, especially with the Socialist Party.
10. Election Commissions of Zones should be composed
of representatives from all political parties and not only from the two major
parties, the DP and the SP.
11. Albanians from Diaspora, who count for
approximately 1/3 of the Albanian population, must be allowed to vote at the
Albanian Embassies in their respective countries.
12. The small political parties must be given media
time just like the major parties.
Not only did Berisha disregard, and completely ignore the above
points, but, in addition, he accused the reformers as being supporters of the
MND, Movement for National Development, the most conservative wing in Albania, and
he vowed to purge the Democrat Party of these “anti-democratic”
elements. He accused some of his
opponents as collaborators of the SP and the NIS.
He vowed that the new NIS chairman,
which is anticipated to be Shemsi Preci, who on June 16, 1990 executed Pllumb
Pllumaj, will review all the dossiers that NIS opened during the time of Nano, to determine whether
some “democrats”
had agreed to work with NIS
against the DP.
The most severe words were reserved for the MND of New York, where Mr.
Bode accused the leadership of this branch as being agents for Nano, who were
seeking to destabilize Albania.
He seams to have done this on purpose to win Berisha’s, which is his boss, sympathy, because he knows
quite well that MND is composed mainly of the most persecuted and patriotic
families, who oppose Berisha but not the DP.
Further, Berisha’s loyal three, Ridvan Bode, Secretary General of the Democrat Party of
Albania, Bamir Topi, Vice
Chairman of the Democrat Party of Albania, and Josefina Topalli,
Vice Chair of the Democrat Party of Albania, demanded that the District party
Chairs must submit to the Leadership of the Democrat Party of Albania a
complete list of their Activists, Propagandists, Ad visors, Spokespersons,
Coordinators, Financiers, Secretaries, and the Vice-Chairs, so that the
Leadership may be able to verify their work and their standing and then
make the “proper judgment” on them.
The deputies that spoke anonymously with us said that “The Loyal Three” and their leader, Berisha, have usurped the democratic breathing within the
party and that this is only the beginning of the most severe political
purging within the DP which will result in the persecution of everyone that
is seen as anti-Berisha.
Newspaper staff
When shall freedom be true in Albania, so that we might leave
in peace in this country?
 Many Albanian families are still living separated
because of emigration, as the only mean of life and defense in the hard times
after 1997 in the troubled Albania,
where life became the cheapest thing. This is the experience of the family of
Zef Ndoc Vokrri from Hajmel of Shkodra. This honest family, part of the big family Vokrri, went through persecution, firing, imprisonment
and internment. Kol Vokrri
was fired without having a sentence, Ndoc, Zefi’s father was imprisoned and Zef
with his family were interned until 1990. These sufferings were followed by
the great troubles which fell on this family during the dark year 1997.
Social-communist gangs forfeit this family to force Pjerin
Zef Vokrri give up his
position as the governor of the municipality
of Hajmel,
otherwise his life would be unsafe. Pjerin and his
family organized the protection of the family Vokrri
until the gangs gave up in shame after one month of pressure. In 1997-1998, Zef, the father of Pjerin,
endured violence from segments linked to the state, in order to make vote
against his will. In these same conditions, Pjerin,
although young and the only son of the family, was forced to emigrate in very
tough conditions, risking his life to protect his family tired because of
persecution. After a dangerous trip with a motorboat, he went in Italy. He
went around tired and hungry, until his familiars gathered some money and
sent him in France (Marseille) to his sister, Elda, who lived there with her husband,
Andrea regularly. Troubles didn’t leave this family. On February 25, 2005,
the car of the governor of the municipality was blown up by unknown people,
enemies of this family. The return of Pjerin Zef Vokrri in Albania means danger for his life, while the
police and the Albanian
State are unable to
protect them. The terrorist act against the governor of the municipality, his
cousin, Zef Vokrri, is
still veiled. The return of Zef Vokrri
in Albania
means serious danger to his life. In addition to these sufferings, this
family is concerned about their young only son, whom they do not see from 5
years, who had to leave scared. What we wrote is witnessed by the inhabitants
of the village, Mark Bardhoku, Kolë
Daija and Jak Vokrri, who were present at the incident that shocked the
whole opinion and forced Pjerin to go toward the
free world.
