Prishtina, 1 April, 2023
The Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, on the 42nd anniversary of the demonstrations of April 1 and 2, today hosted the chairman of the association of former political prisoners of Kosovo, Shefki Sadiku, together with Binak Ulaj, former chairman of the Association. Xhemajl Pllana, secretary of the Association, Hydajet Hyseni, member of the presidency, at the same time deputy of the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo, and Meriman Braha, former secretary.
In this meeting, which was also attended by the Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu and the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrulla Çeku, Prime Minister Kurti and the representatives of the Association recalled the organization of the demonstrations in 1981, the confrontation with the Yugoslav regime and the historical turning point that our people had done in that year.
It was discussed about the challenges and demands of the Association, about the possible forms of support for its functionalization and strengthening, as well as about the care and institutional responsibility for preserving the collective memory through the establishment of the institute for former convicts and political persecuted.
The demonstrations of April 1 and 2 are the most massive demonstrations of 1981. They were preceded by the protest in the student cafeteria on March 4 and then the demonstrations on March 11 and 26, 1981. The famous blini, in front of the Ministry of Culture today, was speaking in megaphone Hydajet Hyseni, who was approaching four years of illegality in that world, and with him Kadri Batusha, Ahmet Bllaca and Remzije Limani.
The former political prisoners also evoked the memory of Jakup Krasniqi, who on April 1, 1981 was also among the organizers and participants of the demonstration, and who has been detained in The Hague prison for 29 months now.
From the demonstrations of 1981, 9 demonstrators were killed, 15 people were injured, hundreds were arrested and imprisoned, and they were punished and sentenced to many years of heavy political imprisonment. They started as spontaneous student protests for dignified conditions and equal treatment, soon they received the support of the workers and the entire people, who together demanded freedom, justice, rights, the Republic of Self-determination.
Last modified: April 3, 2023