Post by isisgoing on Apr 15, 2008 21:10:55 GMT -5
Kola Dedvukaj's plight
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Wednesday, April 09, 2008By Shannon
Kola Dedvukaj, a retired Chrysler worker and Farmington restaurateur, has been jailed in Montenegro since September 2006. Prosecutors in the former Yugoslavian republic said Dedvukaj and 13 other men - including three U.S. citizens - were plotting to overthrow the government.
Dedvukaj's family maintains his innocence, saying he was targeted because of his Albanian nationality.
His nephew George Dedivanaj, who owns three restaurants in Genesee County, is hoping to get help and attention for the case. He has put a link to the MySpace page on his downtown Flint restaurant's marquee.
GENESEE COUNTY - George Dedivanaj is advertising more than just the daily specials on the marquee of his downtown Flint restaurant.
Dedivanaj of Linden hopes the billboard will alert someone who can help end the plight of his uncle, Kola Dedvukaj, in Montenegro.
Dedvukaj, 59, a U.S. citizen from Farmington, has been jailed in the former Yugoslavian republic since Sept. 9, 2006, when he was arrested during a raid on his uncle's home there.
Dedivanaj owns the Mega Coney Island restaurants in Flint and Fenton and the Mega Classic Diner in Flint Township. The marquee of the restaurant on King Avenue has promoted a link to a MySpace page about Kola for about eight months.
"No one was helping, and I figure someone might (see the board) and come along and help us," Dedivanaj said.
He plans to put a similar message up at his Corunna Road restaurant. He hopes people will be inspired to contact their U.S. senators or representatives.
Nate Bailey, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Township, the congressman from Dedvukaj's area, said his office has sent letters to the Montenegrin government and the U.S. Embassy there to ensure the U.S. citizens in jail are being treated fairly.
"The first thing is we want to ensure they are being treated properly," he said. "We hope this will go through a fair trial process as speedily as possible."
The Montenegrin government has said Dedvukaj and 13 other Albanian family members, including two other U.S. citizens - Dedvukaj's cousin Rok Dedvukaj and Michigan resident Sokol Ivanaj - were plotting to overthrow the government.
No formal charges have been filed, family members said, but the Montenegrin government has said it can hold Kola Dedvukaj and the other prisoners indefinitely.
Family members said Dedvukaj was in the country to visit his sick uncle, who since has died, and to attend a wedding. They maintain his innocence, saying he was targeted because of his Albanian nationality.
"We're Albanian, and they are a minority there," said his son, Anton Dedvukaj. "This was the night before the election and the first time Albanians were expected to be voted into parliament."
Anton said his father was tortured and not fed or given his medication during his first few days in jail.
Kola Dedvukaj, a restaurant owner and retired Chrysler employee, is known among family and friends as a human rights activist, which may be why he was arrested. He has participated in peaceful protests on behalf of equality for Albanians, his son said.
While a trial has started for the 14 arrested men, Kola Dedvukaj's case has not been discussed. His son said the U.S. State Department and U.S. Embassy in Montenegro have been informed of the situation but have been unable to do anything. The family also has staged demonstrations in Washington, D.C., and New York.
"My dad is caught in a crack in the middle," Anton Dedvukaj said. "You're guilty until proven innocent.
"It's weird there. They don't have anything to support their claims."
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Wednesday, April 09, 2008By Shannon
Kola Dedvukaj, a retired Chrysler worker and Farmington restaurateur, has been jailed in Montenegro since September 2006. Prosecutors in the former Yugoslavian republic said Dedvukaj and 13 other men - including three U.S. citizens - were plotting to overthrow the government.
Dedvukaj's family maintains his innocence, saying he was targeted because of his Albanian nationality.
His nephew George Dedivanaj, who owns three restaurants in Genesee County, is hoping to get help and attention for the case. He has put a link to the MySpace page on his downtown Flint restaurant's marquee.
GENESEE COUNTY - George Dedivanaj is advertising more than just the daily specials on the marquee of his downtown Flint restaurant.
Dedivanaj of Linden hopes the billboard will alert someone who can help end the plight of his uncle, Kola Dedvukaj, in Montenegro.
Dedvukaj, 59, a U.S. citizen from Farmington, has been jailed in the former Yugoslavian republic since Sept. 9, 2006, when he was arrested during a raid on his uncle's home there.
Dedivanaj owns the Mega Coney Island restaurants in Flint and Fenton and the Mega Classic Diner in Flint Township. The marquee of the restaurant on King Avenue has promoted a link to a MySpace page about Kola for about eight months.
"No one was helping, and I figure someone might (see the board) and come along and help us," Dedivanaj said.
He plans to put a similar message up at his Corunna Road restaurant. He hopes people will be inspired to contact their U.S. senators or representatives.
Nate Bailey, a spokesman for U.S. Rep. Joe Knollenberg, R-Bloomfield Township, the congressman from Dedvukaj's area, said his office has sent letters to the Montenegrin government and the U.S. Embassy there to ensure the U.S. citizens in jail are being treated fairly.
"The first thing is we want to ensure they are being treated properly," he said. "We hope this will go through a fair trial process as speedily as possible."
The Montenegrin government has said Dedvukaj and 13 other Albanian family members, including two other U.S. citizens - Dedvukaj's cousin Rok Dedvukaj and Michigan resident Sokol Ivanaj - were plotting to overthrow the government.
No formal charges have been filed, family members said, but the Montenegrin government has said it can hold Kola Dedvukaj and the other prisoners indefinitely.
Family members said Dedvukaj was in the country to visit his sick uncle, who since has died, and to attend a wedding. They maintain his innocence, saying he was targeted because of his Albanian nationality.
"We're Albanian, and they are a minority there," said his son, Anton Dedvukaj. "This was the night before the election and the first time Albanians were expected to be voted into parliament."
Anton said his father was tortured and not fed or given his medication during his first few days in jail.
Kola Dedvukaj, a restaurant owner and retired Chrysler employee, is known among family and friends as a human rights activist, which may be why he was arrested. He has participated in peaceful protests on behalf of equality for Albanians, his son said.
While a trial has started for the 14 arrested men, Kola Dedvukaj's case has not been discussed. His son said the U.S. State Department and U.S. Embassy in Montenegro have been informed of the situation but have been unable to do anything. The family also has staged demonstrations in Washington, D.C., and New York.
"My dad is caught in a crack in the middle," Anton Dedvukaj said. "You're guilty until proven innocent.
"It's weird there. They don't have anything to support their claims."