Valley Albanians protested “identity and dignity”

The representative of the Albanian community in southern Serbia, Shaip Kamberi, accused the Serbian government of denying the rights of the Albanian minority, saying it “does not want their integration into state bodies fairly and equalably”. The protest was called on Saturday by Albanian National Council Chairman Navzad Lutfiu, via a Facebook post, under the slogan “for identity and dignity”.

According to the latest census, Albanians are the fourth largest minority in Serbia, 61.687 Albanians live in this state, respectively. “Belgrade continues with the old Avaz, dealing with Albanians as enemies, as a people of the second order who do not deserve institutional participation. It has continued with discrimination not knowing the diplomas, and with non-integration and psix1>, Kamberi said.

Kamberi, who also won a mandate in Serbia's Parliament during the December 17th Serbian elections, called on the international community to pressure Serbia, as he said, halting discrimination against Albanians in the Valley.

I invite the Government to start urgently and unconditionally in implementing commitments made by signed agreements, above all I invite the international community to react as soon as possible to disrupt the apartheid and classical discrimination, because from Conculi 2001 agreement to plan 7 point 2013, we have had confidence not in Belgrade, but in Western democratic values”, Kamber said.

Concul's agreement was reached in 2001 for demilitarising the Liberation Army of Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanoc (UÇPMB) and for the integration of the Albanian minority through a democratic process. In July 2013, President Aleksandar Vuciq's government approved the seven-point plan, which was almost the same as previous agreements.
Camber left the opportunity for further protests behind. In the street where the protests were held, a large number of policemen in civil uniforms and clothing were seen. No incidents were reported during the protest.

Representatives of Presevo, Medvegjes and Bujanovac ãoci municipality, also known as Presevo Valley, have often complained that they are discriminated against by authorities in Serbia. At the end of last year, they complained of an increase in the number of deactivation of their addresses by Serbian police, accusing him of illegally wiping them out to deny basic rights.

The problem of deactivating addresses has been mentioned in the European Commission's report to Serbia in 2022, in the part that concerns respecting minority rights. /rel/