Co-Founder & Chief Editor
@revistashota
. SEE Studies
@UniGraz
&
@CSEESGraz
. I like to make grown men cry & teach little girls to not take shit from anyone.
21 years ago today there were fireworks all over Tirana. I remember asking my mom: “Why are we celebrating as if it’s New Year’s Eve again?” She would reply: “Kosovo’s liberated! The war is over!”
I am writing this text in tears because my closest friend is lying in the hospital in Tirana right now, waiting to undergo surgery after a homophobic attack. He was beaten severely by three homophobes who believe that they have a right to decide who gets to exist and who doesn’t.
Massive protests continue uninterruptedly in
#Serbia
against election fraud, state capture and Vucic’s authoritarian regime. It’s the moment for the
#EU
to change its course towards Serbia and stand by the people protesting instead of continuing with a politics of appeasement.
Prishtina & Belgrade 2022: “If at night you are scared of the darkness, we will set the city on fire.”
Women bear the potential to radically transform this region into a peaceful, safe, feminist and prosperous piece of land with our societies living together in sisterhood. ✊🏻🌹
I often see people on social media promoting Novak
#Djokovic
, apparently for his incredible talent and skills as a tennis player. Is Djokovic a great tennis player? He surely is—one of the best of our time. But he’s not only a tennis player. He’s also an ultranationalist. 🧵
On 1 and 2 April 1999,
#Serbian
police murdered 20
#Kosovo
#Albanian
women and children in
#Gjakov
ë, including Dren Caka’s mother and his three sister. Later he testified in front of the
#ICTY
. (1/2)
P.S.: Video from
#IRMCT
.
Nuk ekziston “marrëdhënia seksuale pa dëshirë”. Marrëdhënia seksuale kryhet VETËM me dëshirën dhe miratimin e palëve. Nëse mungon miratimi kemi të bëjmë me PËRDHUNIM. Gjithashtu, marrëdhënia seksuale përfshin vetëm persona të rritur, jo fëmijë.
Tirana protests in solidarity with Prishtina, against patriarchal violence, for the protection and safety of girls and women in the public space.
THE STREETS ARE OURS! ✊🏻
Prishtina, Tirana and Skopje are protesting today for the protection of girls and women. Can we expand the protest to Sarajevo, Podgorica and Belgrade as well? Patriarchal violence is a common problem. The feminist struggle for safety must overcome all borders. 🇽🇰 🇦🇱 🇲🇰 🇧🇦 🇲🇪 🇷🇸
“Nema predaje" over the territorial map of
#Kosova
covered in the Serbian flag means “There’s No Giving Up”. There’s no giving up to what? The genocidal approach towards Kosova? The ethnic cleansing of the
#Albanians
? The support of fascists in
#Serbian
institutions?!
83 years since the murder of Federico García Lorca, one of Spain’s most prominent intellectuals who despite the threat of a growing fascist movement in his country, refused to hide his leftist political views, or his homosexuality, while continuing his ascent as a writer.
Two days ago I got invited to a political TV broadcasting to speak about the media censorship and the political situation in the country. I was the only woman in the panel discussion.
Albanian refugee couple shares a kiss after having made it safe to
#Brindisi
. It’s 13 July 1990. Enver Hoxha’s regime of terror is crumbling. ❤️
Freedom is too sacred to make a compromise upon. May we bring all dictators and autocrats to the end they deserve. 🕊️
Gëzuar Ditën e Pavarësisë! Si e tillë, pavarësia nënkupton shkëputjen njëherë e mirë nga të gjitha format e dhunës dhe shtypjes. Ajo na takon të gjithëve, jo vetëm disave prej nesh.
Sarajevo 2019. I was there during the first Pride March in 🇧🇦. There were many inspiring moments that day but I preserve this one: citizens, many of them seniors, showing their support from the balconies of their homes. There is a future for the
#Balkans
and it’s a colorful one.
A protest was organized today in
#Tirana
, against Edi Rama’s government, following the latter’s approach towards the Republic of
#Kosovo
that many citizens in
#Albania
have deemed unfair, unconstitutional and unrepresentative of their political sentiments.
Nexhmije
#Hoxha
died today at the age of 99. She never got charged about any of the crimes that she committed against the Albanian population together with her husband, Enver Hoxha, one of the most loathsome
#dictators
in the world. All I can think of, is the lack of justice!
