There will be a special AASO meeting tomorrow (March 9th) to discuss a series of extremely disheartening events developing in Montenegro where the victims of Slavic aggression are none other than our Albanians. The venue for the meeting is as follows:
Sunday, March 8, 2008
6:00 p.m.
Oakland University
Student Center – Superior Room
Discussions will commence on the current status and (il)legal proceedings of the 14 Albanians (including three U.S. citizens from Michigan) currently detained in Spuz – a detention center that has been the scene of constant torture, mental/physical abuses and psychological torment by the hands of Montenegro’s corrupt and nationalized ruling party. Thus far, their charges of “terrorism” have been unfounded, but the illegal trial continues after unprecedented delays.
These events have disenfranchised the Albanian minority in Montenegro, where “terrorism-from-above” has been utilized as a tool to control any aggression/reaction from Albanians anywhere in the country. Moreover, many experts following these events are identifying Montenegro’s elites as perpetrating a campaign of “quiet ethnic cleansing” in efforts to dissuade Albanians from participating in any sociopolitical and/or economic developments designed to shun them from society.
As a symbol of control, Albanians in Montenegro were ordered not to celebrate the independence of Kosova, fearing (according to Montenegro’s President) uprisals from the Ser community. But the very next day, 10,000 Serbs took to the streets and protested Kosova’s sovereignty with slogans that read, “Kill Albanians” and “No Independence for Terrorists”.
As recipients of higher learning, we believe it is our inherent duty to stand up to these misgivings and demand what is ours: equality, liberty, and as we have all been bred to realize in America – the pursuit of happiness. Montenegro will not enter the EU without adherence to these rights, I would pray that we would ensure that.
Regardless of the region we call home, Malesia, Ulqin, Plave & Gusine, we deserve the same rights as any peoples in Europe, especially given that we are inhabitants of these lands. Kosova brought this message home, now it is up to us to stress it.
The following statement from Amnesty International underscores these concerns:
“The allegations include reports of repeated beatings, including with the intention of forcing a confession, using hands, fists, feet, sticks and on one occasion, a computer cable. Beatings were allegedly conducted by both individual and groups of police officers at the police station, by the anti-terrorist police involved in the arrest and by police escorting the men to court. One individual reported that a hood was placed over his head; another that he had a gun held to his head; all were subjected to racist threats on the basis of their Albanian ethnicity.”
-- Amnesty International (17 October 2006)
“the hospitalization of prison inmates after a police raid raised questions of brutality and resulted in a change in prison administration” … “Accusations of political interference and complaints of lengthy judicial processes continued to plague the judicial and prosecutorial systems”
-- Freedom House
Sunday, March 8, 2008
6:00 p.m.
Oakland University
Student Center – Superior Room
Discussions will commence on the current status and (il)legal proceedings of the 14 Albanians (including three U.S. citizens from Michigan) currently detained in Spuz – a detention center that has been the scene of constant torture, mental/physical abuses and psychological torment by the hands of Montenegro’s corrupt and nationalized ruling party. Thus far, their charges of “terrorism” have been unfounded, but the illegal trial continues after unprecedented delays.
These events have disenfranchised the Albanian minority in Montenegro, where “terrorism-from-above” has been utilized as a tool to control any aggression/reaction from Albanians anywhere in the country. Moreover, many experts following these events are identifying Montenegro’s elites as perpetrating a campaign of “quiet ethnic cleansing” in efforts to dissuade Albanians from participating in any sociopolitical and/or economic developments designed to shun them from society.
As a symbol of control, Albanians in Montenegro were ordered not to celebrate the independence of Kosova, fearing (according to Montenegro’s President) uprisals from the Ser community. But the very next day, 10,000 Serbs took to the streets and protested Kosova’s sovereignty with slogans that read, “Kill Albanians” and “No Independence for Terrorists”.
As recipients of higher learning, we believe it is our inherent duty to stand up to these misgivings and demand what is ours: equality, liberty, and as we have all been bred to realize in America – the pursuit of happiness. Montenegro will not enter the EU without adherence to these rights, I would pray that we would ensure that.
Regardless of the region we call home, Malesia, Ulqin, Plave & Gusine, we deserve the same rights as any peoples in Europe, especially given that we are inhabitants of these lands. Kosova brought this message home, now it is up to us to stress it.
The following statement from Amnesty International underscores these concerns:
“The allegations include reports of repeated beatings, including with the intention of forcing a confession, using hands, fists, feet, sticks and on one occasion, a computer cable. Beatings were allegedly conducted by both individual and groups of police officers at the police station, by the anti-terrorist police involved in the arrest and by police escorting the men to court. One individual reported that a hood was placed over his head; another that he had a gun held to his head; all were subjected to racist threats on the basis of their Albanian ethnicity.”
-- Amnesty International (17 October 2006)
“the hospitalization of prison inmates after a police raid raised questions of brutality and resulted in a change in prison administration” … “Accusations of political interference and complaints of lengthy judicial processes continued to plague the judicial and prosecutorial systems”
-- Freedom House
8 comments:
I am delighted to read that this issue has re-surfaced once again.
I am a student from Wayne State and I will try to make it. But please make your presentations poignant, in order to attract enough attention/interest.
- Kathy
This is truly a prisoner's dilemma -- and why the hell has all the interest dissolved?
Where are the students at? And I don't just mean those from Malesia.
Nik
Nik,
The disappeared just like the AASO did in recent years. Its an enigma. When years' elapse and nothing is accomplished, then interest wavers.
Since the AASO of WSU lost its pizzaz around 2004/5, the entire objectives of the group went out the door.
Here is teh same thing, prisoners in jail since 2006, nothing significant to turn their misforturned around (ie, no more rallys, none at all in Malesi), and thus everyone forgets.
What a shame.
please update us on what happened at the meeting.
The meeting went very well.
There were approximately 22 attendees, mainly students from area universities and a few local activists, incluing several family members of those imprisoned.
The meeting started around 6:30 and went to about 8:00 p.m.
It was decided that the issues discussed generated enough interest and importance to continue with efforts to internationalize the dilemma of those detained in Spuz, Montenegro.
Numerous ideas were bounced around on how to attack the issue and another date has been scheduled to follow-up on (1) the suggestions proposed, (2) assign responsibilities, (3) entertain strategies, and (4) work!
If anyone had any other comments please follow up with them here.
What now? Please provide an outline of your next meeting under these comments or email them to me for posting on this Blog.
- Mark Juncaj
maybe we should use the same tactics the serbs used maybe should go gueirilla warfare on them see if we can get their attention that way
--24 Mile
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