KFOR Shuts Down Albanian Newspaper, Arrests Publisher

Prishtina, August 9, (Kosovapress)

The general council of the Kosova Liberation Movement LKÇK has reacted strongly to the arrest in Gjilan of a member, Naim Demi. Mr. Demi was the council officer of Gjilan. In the written statement, it is claimed Mr. Demi was held for more than an hour and all the issues of the newspaper, Çlirimi, of number 77, were confiscated. The reason for its confiscation was given to be a reaction to the editorial written in that issue, entitled: "KFOR Tolarant with Serb Criminals and Tough with Albanians."

In the statement of LKCK, it demanded the return of the confiscated issues, KFOR answered negatively and threatened that "Çlirimi" will not be published in the district at all.

The act has caused the "indignation" of all members of LKCK and their supporters among the Kosovar population, because "it is an attack on the freedom of expression and Albanian rights to express their concerns in Kosova," noted the statement given to Kosovapress.

Çlirimi was the only newspaper in Kosova that has published illegally for the last six years, defying Serb oppression. The editorial board was consistently persecuted by Serb secret services and many members were killed over the years. The chief editors of the paper, Raif Çela and Avni Klinaku are still
in Serb prisons while the third chief editor, Bahri Fazliun was killed by Serb forces during the last Serb offensive. The newspaper was published during the war for liberation and represents a key symbol for all Kosovars in their resistance to Serb fascism.

The council of LKCK has demanded a public explanation for the actions taken.