On Sunday, a group of citizens in Medvegjë, a municipality in southern Serbia with a significant Albanian population, held protests under the slogan “Give us back our address.” The protests come in response to concerns over the systematic removal of Albanian residents' addresses from official registries.
 |
| Albanians of the Presheva Valley protesting in Medvegja |
Nevzat Lutfiu, the Chairman of the Albanian National Council in Bujanoc, highlighted the seriousness of the issue, noting that Medvegjë has the highest number of citizens in Serbia who have had their addresses deleted, VOA reports.
"A municipality with a registered population of 6,360 residents has seen over 4,214 citizens' addresses deactivated. Is the international community aware that the majority of these people are Albanians from Medvegjë?" Lutfiu asked. He added that close to 4,000 people have been removed from voter lists in the past four years without their knowledge.
Lutfiu argued that this systematic discrimination has not prompted investigations by the European Union or the OSCE into what he describes as violations against Albanians in Medvegjë and the broader Presheva Valley.
"The international community is persistently promoting the establishment of an Association for Serb-majority municipalities in Kosovo, yet it turns a blind eye to the depopulation campaign led by official Belgrade in the Presheva Valley," Lutfiu said.
Albanian MP in the Serbian Parliament, Shaip Kamberi, noted that the discrimination is primarily based on ethnicity.
"This is happening, and it is the face of discrimination in the Western Balkans, most clearly seen in Medvegjë. Medvegjë has become a symbol of subtle ethnic cleansing against certain communities. Unfortunately, this is happening right under the EU’s watch," Kamberi stated. He emphasized the need for Albanians in the Presheva Valley to continue their political, institutional, and civic efforts to oppose the erasure of their addresses.
This marks the third protest in the past three months by Albanians in the Presheva Valley, who demand an end to the deactivation of their addresses, the re-establishment of the court in Presheva, adherence to political agreements, recognition of university degrees obtained in Kosovo, and greater institutional integration.
According to Serbia’s latest census, around 60,000 Albanians live in the Presheva Valley. Political representatives say that the situation in the region remains difficult, with no notable progress since the end of the 2001 conflict between Serbian government forces and Albanian insurgents who fought for increased rights for the Albanian community in the area.