COMMITTEE OF NATIONWIDE RECONCILIATION

Tirana on July 27 2005

Statement for public opinion

From May 20th till July 8th, on the verge of Parliamentary elections the Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation organized a 45-days voluntary expedition, in all the villages and the cities of Albania. The expedition aimed to keep in control the families in enmity and prevent new conflicts during the electoral campaign. It was led by 160 activists, chiefs of groups, and involved 2680 missionaries in all the territory of Albania. The expedition expresses sincere thanks to the General Directory of State’s Police and its employees in districts, for the readiness and professional cooperation that they showed in the resolution of many conflict situations with well-understanding, as well as for providing facilities in the travel of missionaries.
Unfortunately, the expedition could not prevent the tragic murder on May 3rd, in Dukagjin of Mat district, where three children were shot while going to school, Artan, Adi and Nina Nuka. From the shots the eldest brother Artan, lost his life. In the same way in Ishem of Durres, on June 18th, three members of the Gjokejaj family, one of them a 13 years old boy, were executed for blood feud. The members of the expedition did not have any information about the conflict in “Hasan Prishtina” school in Tirana where the observer of the Republican Party, was murdered. The expedition did not also have any signal about the danger threatening the life of chairman of Democratic Party of Hasi district, Mr. Behar Kastrati. In the case of Mr. Kastrati the missionaries of reconciliation of Kukes district express their readiness to give their help for the resolution of this case, in any requested circumstance.
During its 45-days work, the expedition established that the toughest enmities are those that started because of a murder, and in most of the cases they are also inherited. For this motive, 1460 families are still in conflict, 738 of them are isolated while other 722 have declared to abandon the blood feud, only if the murderer takes an impartial sentence by the state. There are about 4500 families touched by the phenomena of family’s violation, women trafficking and violation of person’s dignity, which make a new contingent of enmities.
In the area of Nënshkodër and villages of Zadrima, 1600 families are in conflict for property reasons. These families are related with each other, and even if the families belong to brothers or cousins, at any instant they might bring bloodshed. Even if the missionaries of reconciliation have been alone and without any support in their continuous efforts for the prevention of murders, they have continuously had achievements. Due to their work 430 families of trafficked women are involved in conversations for closing the case without bloodshed and without making it public, accepting the return of the girl near to the family. Until now about 280 seduced girls are returned to their families, 23 of them are married with their panders and they continue a normal life in their country.
Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation has committed its triple working groups in every village, formed by the director of the school, alderman and a representative of the community, which work for the orientation of the tradition in support of the state of rule of law against the shameful and criminal acts.
After the Second Congress of Reconciliation Missionaries, hold on September 17th 2004, the Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation, has realized successfully the provision of asylum for 611 families threatened by blood feud. The countries that have provided asylum are mainly the countries of the Western Europe as well as Canada and United States of America. Unfortunately, Albanian government has signed agreements for the return of the Albanian emigrants from the Western Countries that do not have sojourn permit. Considering the situation of extreme poverty and conflicts that threaten the life of the Albanian citizens and families, these agreements are inhuman and in opposition with the International Charters of Human Rights. The Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation appeals to the new Parliament and Government for making efforts for revising these agreements. International Community has time and again given contributions to the government and state institutions for helping the families involved in conflicts of blood feud and for the victims of trafficking of human beings. Unfortunately, the expedition established that the families involved in blood feud or in human trafficking, are not aware about the projects of government or donors for their rehabilitation. The Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation claims to the new Albanian Parliament, new Government, High Inspectorate of State and General Prosecutor to verify where 40.000.000 USD, that the international community and Albanian taxpayers have given to the Albanian government and these institutions for these projects, ended.
Trafficking of Albanian women has often brought tragic murders, up to blowing up the family of the trafficker. The Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation has confirmed even before that the poverty and the organized crime have forced more than 30 000 women and girls from the Republic of Albania, Kosovo, Montenegro and Macedonia to work as prostitutes, in and out of the country. They are completely under the control of the traffickers that have committed more than one criminal act. In every 3 hours, these traffickers gain more than 2,1 billion dollars. This is the main source of the murders for blood feud and revenge. Unfortunately the projects of international donors are compiled and planned according to their methods and ways, without knowing the terrain, mentality and psychology of the Albanian people. More than 90% of these projects were not applied in the terrain and are not known by the groups in need. This has happened and continues to happen mainly with the projects of the war against the blood feud, corruption, trafficking of human beings and equal gender, even if the public has been very sensible toward them. International community, government and the new Albanian Parliament should confront this situation with more responsibility. The strategy of the Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation for the orientation of the tradition in support of rule of law, against the negative phenomena of the society has found support in people, because Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation confronts every issue with the concrete terrain, consults them with the people, and ask decision-making in community for their resolution. The cooperation of Albanian state and international organizations with the Committee of Nationwide Reconciliation would be a positive step for the empowerment of rule of law among Albanians.