Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC)

[osiris]

rtg honestly my maso i am surprised at how few of us are going.

[Rogi]

you know I'll be there

[osiris]

rogi will you be on our table of have you already committed.

[AMHRC]

MHRMI/AMHRC Condemn Discrimination in Albania

MHRMI and AMHRC Condemn Albania's State-Sponsored Discrimination Against Macedonians, Announce Funding for Macedonian Language Classes

Toronto, Canada and Melbourne, Australia (February 11, 2010) -- Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) and the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) condemn the Albanian government's involvement in preventing Macedonian language classes from taking place in the Golo Brdo region.

The Director of the Educational Office in Bulqizë, Miranda Kurti, sent a letter to officials in Golo Brdo and the Albanian Intelligence Service stating,

"We have contacted the local government and the principals in charge of these schools concerning the termination of these private courses. However we have to inform you that in the village Trebište in the Municipality Trebište and the village Pasinki in the Municipality Ostreni, there are still operating illegal private courses in Macedonian. Therefore we ask for your cooperation and intervention in the complete cessation of this activity..." (see full text below)

Albanian authorities in Golo Brdo have prevented around 200 students from attending private Macedonian language classes under the pretext that the teachers are not qualified and the classes are "illegal". Some of the teachers have received death threats from the Albanian authorities if they do not stop teaching Macedonian.

According to Edmond Osmani, teacher and Vice President of the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration,

"The Albanian principals and teachers beat Macedonian students, lower their grades, and mistreat their parents. Now the police have begun issuing all kinds of threats. I personally have been threatened that I would be physically eliminated. We are under permanent pressure to stop the teaching of Macedonian."

We note that during the recent election campaign in Albania, the coalition led by current Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, had promised that Macedonian would be able to be freely studied and taught in the Golo Brdo region.

Today, the Albanian Minister of Education, Prof. Dr. Myqerem Tafaj, gave permission for the Macedonian classes to be taught in Golo Brdo.

MHRMI, AMHRC and the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration call on the international community, and specifically the European Union, to hold Albania accountable for its persecution of its Macedonian minority and force Albania to uphold its obligations regarding minority rights under international human rights law.

Further, MHRMI and AMHRC are pleased to announce funding for the school operated by the Korca Regional Committee of the Macedonian Alliance for European Integration, and will expand our funding of Macedonian language classes throughout Albania.

###

Macedonian Human Rights Movement International (MHRMI) has been active on human and national rights issues for Macedonians and other oppressed peoples since 1986. For more information, please visit www.mhrmi.org, or contact MHRMI at 416-850-7125, or [email protected].

Established in 1984 the Australian Macedonian Human Rights Committee (AMHRC) is a non governmental organisation that informs and advocates to governments, international institutions and broader communities about combating discrimination and promoting basic human rights. Our aspiration is to ensure that Macedonian communities and other excluded groups throughout the world are recognised, respected and afforded equitable treatment. For more information please visit www.macedonianhr.org.au, or contact AMHRC at [email protected] or via +61 3 93298960.

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Letter from Miranda Kurti, Director of Educational Office in Bulqizë

Subject: Request for Cooperation

To: Regional Directorate for Debar's tax
With knowledge by the SHISH (Albanian Intelligence Service)

Municipality Trebište

Beginning with the information received from the heads of schools and local government, as well as verification of
this information by the Education Department of Bulqizë, we announce to you that in Golo Brdo, at first in the
villages of the municipality Ostreni and then in the villages of the municipality Trebište, private courses in
Macedonian language are held by individuals without licenses for the students of the schools.

The persons who hold these private courses in the Macedonian language contrary to the Normative Deposits for
Pre-University Education and the recommendations of the Ministry of Education of Albania, no. 34 from 02.11.2009
"Organization of activities in the service of students with Pre-University Education are responsible: Ili Halilaj,
Edlira Ala, Elida Adili, Roland Dauti. The above persons are not employed in the sector of education in the region
Bulqizë.

