Hasani responds to Latifi: Albanians of the Presheva Valley do not stand “at attention” before the Serbian gendarme

Numerous reactions have followed Professor Blerim Latifi’s statements regarding the Albanians of the Presheva Valley.

In one of his posts, Latifi criticized the Albanians of this area, claiming that they are not organizing protests against the discrimination and silent ethnic cleansing that, according to him, Serbia is carrying out through the deactivation of addresses, while they take part in protests against Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

“The Albanian of the Presheva Valley stands at attention before the Serbian gendarme. He is unable to organize even a mini-protest against the silent ethnic cleansing that Serbia is carrying out through the deactivation of addresses and other discriminatory measures, which have severely undermined the political and civil rights of Albanians there,” Latifi said.

Following these positions, activist from Bujanoc, Refik Hasani, reacted sharply in a statement to the newspaper “Bota sot”, describing Professor Blerim Latifi’s words as offensive, untrue, and inciting division.

According to Hasani, the Presheva Valley has consistently demonstrated political organization and resistance in defense of its rights. He mentioned the March 1-2, 1992 Referendum, the armed uprising of the UÇPMB, as well as the Konçul Agreement, reached with the involvement of the international factor.

“Do not sow division and do not mislead the wider public. The Albanians of the Presheva Valley organized the March 1-2, 1992 Referendum, carried out the UÇPMB uprising, and reached the Konçul Agreement under the monitoring of the highest international bodies,” Hasani told “Bota sot”.

He also underlined that the political and legal status of the Presheva Valley has still not been resolved, while the Albanians of this region continue to seek a fair and long-term solution with international guarantees.

Hasani also rejected Latifi’s claim that the Valley’s Albanians “are unable to organize even a mini-protest against” anything, recalling the protests held during 2024 in Bujanoc, Presheva, and Medvegjë against discrimination toward Albanians.

“Three protests were held during 2024, in Bujanoc, Presheva, and Medvegjë, as peaceful demonstrations and marches with broad popular support to demand an end to discrimination against the Albanians of the Valley,” he said.

Commenting also on Latifi’s statement that “the human conscience is troubled by such paradoxes among Albanians,” Hasani assessed that such formulations demonstrate a lack of understanding of the reality faced by Albanians in Presheva, Medvegjë, and Bujanoc.

In conclusion, Hasani called on Blerim Latifi to issue a public apology.

“Through this public reaction, Blerim Latifi is being asked to publicly apologize, because he has gravely insulted and offended with baseless labels. These statements represent the fostering of division and the deepening of rifts among Albanian regions. Likewise, it is absolutely necessary for all Albanian media and intellectuals, wherever they operate in the world, to react to these offensive words,” Hasani concluded for “Bota sot”.