Author: admin 21 August 2015

Mayor of Patos answers the questions about Blood Feuds. Indeed Operazione Colomba has received the answers by Rajmonda Balilaj. The Mayor of Patos answers via email as well as officially via mail, in a registered and signed version.

The entire letter’s text follows:

The email text:

Answering to your letter and your questionnaire related to the Blood Feuds Phenomenon (hakmarrje and  gjakmarrje), first of all I would like to congratulate you on the initiative you are carrying on and the activities you work on. I appreciate yours and your volunteers’ commitment in working in order to overcome hakmarrje and gjakmarrje phenomenon. Moreover I esteem the awareness process you are spreading in order to pressure national and international institutions aiming to adopt effective measures in order to hinder the phenomenon.

I would like to state that the municipality of Patos is available to take part to your awareness initiatives.

Attached you will find the answers to the questionnaire sent to the Municipality of Patos.
Thank you for your cooperation.

The Mayor
Rajmonda Balilaj

Mayor of Patos Answers the questionnaire

1. How much is widespread the blood feuds phenomenon in the area you are mayor of?

I think the phenomenon should be treated as a national matter, either for its origins either for the perception the different communities have about the phenomenon. Actually, Hakmarrje and Gjakmarrje are two different phenomenons but at the same time are very similar. They do constitute a tragedy for Albanian families and are a wound still open. The mentality change, the work carried on by the organizations and other initiatives undertaken at a legislative level have brought a decrease in the phenomenon. These kind of incidents usually take place in small towns, but then pour out in the big cities. Officially there is no recorded case in the Municipality of Patos, but that doesn’t mean we are not interested in embracing all the national initiatives and in implementing the legislation in support of the phenomenon decrease.

2. How is the phenomenon perceived by the population?

It’s a phenomenon that causes only losses, and people lose their life for. It’s an ongoing loss: people lose hope and therefore the entire society is affected by the phenomenon. I think that Albanian society is in a phase of develop, where it’s necessary the Rule of Law, the “hand of the State” and not the “hand of the revenger”. Therefore, I am confident that this phenomenon is about to become a phantom of the past.

3. How many cases of blood feuds are there in the municipality/district you are mayor of?

According to the statistics, the phenomenon is now decreasing, even if it has represented a tragedy for the Albanian families. Fortunately, in the Municipality of Patos there is no official case nor cases of families declaring to live under revenge.

4. Specifically, which concrete steps would you like to take in order to completely eradicate the blood feuds phenomenon? Especially referring to the area you are mayor of?

The phenomenon has to be treated with extreme caution. It deserves the right attention from experts and experienced people disposed to treat it as a national issue. Specifically, in Patos it has not been necessary to establish any office aimed to coordinate and face such cases. In case of identification of incidents related to the phenomenon, we will cooperate for sure with the probate authorities and take steps in order to localize cases, if these latter should ever happen. Moreover, we are available to take part in the national initiatives and to implement any legislative directive.

5. On the 4th of May 2005, Law no. 9389 was emanated but it has never been applied because the Executive has never issued the implementing acts needed. What do you plan to do in order to ask the Albanian Executive to implement this legal tool?

The Law 9389/05 provides for the establishment of the “Coordination Council in the fight against blood revenge”. Waiting for the implementation decrees, we reconfirm our availability in being active part in the national initiatives. The Art. Nr. 5 of the Law requires us to be part of the platform and act in harmony with the Council that will coordinate local government’s action.

Ringraziamenti

Many thenks to Rajmonda Balilaj for answering and for her kind cooperarion. Concerning the spread of the phenomenon in the Municipality of Patos, we will compare her statement  with our data collected since 2010.
Finally, we do appreciate Mayor of Patos’ answers and we do hope they can really be an important signal of attention toward the Blood Feuds phenomenon. We feel confident about the possibility of a strong cooperation aimed to fight and defeat the phenomen in the whole Albania.