These images of military men with heavy guns & cars in the streets of Tirana today is very distressing to me. Why are they holding these guns? To whom are these guns pointed at? To us doing grocery shopping or waiting in line at the pharmacy? How will this help us fight
#COVID19
?
Të ishte Edi Rama kryeministër i Kosovës, jo veriun por Kosovën të gjithën e kishte dhënë me konçesion. Edi Rama nuk shqetësohet për mirëqenien e Kosovës. Për këtë, mjafton të vëreni sesi e ka katandisur Shqipërinë gjatë dhjetëvjeçarit të fundit.
Interesting to see how the far-right is trying to rehabilitate itself lately through female leading politicians. These women are nothing but aggressive enablers of patriarchal politics: division, hate, oppression and violence.
🇧🇦 For the first time a woman will have a seat in the tripartite presidency Presidency of Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Bosnian Serb separatist Željka Cvijanović is elected as the Serb member of BiH Presidency.
She's supported by Putin and is the right hand of Dodik.
The LGBTQ+ flag is unfurled in the Kosovar parliament as a sign of resistance and to reclaim a democratic space that is often used by several parliamentarians to spread homophobia and discrimination. 🏳️🌈 Të lumtë bre
@agon_rexhepi5
! 🩷
These are only some of the text messages I have received today, besides hundreds of threatening comments, full of hate and rape fantasy. These are the potential rapists and murderers out there. They are troubled by what the LGBTQ+ flag represents: a world free of hate & violence.
Today, Kremlin-aligned Bosnian Serb secessionist
@MiloradDodik
will continue the celebrations of the unconstitutional ‘Republika Srpska Day’ by holding a paramilitary parade glorifying the onset of the Bosnian Genocide.
• There will be many Kremlin fellow travellers in
They say that we—Balkan women—are strong. We are indeed strong but this strength is a trauma response. Instead I would prefer us being FREE and HAPPY. I am fucking exhausted from being strong!
I stand in solidarity with my fellow
#Albanians
in the
#UK
, protesting today in
#London
against the discrimination and xenophobia of the UK government targeting the
#Albanian
community and migrants in the 🇬🇧.
THE UK GOVERNMENT MUST APOLOGIZE!
TI KE MOTRA, NUK JE VETËM!
Muret e qytetit të Tiranës janë zgjuar sot me mesazhe denoncimi mbi dhunën seksuale dhe sistematike që ne si vajza dhe gra përjetojmë në Shqipëri.
Supremacia e Tiranës institucionale ndaj Prishtinës meriton të kritikohet si në Shqipëri po ashtu edhe në Kosovë. Prishtina nuk është koloni e Tiranës.
I am collecting and sending all these comments and text messages to the police. This is a threat. According to the Albanian law you get charged and punished for this.
I am translating into English what this man has written in the next tweet.
Please, follow the thread. 👇🏻
25 years ago today, students of the University of
#Prishtina
rose up against the
#Serbian
occupation of the university spaces and the structured violence against the Albanian students and academic staff.
Faleminderit
@SaraBogujevci
! Shkenca dhe teknologjia i kanë zgjeruar mundësitë tona dhe lirinë e pakompromis që gëzojmë, veçanërisht mbi trupat tanë. Kjo e drejtë nuk është çështje për debat. Le ta marrë vesh i madh e i vogël në shoqëritë tona.
Solidaritet! 🌹
Every 5th of May
#Albania
commemorates the Martyrs’ Day, dedicated to all those who died fighting against the German Nazi and Italian fascist invasion of the country.
Long live their memory and idealism! 🚩
So much for regional cooperation in the Balkans!
Jagos Stojanovic is the youth representative of Serbia at Regional Youth Cooperation Office - RYCO. I would like to know, is this also the stance of RYCO? That is a fascist flag. It incites nothing but ethnic hate.
Condemning the murdering of
#Israeli
civilians doesn't mean delegitimizing the
#Palestinian
cause or embracing the Israeli occupation of Palestine. An Israeli life is not worth less than a Palestinian one and vice versa.
This is as much inappropriate and stupid.
