March held in Pristina in memory of 22nd anniversary of student protest

22 years ago, the Student Movement organised protest at the time to oppose the invasion of Kosovo by Serbia, demanding the return of students to university facilities from it had been expelled from the Milosevic regime.

At the time, Jevdet Shoshi's home was the building where the University of Pristina's Rectorate operated.

Today, 22 years later, the householder has taken the march route near his home in Velani to remember the time when the Serb regime had violently distributed them.

The “have been national emotion, perhaps euphoric for the entire population of Kosovo where we have participated. For my age, I call the most organized protests or demonstrations that have ever been able to make youth”, he says.

It shows that Velani was filled with police that day by police units that had come from Belgrade.

We've been sitting here for a few minutes quiet, they haven't been talking, they haven't talked to anything, we haven't been talking at some time, once the order has come to use violence, and it's started violence, those who've been designated civilians were watching who's talking to whom they're talking to, they've caught these Professor Ejupi, Avni Geca, some major students, we've gone, and the rest of us've gone home, some of us have even been hurt some students.

Activists of ORCA and Admovere gathered today in front of the Shoshi family home on the road that today bears October 1st, saying they are finishing the march that the students of the day were not allowed to take to the end.

“22 years ago they have stopped, we are now continuing the march we are going to Pristina University's Campus”, said Rron Djindjic from ORCA.

The then students had also joined various Albanian activists, workers and activists, including former Renaissance worker Behram Krasniqi.

Krasniqi joined the march today to remember the 9750 protest, which he thought was the most dignified presentation of the students.

I have emotions after 22 years when we're remembering October 1, 1997, today. I can say that it really was a dignified presentation of students in front of Milosevic's murderous criminal machine, facing numerous Serbian tanks and mitrollies, Serbian tinkers, Serbian policemen, so from that moment on I'm convinced that the Albanian people pierced the fear that was embedded in the people, with very pacifist propaganda, so it was a good pervert for the next UCK war, which was the most meritive of today's freedom that we still enjoy that's not being martyred by what we're doing, he says.

He says that despite the violence exercised by Serbian forces, there has also been a resistance of Albanian students and people.

Slobodan Milosevic's regime had at the time imposed violent measures against Albanians and had expelled students and professors from the university, imposing Serbian teaching plans.

The student's peaceful protest on October 1, 1997, led by the late Rector Ejup Statovci, Bujar Dugolli, Albin Kurti, Dritton Lajci of Muhamet Mavrej, was disseminated.

The event is considered by the most important of the Student Movement, and the same influenced international factorisation on the Kosovo issue.