March 23–29, 1989
In Kosova, massive demonstrations were held to preserve the autonomy of the province. On March 23, when the Kosova Provincial Assembly voted the Serbian amendments under wild violence, the first massive demonstration broke out in Ferizaj, where 5,000 people clashed fiercely with the police. On the second day of the demonstrations in Ferizaj, 174 people were arrested. The demonstrations immediately spread to other cities of Kosova. There were clashes in Suharekë, Podujevë, Gjilan, Prizren, Prishtina, etc. In Kosova, a traffic ban was imposed, all schools up to the university were closed, market days were banned, etc. From March 23 to 28, when the Serbian parliament approved the amendments, 27 Albanian demonstrators were killed, hundreds more were injured and arrested. In the analyzes of the political forums of Yugoslavia and Serbia, the bloody events of March were described as hostile and counter-revolutionary. (In the photo: Moment from the massive demonstration.)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 1 , Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2008, page 446.
Photo: © Xhoxhi L., personal archive
Graphic processing: AHCF
