Nevzat Halili

Nevzat Halili (born September 15, 1946),[1] is a Macedonian politician and teacher of English. Halili was first elected to the Macedonian parliament in 1991 and is a member of the Party for Democratic Prosperity.[2][3][4] In an open letter to president Kiro Gligorov in 1993, Halili argued that the Albanians in Macedonia were discriminated against in the state administration and the public sector.[2] He was minister without portfolio in the second government of Branko Crvenkovski (1994-1998). During the 1990s, Halili was sentenced to prison for participation in demonstrations and preventing police officers from exercising their duty.[4]

Nevzat Halili
Born (1946-09-15) September 15, 1946
Poroj, PR Macedonia, Yugoslavia
OccupationTeacher
Known forAlbanian rights activist
Organizer of the Republic of Ilirida movement

In 2001, Halili joined the National Democratic Party established by Kastriot Haxhirexha and Xhezair Shaqiri ("Commander Hoxha"). He was later linked with several paramilitary organisations campaigning for the unification of Albanian-populated territories in the Balkans.[2] On 2 July 2002, the US state Department blocked the assets of Halili for providing leadership or material support to armed insurgents in the western Balkans.[5] This activity threatened international stabilisation efforts in the region. Halili was arrested in 2006 in Prishtina on suspicions of arms trafficking, but was released after eight months in custody.[2]

In January 1992, the Republic of Ilirida, a territorial entity, was self-proclaimed by Nevzat Halili and other Albanian activists in Struga. The republic would cover approximatively half of Macedonia's territory and aimed at uniting all Albanians under former Yugoslavia. Later on, the aim of the republic was that of favoring the federalization of Macedonia.[6]

On 19 September 2014, Halili read out a declaration of an "independent Republic of Ilirida" at Skanderbeg Square in Skopje to a few dozen ethnic Albanians.[7]

References
  1. United States Code. House, Office of the Law Revision Counsel. p. 739.
  2. Bechev, Dimitar. Historical Dictionary of the Republic of Macedonia. 4501 Forbes Boulevard, Suite 200, Lanham, Maryland 20706: Scarecrow Press, INC. p. 93. ISBN 978 0 8108 5565 6. Retrieved 2014-09-21.CS1 maint: location (link)
  3. Ramet, Sabrina P. Whose Democracy?: Nationalism, Religion, and the Doctrine of Collective Rights in Post-1989 Eastern Europe. 4720 Boston Way, Lanham, Maryland 20706: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, INC. p. 79. ISBN 0 8476 8324 9. Retrieved 2014-09-21.CS1 maint: location (link)
  4. Shea, John. Macedonia and Greece: The Struggle to Define a New Balkan Nation. Box 611, Jefferson, North Carolina 28640: McFarland & Company, Inc. p. 272. ISBN 0 7864 0228 8. Retrieved 2014-09-21.CS1 maint: location (link)
  5. The Evolution of Civil-Military Relations in South East Europe. p. 20. ISBN 978 3 7908 1572 6. Retrieved 2014-09-21.
  6. Janusz Bugajski (1995). Ethnic Politics in Eastern Europe: A Guide to Nationality Policies, Organizations, and Parties. M.E. Sharpe. pp. 116–. ISBN 978-0-7656-1911-2.
  7. Marusic, Sinisa Jakov (19 September 2014). "Albanians Declare 'Republic' in Macedonia". Balkaninsight. Retrieved 2014-09-21.
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