Kamberi: Cause of Monday's protest, Serbia has increased pressure on Albanians

The Albanian MP in Serbia's Parliament, Shaip Kamberi, has said official Belgrade is adding pressure on Albanians in the Valley following the warning of Monday's “Identity ID” after next week.

Through a Facebook post, Kamberi has said they are facing pressure and instigation by police and law enforcement bodies in Bujanoc and Vranje.

He has even made it known that a citizen has been arrested because of a comment about the warned protest, on Facebook profile of the local portal “Bujanovacke”.

According to Kamberi, he was arrested as a criminal suspect “Inciting international hatred”.

The case, he said, has been handed over to the prosecution in Vranje.

There is no doubt to express understanding about the inciting violence or hatred, especially when this happens in a multiethnic municipality, such as Bujanoc, where reports are also complicated. But, of course, our joint reaction to violence should be universal and not selective, especially when dealing with the response of the law bodies and the security that are responsible for equal treatment of all citizens”, MP Kamberi said among other things.

On the other hand, he also spoke of numerous anti-Albanian comments in the media in Serbia, saying that <x0-albanophobia has become the daily”.

When the anti-Albanian hate speech campaign includes even top state officials like A. Vulin (and his case at the Supreme Court in Belgrade, which acquitted him of responsibility from the Albanian National Council's indictment for inciting anti-Albanian hatred), the decision that legalised the offensive term "syptariʹ), the arrest of an ordinary citizen, a few days before holding the popular protest in Bujanoc, presents no more than an attempt for fear of those who are organising and those who want to participate in this protest”, Kamberi said.

According to him, these days some Albanian citizens “have been taken in so-called informative conversations for égihadism”.

“These cases suggest that official politics in Serbia is also trying with these expectations to draw attention to internal and external opinion from legal and legitimate protests warned of the realisation of fundamental rights”.

MP Kamberi says what the Serbian state is doing “is an open effort to stem popular response and silence the voice of Albanians”.

“to distract attention and demonise even our legitimate demands, which Serbia has formally accepted with the signing of three agreements with Albanian representatives (2001, 2009 and 2013). Despite these tryings of intimidation, we will be firm and steadfast in our efforts to do right, equality, and freedom. The demand for democratic values, our rights, freedom of expression, and our dignity cannot be silenced with intimidation campaigns”, Kamberi concluded.