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Gostivar

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Gostivar is a city in the Republic of Macedonia, located in the upper Polog region. It is one of the largest cities of the republic as it has a population of 116,107 and covers 1.341 square kilometers. Gostivar is an important city because it is connected to the cities of Tetovo, Skopje, Kičevo, Ohrid and Debar. The majority of the population in Gostivar have been and are still Albanians . According to the 2002 census, the population in the municipality of Gostivar, using the new territorial organization, is 55.56 percent Albanian and 29.42 percent Macedonian Slav; there are three Albanians for every Slav Macedonian.

Gostivar is also next to the village of Vrutok. In Vrutok, the Vardar river begins at an altitude of 683 meters from the base of the Šar Planina mountain. Vardar extends through Gostivar, cutting it in half, until it reaches the Aegean Sea.

Economy

Gostivar's past economic prosperity is undermined by today's poor state, with unemployment being a major factor. These economic hardships are largely attributed to the Macedonian government's lack of investments in Albanian populated areas.

Violence

On July 9 and 10, 1997, overzealous state police clashed with Albanian demonstrators. The actions of the police disregarded normal protocol and international law, specifically violating the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Wikisource: U.N. Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and the European Convention on Human Rights. Most of the protesters were peaceful, but the police found molotov cocktails in the bags carried by several demonstrators that were being arrested in the area around the police blockade. By 15:00 pm demonstrators were starting to throw stones on the police and were trying to break the blockade posted by the police on the main street which is leading directly to the city hall. At about 15:30 police man were shooting in the air to scare the demonstrators but some of the demonstrators started to shoot back to the police than begin the clash between the police and the demonstrators 2 or 3 of the protestors were shoot dead this information was not revealed by the government and 15 of the police man lightly injured.

Some of those arrested were immediately, publicly tortured, but the violence did not end once all the civilians who had taken part were arrested or had escaped.

Reaction

  • The government has acknowledged the use of excessive force
  • Furthermore it has suggested legal action against the officers involved - none so far has been taken
  • The Albanian community doubts the Macedonian government's seriousness in dealing with the officers * International support on this issue is exclusive to the Macedonian government
  • The Macedonian government attributes the violence against the police to Albanian extremists
  • The Albanian community attributes the deaths of the demonstrators to excessive force, random arrests, and abuse - both in prison and in public by the state police.

Flag Raising

Five months after the incident, elections in Gostivar brought the Democratic Party of Albanians to power. Newly-elected mayor Rufi Osmani made some immediate and important changes in the government. Osmani made sure the town hall's staff was reduced and more Albanians were hired. Signs were posted written in Albanian alongside the Macedonian (Slavonic) and Turkish language versions. When Osmani and the DPA raised the flags of Albania and Turky in the town halls of Gostivar and Tetovo, a controversy was sparked. Macedonian Slavs saw the move as a sign of disrespect and a step towards independence. Rufi Osmani justified the move by citing Article 48 of the republic's constitution which says that members of nationalities have a right to freely express their identity and national pride.

When the Ministry of the Interior ruled that the flag raising was illegal the DPA refused to comply. No one on either side took action until May of that year (1997 when vandals, most likely members of the Macedonian police, removed the flags and destroyed the flag pole. In response, on May 27 Rufi Osmani led an estimated 20,000 ethnic Albanians in a nationalist rally in central Gostivar. Albanian and Turkish flags were raised and Osmani appointed a civil guard to watch over the flags. As to whether the guards were armed, or whether they were just keeping watch is disputed.

When the local governments of Tetovo and Gostivar heard that the Macedonian Constitutional Court had ruled that the flag raising was illegal, they refused to recognize the court's decision because they did not believe that the flags violated the "sovereignty of the state". The situation seemed to cool down when a compromise was reached on July 8, at eleven o'clock by the national parliament's new Law on the Use of Foreign Flags. The Law on the Use of Foreign Flags allows state flags other than that of the republic to be raised at any time on private property and in front of town halls on state holidays. Unfortunately, this law was not sincere. Four hours after the law was passed, special forces acted in Tetovo and Gostivar. Covertly, they arrested key members of the DPA in Tetovo and Gostivar, including the Mayor of Gostivar Rufi Osmani, the Mayor of Tetovo Alajdin Demiri, the President of the Tetovo city council Vehbi Bexheti, spokesman for the DPA Ernat Fejzullahu, DPA activist Sevret Ceka, president of the Gostivar city council Refik Dauti, and Afet Thaçi, brother of DPA Vice President Menduh Thaçi. Telephone and electricity lines were cut, the flags were removed, and the town halls were once again vandalized.

In September the Skopje Court of Appeals sentenced Rufi Osmani to 13 years, and 8 months in prison for inciting national, racial and religious hatred, organizing armed resistance, and disobeying an order of the constitutional court. Refik Dauti was sentenced to three years in prison for disobeying an order of the constitutional court. On February 19 the Court of Appeals reduced Osmani's sentence to seven years and Dauti's to two years but considering the poor access to the case files, restricted lawyer consultations, and the court's refusal to accept witnesses on behalf of the defense, both men deserve new trials.

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