In the cantonal hospital of Aargau in Switzerland, Jashar Salihu passed away from a serious illness. He was a prominent figure in the Kosovo liberation movement, hailed as a Hero of Kosovo. Born in the village of Botushë in Gjakova in 1953, he attended the Normal School in Gjakova and pursued studies in English language and literature at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Pristina. He worked for a time at the high school in Deçan. Following the demonstrations of 1981, he was arrested and sentenced to four years in prison. He continued his political activism even after his release from prison. He was involved in efforts for reconciliation and was the organizer and leader of the assembly at Verrat e Lukës on May 1, 1990. Towards the end of 1991 and the beginning of 1992, he was arrested twice and tortured by the Serbian police. In 1992, he migrated to Switzerland, where he joined the ranks of the Kosovo Popular Movement. With the establishment of the “Vendlindja thërret” (“The homeland calls”) fund in 1993, Jashar Salihu was elected chairman of the board for the administration of this fund. As part of the Political Directorate of the Kosovo Liberation Army, he was a member of the group for external relations. He also served as the first diplomatic representative of the Provisional Government of Kosovo in Switzerland. After June 1999, he returned to Kosovo, where he worked to raise international awareness of Serbian crimes in Kosovo. In 2013, he was decorated with the “Hero of Kosovo” medal. (In the photo: Jashar Salihu)
Text: The encyclopedic dictionary of Kosovo – Vol. II , Academy of Sciences and Arts of Kosovo, Prishtina, 2018, page 1472.
Photo: © https://www.facebook.com/104373801464156/photos/a.120316399869896/186329366601932/?type=3&locale=ms_MY
Graphic processing: AHCF
