POLICE FORCE AGAINST THE CITIZENS

AIM Skopje, 20 July, 1997

A few days after the brutal police action in which the Albanian flag was removed from the post in front of the seats of municipalities with Albanian majority population, another Albanian died of wounds in the Clinical Hospital in Skopje. This is the third victim of the intervention of the Macedonian special police unit of 9 July, but the final figure may be bigger because of the large number of the wounded and beaten up which is counted by hundreds. In distinction from the first two victims who were killed during or immediately after the police action in Gostivar (second in size city with majority Albanian population in Macedonia), the latest victim was not wounded by firearms!? According to what was declared in the mentioned Clinical Hospital, the victim died of compound fracture of the skull inflicted by blows of the police, of course. This victim is at the same time the most explicit tragic illustration of the brutality of police intervention in this city which has surprised even the most ardent supporters of the government formed mostly of Social Democrats.

Thanks to television cameras which were shooting the event, citizens of Macedonia were able to see "their" police mercilessly beating up all those who had happened to be in the tumult of the clash between the police and the Albanians who had gone out into the streets to "defend the flag". Even weakly, white-haired elderly men were targets of violent blows of police boots, equally as young men who had raised their hands in vain to show that they had nothing against the police or that they were simply surrendering. Television cameras, including those of the state television, showed pictures such as pulling out people from their homes or shops, who were then constantly beaten and shoved into police cars.

The climax of the "performance" of the police was probably the spectacle shot by a Macedonian television station showing policemen who were "cleansing the ground", beat on a door and when the terrified host appeared, they asked him "What is your name?"

It was not difficult to conclude that the policemen were only interested whether this was the home of an Albanian. On that day, and during the days which followed, they made no effort to find out who was the person in the housing block downtown who shot and killed a seventeen-year old Albanian and wounded in the leg another one who tried to offer him help. The police did not see fit either to publicize that the only seriously wounded policemen was in fact, according to testimonies of eye-witnesses, shot by a careless colleague of his.

All this, supplemented by the fact that on that tragic 9 July the Macedonian police neglected the part of the decision of the Constitutional Court which demanded that along with the Albanian and the Turkish flag, the Macedonian state flag was also supposed to be taken down, caused great discontent of the Albanians which can also be said to be disappointment and incredulity. The general conclusion of all the Albanian political organizations, intellectuals and the so-called "ordinary citizens" was that on that day, the Albanians had been shot at, regardless of whether they had been guilty of anything or not. The manner in which the police treated the overpowered demonstrants or passers-by who were stamped on while helplessly lying on the ground, left the impression that the police wished to intimidate the Albanians, not only those who happened to be in the streets but also those who were watching it on tv (it is indicative that the police had informed state television to shoot the beginning of the action at one o'clock after midnight, but it had failed to inform the ministers - Albanians). The impression is confirmed by the declarations of the citizens of Albanian origin that after 9 July they feel humiliated. In the meantime the Prime Minister of Macedonia saluted the members of the special units in Gostivar by raising of his thumb, which was experienced by the Albanians as an expression of triumph of the Macedonians over the Albanians.

While the mayor of Gostivar, Rufi Osmani, ever since the police intervention, has been held in custody, and charges have been brought against him in the meantime "for causing religious, racial and ethnic intolerance" and for two other "criminal acts", and about forty out of approximately 400 arrested persons were convicted for offences, all deputies Albanians left the Macedonian parliament, including those from the Party of Democratic Prosperity (PDP) which is a member of the government coalition. Ministries who belong to the PDP were not present at the last session of the Government "due to party activities", but it is indicative that this has happened after return of the party leader Abdurahman Aliti from Tirana, where he had participated along with the leader of the newly-founded Democratic Party of the Albanians (DPA) Arben Xhaferi in a television program on the topic of removal of the Albanian flag in Tetovo and Gostivar. It should be stressed that the general impression after these developments is that the Albanians in Macedonia will act much more unitedly than before because the action of the police which ministers Albanians, the one who is the vice prime minister inclusive, had known nothing about, was experienced as an attack against all the Albanians regardless of whether they were "constructive" or "radical", because they have finally realized that there is not a trace left of the civic concept of the Social Democratic Alliance of Macedonia.

IBRAHIM MEHMETI