Xhemail Mustafa

Xhemail Mustafa was a Kosovo journalist and prominent political advisor to Ibrahim Rugova, President of Kosovo.

History

Xhemail Mustafa was a political advisor of Ibrahim Rugova and a member of the Democratic League of Kosovo. He was shot dead by two unknown gunman in his apartment entrance stairwell in Pristina on 23 November 2000.
From 1997 to the time of his death, Mustafa was the senior media advisor to President Rugova, following a period as the spokesperson for the Democratic League of Kosovo.
Mustafa had long been an advocate of non-violent dissent. At the time of his assassination, he had recently written newspaper columns denouncing the criminal violence in Kosovo that had arisen following the 1999 cessation of hostilities in the Kosovo War.
Mustafa's assassination occurred a month after the Democratic League of Kosovo had won the largest share of votes in the municipal elections, resulting in the removal from office of members of three rival political parties formed from the Kosovo Liberation Army. Mustafa's assassination was the third such murder in two months, following the killings, by the same method, of a prominent Albanian architect and a prominent Albanian journalist.
In 2012, it was reported that authorities were close to arresting Mustafa's assassins, who were identified as a legislative member and a police officer.

Remembrance

In Mustafa's honour, a primary school just steps from where he died bears his name.
On the 22nd anniversary of his assassination,the President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani.She said:
He was the voice of the truth during the dark days of our history, and hence, his assassination was a blow to our truth and its affirmation throughout the world.
Today, we remember most piously the figure of Xhemajl Mustafa, the wise, consistent, and patriotic man.
For a man of truth, the truth is needed, and for this reason alone, the perpetrators of this crime must be brought to face justice!"