The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani together with the Speaker of the Assembly, Glauk Konjufca and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Donika Gërvalla paid homage to the graves of the brothers Jusuf and Bardhosh Gërvalla in Dubovik, Deçan, on the occasion of the 42nd anniversary of their murder.

The president of the country, Vjosa Osmani, said that today they came together to commemorate the bravery, courage, and sacrifice of the brothers Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka, who became a symbol of our efforts for freedom.

She said that their contribution is a symbol of our efforts for freedom, for which she added that they remember with honor all their contribution and that of the thousands of boys and girls of Kosovo, who gave their lives so that today we can work for an independent Kosovo.

“January 17 is a day of great losses for the Albanian people, for Kosovo in particular. On this date 42 years ago, Jusuf and Bardosh Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka were killed in an assassination attempt in Germany, giving a great blow to the long efforts and great sacrifice of our people for freedom, but at the same time, reawakening the feeling of patriotism and sacrifice by millions, I would say Albanians everywhere, who for years then contributed to the freedom of Kosovo, which we enjoy today”, said Osmani.

Likewise, the Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Glauk Konjufca, said that the goal of the brothers Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka was to unite all illegal organizations that aimed at the freedom of the Albanian people.

Konjufca called them the forerunners of the Kosovo Liberation Army, while adding that the goals of the brothers Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka have great weight and importance for the history of Kosovo.

“They had two major goals which we must remember and which have great weight and importance for the history of Kosovo. First, they tried to unite all, to unite all the illegal organizations whose aim was the freedom of the Albanian people and to bring them into a single framework, into a single organization. And the second, that this freedom came through liberation, through the organized and armed effort of the people of Kosovo. These goals have continued throughout time and precisely for this reason I would call Jusuf and Bardhosh Gërvalla, as well as Kadri Zeka, as the forerunners of the Kosovo Liberation Army. In this sense, they have an extraordinary weight for the history of Kosovo and will always be remembered and honored”, said Konjufca.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and at the same time the daughter of Jusuf Gërvalla, Donika Gërvalla said that January 17 is one of the dates that we are constantly reminded that freedom was not easily won and that it did not come quickly.

She added that this date reminds us how valuable freedom is, and that according to her we know how to work and fight to protect and preserve it.

“I think that January 17 is one of the dates that constantly remind us that freedom was not won easily and that freedom did not come quickly. Moreover, January 17 and such important dates for the historical consciousness of Kosovo should remind us how valuable this freedom is and how much we have to work and how much we have to fight to protect, preserve, and make Kosovo a country that all those who sacrificed and were sacrificed for their country loved”, said Gërvalla.

January 17, 1982, is the day when the brothers Jusuf and Bardhosh Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka were killed in an assassination attempt.

The assassination of the two brothers Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka took place in Untergrupenbach, Germany. German state authorities have announced that unknown assassins have killed three Yugoslavs and that this was a new point in the secret war in which Yugoslav security agents and opponents of power are fighting each other.