#Kosovo
is not
#Albania
. Kosovo is not
#Serbia
. Kosovo is Kosovo: an independent and sovereign republic which deserves to be treated as such with dignity and respect as any other state. Case closed!
32 years ago today Enver Hoxha’s statue was brought down by masses of people who rose up against one of the harshest Stalinist dictatorships in the world.
May we bring them all down!
In the middle of the pandemic, at 4:00 a.m. in the morning, while we are still in lockdown, Rama destroyed the national theater despite the two year resistance against the demolition of the building. This is his way of telling us how he’s above the law and above all of us.
Autoritetet nisën në orët e para të mëngjesit shembjen e Teatrit Kombëtar, ndërsa një grup aktivistësh kundërshtojnë me forcë prishjen e tij.
#Albania
#TeatriKombetar
I ran into the above picture on social media today. Somebody had sprayed the street near the Faculty of Social Sciences in Prishtina with that hateful message. That is not just a graffiti. It is not a “joke”. It’s a real THREAT and must be treated as such with all precautions.
I come from an Orthodox family though I am not religious myself. However, one of the things I appreciate the most while growing up in
#Albania
is that my grandmother, who was religious and would regularly take me with her to church, taught us how to celebrate other religions.
#Djokovic
is someone who uses his power position and platform to spread ethnic hate and ultranationalist propaganda. He enjoys the company of the kind of Milorad
#Dodik
and Milan
#Jolovic
, and even accepts awards from the
#RepublikaSrpska
entity within
#Bosnia
and Herzegovina.
Hate doesn’t just lie in words. It manifests in actions. We all bear a responsibility to NOT ALLOW hate to penetrate in our lives but especially OUR STATES bear the major responsibility to grant us safety.
I condemn in the strongest possible terms the violent attack on the Kosovo Police and express my full solidarity with the people of Kosovo.
The orchestrated attack on the legitimate police force is absolutely unacceptable whose perpetrators must be brought to justice. 1/
This is my friend Bislimi who’s behind bars since Friday together with my two other friends, Enriko and Frenklin, waiting to face trial tomorrow.
I’ve never been more proud of my friends. They motivate me and remind me of how important it is for us to not give up this fight!
The Prime Minister of
#Kosovo
has joined the Pride march yesterday in
#Prishtina
under the LGBTQ+ movement’s slogan: “I love you as you are”. This is an important step because it sets an example for the whole society in the approach towards the LGBTQ+ community.
Abortion is legal in the
#Balkans
. We might have different problems in our countries but a woman’s right to
#abort
is protected by the law. What we want to make sure of is for “americanization” to not stand a chance here. Don’t blame other nations for very typical 🇺🇸 problems. 🖕🏻
With the ruling, abortion is immediately illegal in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Missouri, North and South Dakota and Utah.
Wyoming, Mississippi, Idaho, Tennessee and Texas join w/in 30 days.
Feels like one giant step closer to balkanization.
To all the nationalists trying to bully me, sending me messages of threat and hate because I decided to wish Happy Independence Day with the Albanian national symbol of the eagle on the LGBTQ+ flag I say: boys, you're going to polish my shoes! 😘🖕🏻
Ngacmimi dhe përdhunimi i fëmijëve është pedofili, KRIM, jo “marrëdhënie pa dëshirë”. Si mund ta quani veten gazetarë kur raportoni raste të përdhunimit dhe pedofilisë?!
Ju nuk jeni gazetare por kontribues të mëtejshëm në ciklin e thellë të dhunës patriarkale në 🇦🇱 e 🇽🇰.
This toxic Balkan seed that needs to be uprooted once and for all. The “special armed police” of Republika Srpska that Milorad Dodik speaks of is nothing but his genocidal wet dream.
Kremlin-backed Bosnian Serb secessionist
@MiloradDodik
takes further steps towards de facto secession: he’ll withdraw judges from the BiH Constitutional Court & form a special armed police on the internal border between Republika Srpska & Federation of BiH.
ALARM
#TeleperformanceAlbania
in Durrës, one of the most affected cities from the
#earthquake
, is forcing the workers to go to the office to work while the building is unsafe.
By publishing such an article TEMA is abusing not only with my name & image but with the facts & the story itself. You are endorsing the violence girls & women face every day in our society.
So we will speak about this and you will listen to me!
