REPUBLIC OF ALBANIA "CAMERIA" NATIONAL POLITICAL ASSOCIATION
MEMORANDUM
Tirana, November 15,1998
On the issue of the Albanians of Cameria who are currently living as emigrants in the Republic of Albania since 1944 the time when they were forcibly expelled by the Greek Chauvinists
Honorable Mr. President,
The June of this year marked the 54-th anniversary of the day when the last act of ethnic cleansing on the Albanian population of Cameria was carried out.
The violation and the terror exerted on the Albanian population of Cameria by the criminal bands of the Greek theocratic chauvinism led by the notorious greek general Napoleon Zerva, forced the cameria Albanians to flee from their ancient lands and to find refuge in the Republic of Albania.
Mass killings, on-going persecutions, the denial of every basic right it was entitled to as an ethnic people as well as the fact that Cameria was left unjustly under the greek yoke by Great Powers in 1913, made Cameria and its Albanian population victims of the first ethnic cleansing in Europe at the end of the Second World War. As concerns the extent of the effects it had, the Cam tragedy is one of the most painful TRAGEDIES of the Albanian nation.
The most painful act of this tragedy began on 27-th of June,1944 in the city of Paramithia, progressively engulfing the whole of Cameria, thus ending in March of 1945.
The afternoon of 27-th of June 1944, this black day in the history of the Albanian nation, marks the beginning of the massacres and crimes carried out by the Greek Chauvinists against the innocent and unprotected population of the area. Within one single day, 600 men, women and children including expectant mothers, were either killed, or slaughtered or baked alive. The crimes carried out were brutal and unheard of. Massacres took place in Parga on 28th of August 1944 where 200 people were killed, followed by Filat in September of 1944 to be followed by massacres in March 1945 in Vanar where hundreds of innocent people were executed.
The population was forcibly expelled from its own lands with a final balance of 2900 killed, and over 2400 dead persons who passed away while attempting to get Albania. More than 60 villages were rampaged and over 5800 houses were burnt and their properties were plundered.
The issue of Cameria and its population did not constitute an important priority for the Albanian Government during the communist dictatorship Era. With the overthrow of the communist dictatorship in 1991, this issue became part of the program of the majority of the newly-created parties and part of the program of the first democratic government.
In order to defend the issue of Cameria and its respective population, on 10-th of January 1991, the first pluralist association in Albania was founded under the name "Cameria" National Political Association. The solution of this great problem of the Albanian Nation formed part of its program.
"Cameria" Association as well as leaders of the Albanian State have appealed to the Greek Government and the Greek State to solve this problem which has been frozen for so many years, judging that the best way for solving this issue is the way of bilateral talks.
The Greek Government and its high officials have taken a denial stand to the issue or have simply kept silent in the best cases.
According to the official Greek stand, the muslim population of Cameria will not be allowed to return to Greece "because they have collaborated with the German occupiers during the Second World War and as such, they are considered as war criminals and are sentenced according to the greek laws" (K. Micotaqis, Tirana, May 1992).
We consider this "hypothesis" as untrue and fabricated. To consider the Cam population as "Criminals" at a time when they have shed their blood together with the Greeks for liberating Greece, is a political and diplomatic crime against Albanians.
The Cam population have not collaborated with any kind of occupiers, but are their VICTIMS.
If in Cameria were some "Collaborators" (a phenomenon characteristic of all the states that have been occupied during the Second World War), the number of the so-called "Collaborators" in Greece was 30.000 persons led by the Prime Minister, Ralisi.
No one is accusing them in Greece today. On the contrary, they have been rehabilitated after the general amnesty was passed.
It is an historical fact that Cams have taken part in the Greek resistance against its occupiers since 1942. A set of documents which testifies to this fact exists and no one can deny this.Documents of the German Reich exist, which testify to the fact that Napoleon Zerva, one of the main responsible persons of the genocide against the Cam population has been a collaborator of the German Gestapo.
A population of 35.000 people can not be held responsible, because according to the special political courts set up at the absence of the expelled Cams, 1930 persons have been sentenced according to the Greek laws.
This official Greek Stand does not do credit to the Greek Government, which has signed all the International Conventions on human rights, which is a member of the European Union, OSCE, Council of Europe, etc., while claiming at the same time that it is fighting for the protection of the human rights and the freedom of the individual.
THE CAM TRAGEDY IS GENOCIDE, ETHNIC CLEANSING, VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND THE FREEDOM OF THE INDIVIDUAL AS WELL AS A WAR ON A RELIGIOUS BASIS.
Honorable Mr. President,
We kindly ask you to exert your power based on your rights and your convictions, to remedy this great unjustice on behalf of the 4000 who have been killed and the other 150.000 who have been away from their ancestors' land for 54 years, without having a chance to see the graves of their parents, brothers and sisters and their childrens'.
WE DEMAND:
Restitution of the properties of the Cam population from the Greek Government.
The return of the Cam population to its ethnic lands and the recognition of all the rights of the ethnic minority in Greece, in the same way as the Albanian Government is recognising and respecting the rights of the Greek minority in Albania.
Indemnity of the proceeds resulting from the 54 year usage of the real estate of the Cam population from the Greek Government.
The Greek Government to Allow the free mobility of the Cam population to visit the graves of their cousins and their ethnic lands.
The Greek Government to recognise and issue greek citizenship to the Cam population who have never asked for dropping this citizenship, at a time when this constitutes an International Right which continues to be denied by the Greek Government.
In 1947 the same Memorandum has been sent to all the International forums by the Cam Antifascists Committee, but unfortunately such an appeal has not found a solution yet.
This Memorandum was approved unanimously by the National Assembly of the "Cameria" National Political Association on November 15,1998.
We express our deep conviction once again that You Mr. President, will do everything possible in your power to remedy this unjustice done to the Albanian population of Cameria.
We would like to express our greatest considerations and would like to thank you for your understanding.
The National Assembly of the "Cameria" National Political Association.
© 1998 "CAMERIA" NATIONAL POLITICAL ASSOCIATION Memorandum is printed here with permition of the "CAMERIA" organization. This is a legal document and cannot be copied completely or in-part without permition. For more information on the CAMERIA organization and the above document contact Mr. Lutfi Saqe
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