Pressure Grows in Kosovo to Explain Dehari Death

Mother, Father and Sister of Astrit Dehari at the homage in the center of Pristina | Photo: LVV

Lawyers, NGOs and politicians continued to pile pressure on Kosovo’s authorities to explain the circumstances by which a young opposition Vetevendosje activist died prison in Prizren, western Kosovo.

The death of Astrit Dehari on Saturday in the correctional facility in Prizren has made waves in the country, raising many disturbing questions, analysts, students, opposition representatives and his friends say.

Legal issues expert Kujtim Kerveshi on Facebook repeated opposition demands that Dehari’s death be investigated by foreign experts.

“Kosovo society does not and should no longer trust investigations of such cases by our institutions; they are not responsible or professional and are not independent of influences!” Kerveshi wrote, effectively blaming the state.

Lawyer Korab Sejdiu said many factors were to blame for Dehari’s premature death.

“The prosecutors are also guilty. Lately they have developed a habit of automatically seeking custody [for suspects] regardless of whether they think they can prove the crime … with evidence,” Sejdiu said.

Dastid Pallaska, a lawyer and political analyst, on Facebook submitted 15 questions that he said needed to be answered.

However, he also warned against hasty judgements. “We must resist the impulse to draw snap judgements about the causes and circumstances of this tragedy,” he said.

The chairman of Kosovo’s parliament, Kadri Veseli, has also called for clarification of the circumstances of the death of Dehari.

An NGO, Student Democracy, compared it to the many unexplained deaths of Kosovars in custody before the 1999 war in Kosovo, when the Serbian authorities governed the then province with a harsh hand.

“Yesterday’s case reminds us of the nonsensical deaths and murders that were committed by the Serbian criminals in prisons in Kosovo,” it said.

Kosovo’s prosecution office said it was already investigating his death, which the head of the Prizren prosecutor’s office described as “suspicious”.

The Dehari family has demanded that an independent forensics expert take part in the autopsy procedure.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, in the centre of Pristina, a ceremony took place in Dehari’s honour, while on Monday the same will take place in the Albanian capital, Tirana’s.

Dehari had been in detention since August, when he was arrested on suspicion of terrorism for allegedly throwing an explosive device in parliament in August.

The Dehari family has now lost two sons within only two years. Arbnor Dehari, the organizational secretary of Vetevendosje, died in 2014 having allegedly committed suicide.

Homage for Astrit Dehari in the center of Pristina | Photo: LVV