On April 2, 1981, demonstrations took place across Kosovo, spreading to many villages and major cities. Students were joined by elementary and high school pupils, professors, intellectuals, and workers. The primary demand of the demonstrators was: “Kosovo Republic.” Yugoslav army tanks entered Kosovo, while military and police forces from other republics guarded Kosovo’s key institutions. On April 2 and 3, 1981, several martyrs fell: in Pristina – Naser Hajrizi, Asllan Pireva, and Xhelal Maliqi; in Ferizaj – Rizah Matoshi and Sherif Frangu; in Vushtrri – Salih Zeka, Salih Abazi, and Ruzhdi Hyseni; in Mitrovica – Sokol Bajrami. The violent repression by Yugoslav military and police forces ignited the enduring struggle for freedom, national rights, and survival among Kosovo Albanians. The Albanian state supported the demonstrators’ call for “Kosovo Republic” and condemned the Yugoslav military-police violence against Albanians. (In photo: The April 2, 1981 demonstration in Pristina)
Text: Jusuf Buxhovi, Kosova: 1945–1999 – Vol. V, “Prograf,” Pristina, 2022, pp. 146–147.
Photo: © https://pashtriku.beepworld.de/
Graphic Processing: AHCF
