Konstantinos Katsifas shot dead by Albanian Police

[Filikieteria1821]

https://greece.greekreporter.com/201...fired-at-them/

A 35-year-old Greek, named Konstantinos Katsifas, was shot dead by the Albanian ”Rinea” special forces near the village Bularat (Vouliarates) in Albania’s northern Epirus region, 6 kilometers (4 miles) from the Greek-Albanian border.

According to Albania’s Top-channel portal, the 35-year-old used a Kalashnikov to shoot toward the Albanian police forces who removed the flag following the ”OXI Day” celebrations in the village.

According to a statement issued by the Albanian police, when Katsifas was found, he denied surrendering and started shooting toward the policemen, who, in return, shot him dead.

Konstantinos Katsifas was an ethnic Greek who was born in the village of Bularat but was currently living in the Greek capital of Athens, according to Associated Press.

Katsifas recently posted on his personal account on Facebook a picture of himself, calling ”all the Greeks of Northern Epirus to send a message in all directions during the celebrations of ‘OXI Day’ on October 28”.

The Albanian Police posted a picture of the cars that Katsifas allegedly shot during their efforts to arrest him, before he ran to escape in the nearby mountainous area.

The Greek Foreign Ministry, in a statement issued on Sunday evening, expressed its condemnation and stated that ”it is unacceptable that the operation led to the death of the Greek citizen” and demanded from the Albanian authorities to clarify the exact circumstances under which the fatal incident took place.

[Filikieteria1821]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3VfM4B81Yc


CIA report for 1994 states Northern Epirus could have been annexed by Greece due to the Greek minorities poor treatment.

[RED SHERIFF]

The CIA report is rubbish...Greece has not been interested in expansion since 1950

[Filikieteria1821]

Interest and actually doing are two different things. Really the last time Greece was seriously interested in expansion was 1974, and it was handled beyond poorly with the junta.

Could Greeks of Northern Epirus demanded reunification, I would think so, but that does not mean Greece would have necessarily gone through with it.

Greece still had some balls back in the 90's, fast forward to today and you can say there's not even an a smidgen of expansionist talk from Greek leadership.

[Filikieteria1821]

Full CIA report here https://greece.greekreporter.com/fil...0005657435.pdf

I'd also like to add that Albania is trying to get rid of the Greek minority in Himara through the disguise of "oh we need these greek owned houses/lands to improve our tourist outlook"

[Reaper]

I actually believe a king like George I was actually hugely instrumental behind the scenes (and openly) increasing Hellas's expansions. Sometimes you need a figurehead like that. Since his assassination Hellas has been haemorrhaging land - which suits the Greek left because they don't believe Greeks exist anyway as a people..

[Don Giovanni]

This guy is my new hero:

Kotsifas was blamed by some Albanians who live in the region for putting a large number of Greek flags all around the village.

[Soprano76]

Great photo, is that of Katsifa?

While I ultimately support enosi with Voreio Ipiro (and Kypro, Mikra Asia, Pontos, etc..), I am resigned to the fact that these are pipe-dreams

[Don Giovanni]

Given the recent protests over cops executing minorities, what about Kostas Katsifas' death at the hands of Albanian police and special forces? Shouldn't his death be revisited?

The prime minister of Albania declared him an "extremist," but there a serious questions surrounding the circumstances of his death.

Granted, there is video showing Kosta recklessly firing an AK-47 on the streets inside his village, but originally he was firing his gun in the air in celebration of Oxi day, which isn't all that unusual in and of itself. In Greece and Albania, as is the case elsewhere, a number of celebrations, from marriages to national independence, are celebrated with fireworks or gun fire shot up in the air. Why this led to a confrontation with Albanian police has never been clarified. There was a claim made initially, later proven false, that Kosta was firing his gun at the police who had taken down a Greek flag.

Whats more, Albanian authorities made it impossible to conduct an independent autopsy because of how they sowed up his wounds, washed his body, and only allowed the Greek examiner five minutes with the body. This leaves the possibility that the Albanian authorities may be hiding something. The suspicion is that Kosta was executed, although it should be said that the examiner felt he could determine that Kosta wasn't executed from close range.

Albanian authorities tried to make the case that Kosta had committed suicide by cop. Personally, it's pretty apparent police escalated the circumstances that led to his death, and although I don't think he should have fired on them, there are questions to be raised about whether the police and special forces actually did make it possible for him to surrender.

His death isn't the only one to raise legitimate concerns for the safety of Albania's Greek minorities. Several years earlier Aristotelis Goumas was murdered in cold blood by a gang of youths who were terrorizing residents of Himara for speaking Greek. His death is said to have culminated from to the antagonism of Greek minorities by politicians in Albania. It's perhaps safe to say that antagonism, and that event, inspired Katsifas to proudly display his heritage.

Finally, Turkey and Albania are actively bringing in Muslim "refugees" and placing them into areas with Greek minorities in the hopes of altering demographics in these areas as well as to destabilize Greece's northern border with Albania--as they are already doing at Evros and in the Aegean.