We have contacted the local government and the principals in charge of these schools concerning the
termination of these private courses. However we have to inform you that in the village Trebište in the
Municipality Trebište and the village Pasinki in the Municipality Ostreni, there are still operating illegal
private courses in Macedonian. Therefore we ask for your cooperation and intervention in the complete
cessation of this activity, because the non-licensed persons, as noted above, are not employed in the education
sectorm and this represents a grave violation of the legislation in force.

Thank you for your cooperation.

Manager

Miranda Kurti

[osiris]

there are 16 people coming which means i will need another 4 and we will hve 2 tables.

please note amhrc 2 tables for MTO

[Phoenix]

Guys, is it possible to make this announcement a "sticky" on the 'General' page...?

This is the type of discrimination we should never lose sight of and it should serve as inspiration to all of us, to support our kin who haven't got it as good as we do living in civilized societies, it should act as a reminder to people that groups like MHRMI/AMHRC are actively fighting this retardation constantly and consistently and often without the applause and recognition that such brave actions deserve.

Let us get this situation into some perspective...the Albanian 'Intelligence' Service has been notified that Macedonian is being taught, what the fuck is that all about...that attitude has no place in a Europe of the 21st century...

[Grotius]

Phoenix,

I agree absolutely.

Whilst we seem to be preoccupied on other threads with the capacity of google to translate accurately some lazy media commentary from Mk (as important as the actual issue is), or are pondering some new organisation, somehow I think we have missed the importance of this announcement. Not only are MHRMI and AMHRC condemning the creepy Albanian secret service, but they are actually stating, in defiance of the Albanian authorities, that they will fund the very Macedonian language classes being threatened. This is not just mere PR(!), but something actually tangible. Isn’t this something we should be getting behind and supporting? Doesn’t this form part of our Macedonian Cause? This action is real and can make an actual impact. The guys in Golo Brdo need our help.

[Serdarot]

thumb up for MHRMI / AMHRC

btw, i do not know how clever is to rush with statements that some Macedonians will fund the classes on Macedonian Language in Albania.

Let them (the Albanian Authorities) pay for it, i think that they gonna start doing that.

MHRMI/AMHCR can "monitor" what is goin´ on and moves some moves later

my modest opinion :P

[Prolet]

The Albanian Minister for Education recently stated that Macedonian Language will be taught in Golo Brdo.

[Serdarot]

The Albanian Minister for Education recently stated that Macedonian Language will be taught in Golo Brdo.

yap, i´ve heard something like that yesterday on the news i think, that after some Macedonian Minister contacted him and complained about this issue, the Albanian Minister promised that things gonna improve

not that i trust them a lot... maybe they are just buying time

[Risto the Great]

Phoenix,

I agree absolutely.

Whilst we seem to be preoccupied on other threads with the capacity of google to translate accurately some lazy media commentary from Mk (as important as the actual issue is), or are pondering some new organisation, somehow I think we have missed the importance of this announcement. Not only are MHRMI and AMHRC condemning the creepy Albanian secret service, but they are actually stating, in defiance of the Albanian authorities, that they will fund the very Macedonian language classes being threatened. This is not just mere PR(!), but something actually tangible. Isn’t this something we should be getting behind and supporting? Doesn’t this form part of our Macedonian Cause? This action is real and can make an actual impact. The guys in Golo Brdo need our help.

Spot on Grotius.
This is far from lazy media commentary .... this is positively joyous information and I put it to the forum participants that this is the kind of work we would hope someone is doing for the Macedonian Cause. Can we put a price on it? Probably not, but we can certainly help pay for some of it.

I am thinking of advertising my business with the AMHRC here in Australia. Lord knows I need the work ... my butler is still complaining about the GFC.

[AMHRC]

Ok table number two, has been booked. Osiris, would you like to have Isis, sitting to your left or right?

[osiris]

ne se igrai maytap so star choek georgi. isis ya ostaif vo egipet marilyn monroe ke sedi do mene.

[AMHRC]

ne se igrai maytap so star choek georgi. isis ya ostaif vo egipet marilyn monroe ke sedi do mene.

lol! Izvini.

[AMHRC]

Advertising

Risto,

When you come to our dinner in March, we can certainly talk about advertising - along with other issues like marketing, Bratot's good suggestion of EMHRC, cementing the MTO and AMHRC relationship and much more.


Cheers,

AMHRC.