Zef Nika
Malësia e Madhe, the Albanian region where the Canon challenges the
law
 An old saying of our people goes like this: “Stones
building on one another make a rock, while words following one another cause
trouble”, and this trouble has often caused real tragedies for families and
different people, whose minds are “ruled” by medieval customs of the Canon of
Lekë Dukagjini. There are
many people like these in the Northern Albania,
mostly in Malësi e Madhe,
where the Canon challenges the State and its laws. Most of the endless
murders, which we call murders for revenge or blood-feud, had their start in
one ore more words that might result insulting or
kidding for someone else. For our mentality, the insulted one should revenge
with a gun otherwise he is ashamed and overlooked by the society. Our people
judges everything with the wild medieval law we call Canon, clearly
challenging the State, which often is an observant, considering many murders
a consequence of the Canon, or revenge. It is interesting to notice that the
different occupiers who ruled over Albania didn’t do anything to
close this social wound that is everyday bleeding the pure blood of
Albanians, inciting this enmity amongst us as a mean of dissension to rule
over. The communism closed this someway, but this closure was superficial,
unhealed inside. The communist regime caused many hatred and troubles which
rose up as soon as democracy came, becoming so the cause of many new social
wounds, like murders, immobilization and menaces for revenge. A negative part
on healing these wounds, considered on charge of the Canon, is the concept of
not reporting those who murdered, insulted, mocked or caused instantaneous
fight, to the police and justice institutions. People want to solve
everything alone and the first mean is the gun, taking human lives, innocent
in most cases. Revenge or blood-feud was spread to the whole family and
beyond, but since April 2005, there was a deal between the inhabitants of Malësi e Madhe, to reduce
revenge only to the one who caused it. This doesn’t honor us, as we want to
have a State to lead us to the European Union, but it came as an imperative
while the state is almost inexistent for this phenomenon. This deal indeed
reduces the number of those threatened by death because of an insult caused
in some certain or uncertain circumstances. The insulter is however forced to
hide or leave his country. It is interesting to notice a case in Malësi e Madhe, where a young
guy went around proudly saying that he was insulted by a certain person
indeed, but he would either kill him, or this one had to leave Albania, so he
left because he was scared, and there are seven years he cannot come back to
his country even to see his old parents and his brothers and sisters, who
were told that if their brother would come back, he would die because the
insult of 1998 couldn’t be easily forgotten, because it happened publicly,
and this is so hard to bear that only the Canon can solve this, and it says
to avenge… As our newspaper means to make sensible the national and
international opinion for all the negative phenomenon that injure our
society, or even one single individual, we have continuously written with
courage, fighting the State, political parties, social groups or individuals
carrying dangerous phenomenon. We decided to investigate this case that hit
our eye. After the investigations we came to know that the “brave” guy was
from the family Brojaj, while the other who was
persecuted was from the family Hasanaj from Kamicë of Malësi e Madhe. We’re not going to give the name of the guy from
the family Brojaj, as he is well-known by the group
of reconcilers, and we also can spare troubles for us too, so we’re going to
give only the name of the guy from the family Hasanaj,
because he can read the national newspaper “Shqipëria
Etnike” wherever he might be, and hide better in
order to escape the revenge of the family Brojaj. Gëzim Osman Hasanaj is the name
of the hiding guy, so we went at his house where we knew that Gëzim was born on October 30, 1972. He had had a
discussion in 1998 with a guy of the family Brojaj,
and Gëzim had insulted the guy of the family Brojaj, so they felt offended and wanted to avenge
against the family Hasanaj. The family Hasanaj had lived hidden for some time, while their son, Gëzim, had left Albania. After some time, the
group of reconcilers intervened obtaining the release for the family Hasanaj, while their son shouldn’t come back in Albania
anymore, otherwise he would die. The State didn’t care about this, for as
they say, there is no report so they have nothing against any of the
families. The family Hasanaj is well-known as a
family who did never cause troubles to society or the State, as they are
known as an honest, patriotic and hard working
family. Even the family Brojaj has a good report,
but the opinion which is infected by the medieval laws of the Canon, doesn’t
let these two families to reconcile, so that might not be enmity between
them, but harmony, as two good families well-known in Malësi
e Madhe. We came to know by the parents of Gëzim Hasanaj, who told us with
tears that they had not seen their son for seven years and they are concerned
about where he lives and how he lives, for they are old and death is near and
they never know if God will show mercy on them making them see their son
again. We’ve got this picture shown here, that was given to us by the parents
who kept it in the memory and concern for their young son who had to suffer
the medieval law of the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini. It was because of this law that he had to
choose either to stay in his country with his family if he loved them, yet
dead, or if he loved life, he had to leave his family and country forever.
