The activist of the Albanian cause, Adem Demaçi, has passed away at the age of 82.
The news of his death was given by the deputy speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Xhavit Haliti.
"Our teacher has passed away, the man who gave 28 years of his life in the Serbian casemates. He passed away, but his work will be exalted and remembered for as long as he lives", said Haliti, who was presiding over the session in which the dialogue with Serbia was being discussed.
After inviting the deputies for a minute of silence, the session was interrupted to continue tomorrow.
Demaç was known as the symbol of national resistance, also called the Mandela of the Balkans. He was born on February 26, 1936 in Pristina. He studied literature and law in Pristina, Belgrade and Skopje.
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Three years without Adem Demaç
In the 1950s, he published a number of short stories with social commentary in the magazine Jeta e Re, as well as his emblematic novel of 1958 entitled "Blood Snakes" about blood feuds in Kosovo and Albania. Literary creativity brought him fame.
Demaçi was first arrested for his opposition to the authoritarian government of Josip Broz Tito in 1958, serving three years in prison. He was imprisoned again in 1964-1974 and then 1975-1990. He was released from prison in 1990, marking a total of 28 years in prison.
After his release, he was chairman of the Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms (KMLDNJ) from 1991 to 1995. He also served as editor-in-chief of Zëri, a magazine based in Pristina, from 1991 to 1993. .
In 1991, he was awarded the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. In 1996, Demaçi returned to political life, becoming the head of the Parliamentary Party of Kosovo.
Two years later, he joined the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), serving as its political wing.
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A year without Adem Demaçi
In 1999, he resigned from the KLA after participating in peace talks in France criticizing the proposed agreement that did not guarantee Kosovo's independence.
In 2010 he was decorated with the "Hero of Kosovo" Order.
