Ndreca’s attempt spread on international news
08/10/2012 00:00
Linda Rama: Between Family, Work and Albania’s Future 18/08 14:30
The images of Gjergj Ndreca are spread on the internet, followed by the
title: “The Albanian political prisoner sets himself on fire”, published
on several sites and blogs, even the prestigious “Washington Post”.
The extreme act of the 51-year-old has been depicted as the desperate act of a man that cannot find another way to make his voice be heard.
Ndreca is demanding an acceleration of the compensations for the victims of the former communist regime.
The protester is one of the 20 other prisoners who entered a hunger strikes in Tirana. Their request is to get paid with 2000 ALL for every day of prison. Skender Tufa confirmed that a second protester tried to do the same thing, although he had less body damage than Ndreca.
Around 100.000 Albanians were imprisoned, executed or sent to forced labour camps in Albania during the communist regime, explains the “Associated Press”. The members of the Political Prisoners in Albania claim that they have not received the adequate attention in the 20 years that followed the communist regime, and they say that their treatment is even more denigrating than before.
Ndreca, eternal rebel
The 51-year-old former political prisoner Gjergj Ndreca was sentenced in 1984 to 15 years in prison for attempting to evade the country.
He comes from Mirdita and his fellow strikers say that he had opposed the regime and tried to escape to Yugoslavia for a better life, but he was arrested. After several months under torture, he was sentenced to 15 years in prison, from which he served 6.
He served his time in the most notorious prisons of the communist era, such as Burrel, Spac and Qafe Bari, from where he was released after the fall of communism. Ndreca created a family after prison and now has four children. He has participated in many protests of through which the former political prisoners have demanded their rights.
His name became famous a few months earlier, when during a protest he punched the Democratic Party MP, Ilir Rusmali, accusing him of being an inquisitor. In has been in the front line of all protests, together with his old prison mate, Perikli Shqevi, who was arrested today by the police.
Ndreca was accompanied by the police during the protests and after his declarations against the Government and the Prime Minister. The constant protest of the former political prisoner was regarding the government’s failure to keep their promise and make the compensation payment.
The situation of the hunger strikers is still difficult on its 17th day. Their health situation has become more difficutl, while most of them have been obliged to abandon the strike and receive treatment at the hospital.
But after the medical treatment they have returned to the strike. Now they are even more determined in tehir goal, and warn that there will be others like Ndreca who will try to set them selves on fire.
“The government and the politicians must give an answer for our economic answers. We need the compensation money and we will continue this fight until the end. If they will not allow to burn ourselves here in this tent, we will do it in front of the state institutions”, one of them declared.
Top Channel
