- Gjakmarrja
In line with
Albania 's ancient social code known as "Kanuni i Lekë Dukagjinit " or simply "Kanun " (English: "The Code of Lekë Dukagjini"), someone is allowed to kill another person to avenge an earlier murder. Gjakmarrja or Hakmarrja (meaning "Blood feud" or "Revenge Killing") refers to this practice.According to some reports [http://judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/2004/J040860.yes.doc.htm] , there has been a revival of instances of Gjakmarrja, due to the lack of state control, since the collapse of communism, in remote parts of Albania (mainly in the North of the country) and rare occasions in
Kosovo . The AlbanianHelsinki Committee considers one reason for the pervasiveness of the blood feud to be the malfunction of the judicial structure.Ismet Elezi, a professor of law in
Tirana University , believes that in spite of the Kanun's endorsement for blood vengeance, there are strict rules on how this may be carried out, banning the revenge killings of women, children or elderly persons. [http://www.rferl.org/features/2001/10/12102001123602.asp "Albania: Blood Feuds -- Blood For Blood", in "Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty ", by Jolyon Naegele]The Albanian writer
Ismail Kadare considers Gjakmarrja to be not an exclusive Albanian characteristic, but a historical one of theBalkans as a whole [http://pajtimi.com/faqebrenda.php?newsID=40&lang=eng "This Blood Feud with Kalashnikov is Barbarian", byIsmail Kadare ] TheBrazil ian film "Abril Despedaçado" based on Kadare's novel "Broken April" deals with the subject of an ancestral blood feud between two landowning families. The storyline has been transplanted from rural Albania to the Brazilian badlands in 1910.References
* Diana Gellçi (2005): "GJAKMARRJA: Albanian Highlander's "Blood Feud" as Social Obligation", AIIS,
Tirana , AlbaniaExternal links
* [http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.pdf?tbl=RSDCOI&id=40290ae84 "Republic of Albania Country Report"] published by the Country Information & Policy Unit,
Immigration and Nationality Directorate , Home Office, United Kingdom
* [http://www.balkanpeace.org/index.php?index=article&articleid=9758 "Albanians Turn Against Each Other] , Associated Press, July 04 2000
* [http://judgments.fedcourt.gov.au/2004/J040860.yes.doc.htm An Albanian refugee casework against the Australian Ministry for Immigration & Multicultural & Indigenous Affairs]
* [http://www.actnow.com.au/Issues/Blood_feuds.aspx A good summary of Albanian blood feuds for young people] , ActNow, November 2005
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