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DR. VJOSA OSMANI SADRIU
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO
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Full speech of the President of the Republic of Kosovo at the comemorative ceremony held for the well known activist Adem Demaçi

Honourable President of Albania, Mr. Ilir Meta,

Honourable leaders and institutional leaders and institutional representatives of Albanians wherever they live,

Honourable citizens of Kosovo,

Fellow compatriots,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Kosovo is in mourning for the last two days,

The Albanian world in sorrow.

Today, on July 28th, the Albanian nation is physically being separated by Adem Demaçi, a colossus, who lived in abstinence for a greater aim, for the liberty and independence of Kosovo.

Ksoovo and the whole Albanian world, is saying goodbye to Adem Demaci, an exceptional historic personality, with high intellectual, political, and national integrity.

The world is saying goodbye to the Mandela of Europe.

Adem Demaçi with all of his physical, mental, intellectual and moral being, lived for a single purpose:

Liberation of Kosovo from Yugoslavia and Serbia.

Adem Demaci sacrificed his youth, his talented soul, through spending 28 years in Yugoslav prisons, without succumbing or breaking even once.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The irony of fate and the magic of numbers show, that Adem Demaçi died the day before yesterday, on July 26th, leaving a huge emptiness in Kosovo’s history.

Of his 82 years, prior to the liberation of Kosovo, Adem Demaçi spent 26 years in handcuffs, for the love of fatherland.

He never succumbed for 28 years in handcuffs.

After his last release from prison, he lived for 28 years.

Today, on the 28th of July, he is being buried with highest national and state honours.

Adem Demaçi was and will remain our national conscience.

The symbol of resistance.

The number one prisoner of conscience in former Yugoslavia.

The number one prisoner of conscience in Europe.

 

From a longingly missed for 28 years, he became an inspiration for all future generations who followed and embraced the ideal of freedom and the path of liberation.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Adem Demaçi’s life time ideal was the unification of Albanians.

The main principle of his political philosophy was based on the fact that the first step towards freedom and liberation must be done by us ourselves.

For this reason, the occurrences of 1968, 1981 and 1989, were all Adem Demaçi.

Adem Demaçi was also the glorious war of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

 

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Citizens of Kosovo,

Through his resistance, Adem Demaçi became the symbol of philosophical, national and universal freedom.

He dedicated all stages of his life to realization of liberty.

His soul and his ideal were stronger than prison, the police, Serbian and Yugoslav armies.

Despite long imprisonments, he remained a great man with a noble soul.

A man who sacrificed for the liberty of his nation, Adem Demaci always radiated humanitarianism for his fellow human beings.

Love towards other nations.

Understanding and solidarity with those in danger.

Pardoning and reconciliation instead of revenge.

Peace and harmony between humans.

For his courage and his engagement for the freedom of thought, he was awarded the “Saharov” Prize  in 1991 by the European Parliament.

He honoured our nation.

We are proud and happy to have lived in the era of Adem Demaçi.

We are proud that our nation gave to humanity humanitarian profiles of highest level such as Adem Demaçi- the man who dedicated his whole life to freedom.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Adem Demaçi was the greatest anti conformist ever produced by our political thought, culture and history.

He was great when he spoke.

He was great even when he would berate you.

At the toughest moments in history he was the supporter, speaker and high political representative of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Adem Demaçi had gained the immunity of immortality, and that’s why he did not leave Prishtina even in the days when the crimes and the genocide of the Serbian army and  police forces were at its peak.

 

Adem Demaçi even after the liberation of Kosovo was an autonomous voice.

A colossus of free thinking.

Irreparable critic.

Adem Demaçi was as modest as he was elitist.

A through and through patriot with unlimited moral power.

 

Ladies and gentlemen,

The name, the life and the works of Adem Demaçi have been transformed into a symbol with universal values:

Physically imprisoned- spiritually free.

A dialectician in mind- unbreakable in character.

 

An opponent of tyranny – the voice of the weak.

Adem Demaçi with his sacrifice and dedication redefined the love for the fatherland and its freedom.

With his dissidence and stubbornness he pushed the boundaries laid by other dissidents of the world.

Adem Demaçi elevated the ideal of freedom to a point unreachable by anyone after him.

May the earth of Kosovo be light upon him.

Glory!

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