According to yet another poll, Lëvizja Vetëvendosje (“Self-Determination Movement”), led by
@albinkurti
and currently in power in Kosovo, maintains a consistent level of support among the citizens of
#Kosovo
.
Why is that? A thread. 🧵
Using the term “ethnic cleansing” and talking about “complex situations” and “centuries-old hatreds” is like letting Milošević or any other genocide perpetrator win.
@AJEnglish
Serbia’s genocidal military will NEVER AGAIN set foot in
#Kosova
. 🖕🏻 It’s not the ‘90s anymore. Also, “keeping it good with both sides” type of EU diplomacy must end now. Enough is enough!
The majority of the girls who joined the protest yesterday where high school students. I am very impressed and happy from them being so bold and loud! We will continue to inspire each other and move ahead together step by step! ✊🏻
#SistersInBattle
There’s no justification for war. There’s no justification for bombing. There’s no justification for genocide, ethnic cleansing, torture, rape, forced displacement etc. which is what happened to Bosnians and Albanians in 🇽🇰 by Serbian forces. There, fixed it for you Djokovic. 🕊️
The
#EU
never imposed sanctions against Milorad Dodik or Aleksandar Vučić but it is imposing sanctions against
#Kosovo
for choosing to exercise its democratic legitimacy and sovereignty. In its very one-sided stance, the EU has finally chosen to side with fascists!
I would then think of the refugee kids who stayed in our building prior to that month, wondering if they ever made it safe back home... May you always be free dear
#Kosova
! May you prevail over every (external & internal) enemy that threatens your existence and well-being! 🇽🇰🇦🇱
We are told to be "good girls", to "behave", to never raise our voices, to never "disrespect" the men in our lives, our fathers, our brothers, our teachers, our partners, our leaders, only to discover that "good girls" end up in hell.
From calling female journalists “whores” during his time in Tirana’s municipality to further exposing his deep hatred and misogyny against female journalists in various other ways. This is Edi Rama—the appeased “artist and socialist leader” with Adidas sneakers.
A tall mural of a woman dressed in traditional clothes—a work commissioned by the Municipality of Tirana—faces the Ministry of Justice and bears witness of yet another protest against femicide in Tirana.
My favorite journalist in
#Albania
is my young friend Entenela! She’s the future of independent and bold
#journalism
, always there where things are happening, always politically correct, investigating, reporting, writing and bringing the news to the people. ❤️
The other guests were five middle-aged men one of whom dared to tell me live on TV while shouting at my face that “We respect you because you are beautiful!”; all of this while also touching my arm constantly in a patronizing manner.
Those portraying
#Hamas
as "revolutionary", "anti-colonial" and "liberation fighters" remind me of some Western Marxists who hailed
#EnverHoxha
for his "anti-imperalist" and "anti-capitalist" stance against the "evil West" in his iron dictatorship in
#Albania
. 😏
Today’s
#Albania
’s independence day. As I understand it, independence should stand for being liberated from all systems of oppression—patriarchy and nationalism included. Gëzuar! 😌🌈
The Ministry of Justice of Kosova presents some remarkable changes in its Penal Code:
1. The register of sexual offenders becomes public.
2. Virginity tests are deemed criminal.
3. The sentence against those engaging in sexual or domestic violence will include:
The moderator did not stop him. He laughed because he thought that the remark was funny. The other men did not speak a word. They stood there silently endorsing that sort of behavior.
33 years ago today, students in
#Albania
rose against one of the harshest dictatorships in the world, bringing to an end the hoxhaist regime.
This hopeful moment was later accompanied by a lot of pain and disappointment. Nevertheless, the idealism for a free society remains.
The Academy of Sciences entirely under Edi Rama’s control. What is currently happening in
#Albania
? Bear with me in this thread because it is important. 🧵
Edi Rama has announced that Albania will make the singing of the national anthem compulsory in schools. What should be made compulsory in schools is feminist and ecological education, not nationalism. 🙄
@direktorka93
Kosova is an independent and free state! 🇽🇰🇦🇱 Today we all celebrate Kosova’s freedom! If this pisses off nationalists like you, so be it! Milošević was a fascist and murderer who committed genocide and crimes against humanity. We spit fascists on the face and send them to hell!