[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 118 (Tuesday, September 10, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1273-E1274]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   IN HONOR OF AZEM HAJDARI: LEADER OF ALBANIA'S DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ELIOT L. ENGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 10, 2013

  Mr. ENGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Azem Hajdari, an 
Albanian democratic leader and parliamentarian who was assassinated in 
1998. Today, September 12, marks the 15th anniversary of his tragic 
death.
   Born in 1963 into a working class family, Azem Hajdari grew up in 
Albania's mountainous northern region of Bajram Curr. While he was a 
student in Tirana, Albania's capital, the collapse of the Soviet Union 
led to increased popular unrest in the communist states in Central and 
Eastern Europe. In Albania, thousands took to foreign embassies in an 
effort to escape the country. As political and social tensions 
continued to escalate, in December 1990, students began protests 
against their worsening living conditions.
   Azem Hajdari was committed to democratic change in Albania and 
quickly emerged as a leader of the student movement. The student 
demonstrations helped to precipitate the fall of the regime, and Azem 
then became one of the founders of the Democratic Party, the first non-
Communist political party in Albania since the Second World War. He 
became the Democratic Party's first chairman and was elected in 1991 to 
the Albanian parliament, where he championed democratic reforms.
   In 1997, Azem was shot inside the Albanian parliament and severely 
injured, yet he refused to be intimidated. He persisted in his mission 
to build democracy in Albania despite several additional attempts on 
his life. However, on September 12, 1998, Azem was murdered as he 
stepped out of his party's offices in Tirana.
   Azem Hajdari's death shocked the nation and he was posthumously 
recognized as a martyr for democracy. Through his words and actions, he 
taught the people of Albania that freedom is not given--it must be won, 
through struggle, determination, and faith.
   During the conflict in Kosova, Azem also supported the Kosova 
Freedom and Independence Movement. He was a close friend of Kosova's 
President Ibrahim Rugova and dedicated significant time and energy to 
the Kosovar cause.
   Today, Albania has made great strides. It has a vibrant political 
system and is a member of NATO, and Albanians are able to travel freely 
throughout Europe. Kosova also is a free and independent country, 
aspiring to join the European Union. Both Albania and Kosova are 
building strong democracies, just as Azem dreamed.
   Azem Hajdari has received many awards after his death, including 
Albania's ``Order of the Flag'' on what would have been his 50th 
birthday earlier this year, the ``Honor of the Nation'' award, and the 
``Gjergj Katriot Skenderbeu'' ("Skanderbeg's Order"), which was 
conferred by Albanian President Bujar Nishani and former presidents 
Alfred Moisiu and Bamir Topi.
   On the 15th anniversary of Azem Hajdari's untimely death, the 
Albanian people will once more honor a truly historic leader of 
Albania's democratic movement. On this day, September 12, Albanians 
from across the country and from around the world, including Albanian 
Kosovars, will gather to remember Azem and escort him to his final 
resting place in Tirana's Martyr's Cemetery.
   Mr. Speaker, Azem Hajdari was a stalwart champion of democratic 
values and hero to many Albanians. I respectfully ask that you and my 
other distinguished colleagues join me in recognizing Azem Hajdari for 
his historic contributions to building democracy in Albania.

[[Page E1274]]



                          ____________________