Dear Friends,
Following is an invitation from the students in
Kosova to the international community to
come to Pristina to be present during their next
large peaceful protest March 13.
International presence can help give nonviolent
protection to these courageous students
and can help educate ourselves about the situation
there. Please spread the word and
encourage any media contacts you have to go.
We at Peaceworkers plan to be present and in
conjunction with the students therem, will
organize a program for a week or so imediately
following the protest for international
people who would like to learn more about the
situation there. There are families in Pristina
who are offering hospitality to international
observers who can come.
There may be some financial support for travel
for students who would like to go.
Thanks for any other support you can give the
Kosova student nonviolent movement.
Let us know if you would like to join us or if
you would like further information.
Peace to you,
David Hartsough
To: SIUUP Recitiens <upsup@albanian.com>
Subject: Protests countinue
UNIVERSITY OF PRISHTINA
STUDENTS INDEPENDENT UNION
Tel&Fax: ++381 38 33 843
e-mail: upsup@albanian.com
Prishtina, February 13, 1998
Dear Madam / Sir,
We are pleased to inform You that the Students
Independent Union of the Albanian University of Prishtina, again on 13
March 1998 is going to organize peaceful, nonviolent, students' protests
with the intention to release with no conditions premises and university
room-space for delivering instructions in the Albanian language, as they
have been occupied by Serbian regime since 1991. As you already know, Students
Independent Union on 1 and 29 October 1997, and also on 30 December 1997,
organized peaceful students' protests and without any provocation by students,
Serbian police attacked with no prior warning in the most brutal way to
disperse the quiet protests during which the participators were arrested
and injured.
As You may know, in 1991, about 1,000 Albanian
professors and assistants and 200 administrative workers, adding to them
more than 27,000 Albanian students, were expelled by Serbian police forces
from their university buildings, after 21 years of successful work of the
University, only due to the fact that they were Albanians and studied in
their mother tongue - Albanian. However, the students and teachers, aided
by the Albanian population, have resisted this occupation and violence
by continuing their classes in extremely difficult conditions in private
houses.
This is the seventh academic year that the
University of Prishtina has worked outside is official buildings. Therefore,
the protests have the intention to have the official buildings released,
as they are the property of the University.
The peaceful protests will be organized and
kept under full control by the Students Union, which is a non-political
organization and the sole students organization at the University of Prishtina.
The Students Union has made the required preparations for the protests.
It will not allow involving of some political force or tendency in the
protests with any requests that are outside of our own ones. The Students
Union is determined to avoid the use of force, causing of conflict or any
physical excess.
Accordingly, we ask You, dear Sir, to send
some representatives of Yours to observe our peaceful protests, so that
they may inform You appropriately about our noble intention, to protect
and to realize peacefully our fundamental human and national rights for
studying freely in our mother tongue, that is guaranteed by international
covenants. We shall do our utmost to take care of your representatives
in these conditions.
We feel free to ask You to forward this information
to the ones You find it convenient to make their contribution to this action
of ours.
Your observation on our peaceful protests
would contribute much to avoid any
escalation for the situation otherwise tense
in Kosova.
Extending my great thanks to You in advance
for Your understanding,
I remain.
Sincerely Yours,
President
Bujar Dugolli
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SIUUP - STUDENTS INDEPENDENT UNION
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PRISHTINA
e-mail: upsup@albanian.com
Tel&Fax: ++381 38 33843
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* >> Students' Protests in
Kosova: http://www.alb-net.com
<< *
* >> University of Prishtina
page: http://www.uni-pr.edu
<< *
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PEACEWORKERS
721 Shrader St.
San Francisco, CA 94117 USA
Phone and fax 415-751-0302
email PEACEWORKERS@igc.apc.org
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Never doubt that a small group of committed citizens
can change the
world. Indeed, it's the only thing that
ever has...Margaret Mead
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