Saturday March 28th is the seventh anniversary of the tragedy which took place in Otranto’s channel in March 1997. We are talking about the massacre of Albanian citizens who were embarked on the boat Kater i Rader. More than a hundren children, men and women died after an army navy boat clashed with this boat on which people were trying to flee away for a better life.
A trial was supposed lo verify the army boat responsabilities but this trial has always been delayed in this seven years. The victimes relatives and yhe Albanian-Italian association Skanderbeg say that it probably will never start.
The political atmosphere wasn’t very different back then, left wing government started back then its politics of zero tollerance towards migrant flows. What the navy vessel did showed the complete lack of integration and first services politics in Italy. The absence of truth and clarity on the fact proved the will of hiding the reasons of such a tragedy.
Seven years later the association Skanderbeg and the victims relatives propose that every year March 28th become the day of migrant citizens and of refugees and above all they ask, in a letter sent to Italian prime minister, to EU commission president and to Albanian prime minister, that trial starts without delays and distortions of facts.
We interviewed Krenar Xhavara, one of the 34 survivors. Krenar lost back then seven of his relatives. We first of all asked him which is the answer they received to the letter.
Answer – We ask for the condemnation of the army vassel Sibilla which voluntarily clashed and hit children, women and senior citizens. We want the trial to be brought into act by an International court because we understood that otherwise things won’t change.
Question – Why do you think nothing has moved in seven years?
Answer – Because they well know what they did back in March 28th 1997. They killed those people who were embarked on the Albanian boat. They have to explain why they did it.
Question – You said that helps and aids arrived very late
Answer – Helps arrived very late because of how things happened and they didn’t want witnesses of the fact. We had many doubts: when we were taken to another boat we were afraid that we would have died, that we would be thrown in the sea not to be able to refer of what happened.
Question – What did you see?
Answer – The boat Sibilla followed us for some time, for about one hour and when it was dark it hit us.
Question – This happened in international sea.
Answer – We wanted the International court in Strasbourg to take care of the trial, but Albanian government is not strong enough to have his citizens’ dignity taken to an International court. We want that what happened in Otranto does not anymore happen to anyone.
Question – Were relatives at least compensated?
Answer – They obtained a compensation from extra-juridical law in 2002. They accepted a very law compensation and I believe that this sum is unfair because an Italian citizen, a German or an Albanian are not so little worthy. We saw that the Cermis case was much highly appraised. The life of a German citizen was considered 2 millions dollars worth. This shows prejudices on citizens of the world.
The Italian government proposed 35,000 Euro in case of loss off husband or wife and 4,500 Euro in case of a nephew. This is shameful! Many tired relatives eventually accepted this sum. They were cheated,they did not know that they had to stop being part of the trial and that they would not have obtained more.
Question – You ask for justice and truth, but you also propose that every year March 28th becomes a day dedicated to migrants and to refugees.
Answer – We thought to have this day become a symbol of all similar to ours massacres which happened in the world. Asking for justice means that crimes such this one will never anymore happen. We have to stick together against all the crimes migrant citizens suffer of.