These troubles have touched many families in Malësi
and beyond, but we decided to bring this case as a typical one. We’re closing
the article wishing that civilized world and Europe might understand and help
us save our life and our sons spread all over looking for safeness anywhere
but not in their country, which although being in the midst of Europe,
doesn’t look like it, but trusting God in heaven and the democratic world on
earth, we hope… and this hope is keeping us alive for centuries…
Ndue Bacaj, editor in charge
for social problems
Emigrates after a property conflict
 The family Dibra, in the
northern town of Shkodra,
in Albania,
is one of the earliest in this 2500 years old town. They live in a
characteristic two-floor house, with architecture of the beginning of the 20th
century, having a courtyard and a grove behind it.
One of the descendants of this family is Aadit
Fiqiri Dibra, born on
November 27, 1980. He is an ex-student of the University “Luigj
Gurakuqi” of Shkodra, who
worked part-time as a barman until 2004 at the “Ulqini”
bar-restaurant, placed at the center of the city.
Every morning he used to go to the grove. He was glad to watch the
property inherited by his forefathers. Time after time, he planted young
plants, carrying on the tradition of fruit-growing. One of those mornings, as
he goes there, he notices that someone had moved the fence, and a few meters
within his property were placed outlines. Not believing what he was seeing,
he goes there, and sees workers working, who also told him they were laying
the foundations of a new house. While talking to them, a man called Xhevdet Abdullah Buna, comes hurrying and tells him he
had regular documents on this.
Ardit Dibra tries to explain to him that he had
violated his property and he would report this to the competent organs, and
asks him to interrupt the work, but Xhevdet doesn’t
want to go on with the dialogue and starts to menace him, saying that there’s
no man who can face him. He leaves to go and take something like a gun or
something else that would be dangerous for the life of Ardit.
When he leaves, one of the workers tells Ardit that
Xhevdet had paid large amounts of money to
counterfeit those documents and that he had linkage with people of the State
and the tribunal and Ardit, as an honest man would
have difficulties uncovering the truth without risking his life.
Ardit couldn’t believe what he was hearing, but five minutes were passed
when Xhevdet Abdullah Buna comes back hiding
something under a shirt he held on his hand. He starts inventing as if Ardit had insulted and menaced him; he was looking for
fight, saying that his family didn’t allow things like this and that they
answered only with guns, as it was established by the Canon of the mountains
where he was coming from. During the contest, he hits Ardit
on the forefront with a strong thing, wounding him and menacing also Ardit’s father, Fiqiri, who is
now living hiding at the house of some relatives, because scared. These
menaces went on even later. Although Ardit reported
the competent organs following the hierarchy, they didn’t move and Xhevdet kept on menacing him through phone-calls, on the
road, night and day. When Ardit was convinced that
the Albanian competent organs were doing nothing, he felt in danger and was
forced to emigrate in the United States of America, where is still today.
