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Outraged mourners honor Albanian riot victim
Parliament considers emergency rule as protesters burn government offices
February 11, 1997
Web posted at: 2:30 p.m. EST (1930 GMT)In this story:
- 'Police killed him'
- Government considers troops
- Protests elsewhere in Albania
- Related stories and sites
VLORA, Albania (CNN) -- Tens of thousands of mourners poured through the Albanian port of Vlora on Tuesday in an explosion of outrage after the funeral of an anti-government demonstrator killed in clashes with police.
Artur Rustemi was one of three people to die in two days of clashes between police and protesters who blame President Sali Berisha for the loss of their life savings in failed pyramid investment schemes.
'Police killed him'
Rustemi, who owned a small store, died Monday after a bullet pierced his collarbone and lodged in his lung. "Police killed him," wept his wife, Donika, 23. "He did nothing but ask for his own money."
"The police killed him! We will take revenge!" the crowd chanted Tuesday. Police were not to be seen as protesters swarmed across the port and torched the local offices of Berisha's ruling Democratic Party, sending smoke over the crowd of angry mourners.
Rustemi's open coffin was preceded by three black-and-red national flags at half mast. Held aloft were two portraits of Rustemi, a father of two in his early 30s who had invested his savings in the pyramid schemes.
Government considers troops
Albania's leadership says the unrest is part of a plot by leftist extremists. In the capital Tirana, parliament was to study an appeal by Prime Minister Aleksander Meksi to introduce emergency rule in Vlora, 90 miles (150 km) to the south.
"We want to take extraordinary measures to prevent deterioration in Vlora," said Meksi, who wants to send army troops. Two trucks of soldiers armed with Kalashnikov rifles stood by on a bridge 10 miles north of town.
Opposition leaders in parliament say the government seeks to use the unrest to establish a police state.
"Peaceful protest and dialog have to be combined to find the right solution, which for us is the resignation of a corrupt government," said Albanian Socialist Party leader Rexhep Mejdani.
Some opposition politicians accuse the party of using proceeds from the investment funds to finance their re- election campaign last year. Western observers have criticized the election as unfair.
Protests elsewhere in Albania
"Berisha is filling our cemeteries!" cried mourners in Vlora, clapping in unison. The crowd was swelled by thousands of residents persuaded to leave balconies overlooking the route and join in Rustemi's funeral march.
The other victim of Monday's street battles, who died of heart failure, was being buried later in the day. About 150 people were injured in two days of clashes in the port.
In Tirana, about 150 protesters staged a brief protest in a central square, shouting "Vlora! Vlora!" before scattering to evade riot police. About 2,000 people gathered for a second straight day in the southern city of Gjirokaster.
Opposition attempts to stage rallies in the capital have been broken up for two successive weekends by riot police.
The opposition Forum for Democracy has urged residents instead to shut down schools and shops for two hours each day and called another rally for Wednesday. But the government has issued a fresh ban on the gathering.
Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Balkans troubled by 'economic desperation' - January 31, 1997
- Albanian military called to action in protests - January 27, 1997
- Albania OK's military guard as violence escalates - January 26, 1997
- Albanian scam victims riot, turn on government - January 25, 1997
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