.: The Albanian-American Diaspora Appeals to the Albanian Foreign Ministry for the safety of Gjon Lucaj

Monday, May 09, 2011

The Albanian-American Diaspora Appeals to the Albanian Foreign Ministry for the safety of Gjon Lucaj

The Honorable Edmond Haxhinasto
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister of Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Republic of Albania
Bulevardi Gjergj Fishta, Nr 6
Tirana, Albania

Dear Minister Haxhinasto,

We, the undersigned call on the Albanian Government not to extradite Mr. Gjon Lucaj to Montenegro. We intently appeal to the Foreign Ministry of Albania to protect Mr. Lucaj’s human rights pending further arrangements for a more permanent residence. We are petitioning your Office to take into consideration the facts surrounding the unethical and flawed Montenegrin justice system. Their handling of Albanian political prisoners has been thoroughly documented as inhumane, unjust, ethnically charged, and plagued by corruption. We plea that your Ministry comply with appropriate legal discourse related to international and local statutes regulating the deportation of a political detainees, and prevent the return of Mr. Lucaj to a country known for its abusive police practices.

Various international organizations have recorded the ill-treatment of Albanian political prisoners in Montenegrin jails. Montenegrin secret police have brutally assaulted Albanian political prisoners and viciously tortured them and their families. The Montenegrin police continue to violate local and international laws by systematically beating and torturing political prisoners with no legal recourse for their actions.

An Amnesty International report published in October 2006 stated that:

“Once imprisoned, the Montenegrin authorities have been maltreating political prisoners, and have been forcing political detainees to sign fabricated documents and statements against their will…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 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.”

In the same vein, the U.S. State Department in a recent Country Report cited the Helsinki Committee of Montenegro that “police had used disproportionate force against some of the arrested persons and their family members during the arrests and subsequent interrogations.” Concurringly, Freedom House reported similar buses and stated that “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.”

Wherefore, we strongly believe that if Mr. Lucaj is deported to Montenegro, he will fall victim to a corrupt justice system and be denied a fair and free public trial while facing physical and mental abuse. We desperately appeal to the Albanian Government not to extradite Mr. Lucaj to Montenegro where cruel and inhumane treatment awaits him. We urge you to recognize that these bogus acts do exist and ask that you grant Mr. Lucaj a stay in Albania.

Respectfully submitted,

The Albanian-American Association "Malesia e Madhe"

"Ded Gjo' Luli"

"Homeland Unites Us"

Malesia Humanitarian Fund

2 comments:

Anonymous said...: AGAIN, WHERE ARE THE ALBANIANS IN MONTENEGRO? WHY DO THEY NOT ALSO APPEAL? THOSE COWARDS IN MALESIA WHO PRETSND TO REPRESENT ALBANIANS ARE THE REAL CRIMINALS THAT SHOULD BE EXTERMINATED LIKE THE ROACHES THEY ARE!!!!!!; 10:07 PM
Kris said...: The Albanians in MZ continue to believe that the entire "Eagle's Flight" crew was guilty as charged.

They didn't stand up for them then, and they will not now.

They wanted to distance themselves from these men because they believed if they expressed any sympathy (of any form), then their lives would be in danger. They would be fired from their jobs, their families harrassed, and their futures at risk. So they thought, why risk this for a handfull of fools?

Fools we all are, yes indeed.

Reading these blog pages one would think that Montenegro is the most terrible place to live for Albanians, but when you really scratch the surface, you come to realize that Albanians are the biggest hindrance in the progress of Albanians.; 4:49 PM

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New York Times article published May 21, 1911

"ALBANIAN JOAN OF ARC: Handsome Heroine Takes Father's Place and Vanquishes Turks" – Cetinja, May 21, 1911 - A young girl, whose first name corresponds to that of the given name of the Maid of Orleans, is now being sung in the songs of the Montenegrin bards in the inns and coffee houses in Podgorica. When at the battle of Vranje last week, her father, the hereditary commander of his clan, fell, she immediately stepped to his place and led the Martinajs to victory against the Turks. Aside from the romantic phase of the affair, for Janitza Martinaj (Tringa e Grudes) is very beautiful, the battle is important as showing that the Montenegrins on the frontier had joined with the Albanians. According to a person who is well acquainted with her, this new Joan of Arc is “a tall, handsome, well-developed young woman. All the Albanian women are brave, and are trained from their girlhood to the use of firearms, and in times of war, as there are no mules, they carry the provisions and ammunition for their soldiers and go into the firing line to distribute them.” “And are sometimes killed?” “Yes, often that happens.” Janitza would probably have carried a Martini rifle; or, as many of the Marininis were collected last year by the Turks, her weapon may perhaps have been one of the old-fashioned Albanian rifles, which are handsomely decorated with silver and have very long, narrow barrels. Shooting is almost the only amusement of the young men and women in Albania. Both boys and girls learn to shoot when they are 12 years old. At weddings the parties amuse themselves by dancing and shooting: at christenings shootings is again the principal amusement – firing at large targets for some little prize – and at festivals there is shooting all day long. It’s one of the great difficulties that Turks have to contend with, for it is part of the national life; the people use their rifles by day and sleep with them by their side by night. The custom has grown up with the prevailing insecurity from vendettas at home and border troubles abroad. Physically, the Albanians are the finest race in Europe. Their women are handsome, with dark hair, though their eyes are sometimes gray. To see them walk is a delight. We like to see the ballet in Servia. The first time I saw the Albanians walk it gave me just the same pleasure. Their movements are so graceful, elegance and strength together. Yes, they are a very fine and very gifted race. They are like the Scots in the 17th century, and they will be by and by the finest race, intellectually as well as physically, in the Balkans. If you go to Constantinople you will find that many of the finest men, not only soldiers but also statesmen are Albanians. Their fault, due to their present degree of civilization, is that they cannot grasp the idea of State. The clan is their highest organization; they are unable to see the importance of combining the clan with the higher organization of making a state. But that will come.

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Monday, May 09, 2011

The Albanian-American Diaspora Appeals to the Albanian Foreign Ministry for the safety of Gjon Lucaj

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