The case of Ardit Fiqiri
Dibra is an expression of corruption of justice and
the lack by the competent organs to do their job on defending human rights
and freedom.
Vasel Gilaj
Velipojë: Terrorists
place explosive
The family Urita in Velipojë
of Shkodra is one of the first to be engaged in
activities for opening the churches, since the fall of the Wall of Berlin, as
soon as in the little communist Albania began the first democratic movements.
The communism was very severe. Elements of Islamic terrorism became jealous
when the saw Catholic believers going at church through rubber sticks, while
the priests who escaped firing, were hidden by believers after mass. They
were hiding from the Security of the State who wanted them dead. In the list
to be killed were some Catholics, who used to escort the priests. One of them
was the Catholic believer Ardian Gjon Urita. After 1992, with
the victory of the DP over communism, it disappointed the Albanians,
especially those Catholics, because the country was filled with mosques and
imams, with terrorists, and it was said that even Osama Bin Laden lived in Albania.
Although religion became legal, Catholics were still under the threats of
Muslims. Because of the pressure and being found in danger, Ardian Urita had to leave Albania. The
Islamic terrorists ask from his brother, Pashko Gjon Urita, the address of Ardian. On their opinion, he should be killed as an
anti-Islamic.
The brother of Ardian Urita, was many times
menaced, especially after the victory of the Demo-Christian candidate as a
mayor of the commune, Dedë Kaçaj
in Velipojë, during the local elections of October
12, 2003.
Pashko Urita was beside the Demo-Christian mayor Kaçaj, during the campaign. On June 16, 2005, the
terrorists blew-up his shop with explosive. A few days ago, on July 11,
explosive was placed at his personal car by his house. After the explosion of
the car, he could come out, because the door of the driver was open and he
could jump into a ditch. According to
the police of Velipojë, it was about 100 grams of
explosive. This fact was made public only two days before, but it’s hard to
know why so late. The police firstly had very banal opinions like a
malfunction of the car, or the explosion of the fuel. But more alarming is
the fact that the terrorists said to Pashko Urita that if he doesn’t tell the address of his brother,
Ardian Urita, the whole
family will fall away.
Albert Vataj
Dedë Makaj, innocent victim of the State of crimes
Albania is a country of fear and crimes. Dedë Nikoll Makaj,
from Shenkoll of Lezha,
born on June 9, 1966, is one of the victims. As a descendant of an
anticommunist family, he didn’t have at least one day of peace in his life.
His uncle, Ndoc Marash Shkreli, was fired in a fight with the communists on
September 5, 1952; Gjok Ded
Makaj, his other uncle, was condemned 101 years of
imprisonment for political motives. Nikolin Gjok Makaj, the son of his
uncle, was killed at the border while trying to escape in 1990, and his body
was found in the Buna
River after six months.
Dedë Makaj himself was
interned from June 21st, 1985, until 1989, when the first
movements against the most dictatorial system in the world, started in Albania.
Even after 1990, and still today, Dedë Makaj is in serious danger, not only as an anticommunist,
but also because of the phenomenon of blood-feud, which was back after 1990,
waking the old enmities and conflicts. The predecessors of Dedë had conflicts since before 1944, and on the basis of
the Canon of Lekë Dukagjini,
multiple revenge was inevitable. Dedë Makaj lived hiding, even shut-in, according to the
Albanian Canon, until he found out the way to emigrate. The murder of Rrok Makaj, Deda’s
brother, on April 13, 1998, still enigmatic, was for sure either a political,
or blood-feud revenge. Nevertheless, the gun of the avenger is ready to shot
on this innocent victim, while the Albanian
State has no laws to
protect the victims of this phenomenon.
It sounds a paradox the fact that even the President of Albania,
Alfred Moisiu, is an activist of the Association of
Reconciliation. Albania
is so still in the conditions of a primitive society, lacking the State.
Rift Ymeri
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