The Penepirotic Federation of America condemns the violent actions of Albanians in Premeti

PHOTO, DEMETRIOS KUTOULAS AND NICHOLAS GAGE

The Penepirotic Federation of America (POAKA) strongly condemns the brutal attack on a Greek Orthodox church in the city of Premetis in southern Albania, August 16, from mercenary thugs hired by the government and broke icons, crosses and beat believers who tried to defend unique Christian Church city.

"The attack on the Church of Our Lady, the morning after the day of the feast, revived bad memories of past efforts by government mechanisms outgoing Prime Minister Sali Berisha to harass, intimidate and brutalize origin Greek Orthodox Communities of Albania", said President of The Penepirotic Federation of America Demetrios Koutoulas. "Extreme behavior of municipal authorities in Premeti done with the consent of the Berisha government was outrageous and irresponsible behavior for a country seeking to join the European Union."

Mr. Koutoulas called on the Obama administration and the U.S. Congress to urge the Albanian government to return the church to the Orthodox Christians Premetis who honor and whose ancestors built it.

The church serves the Orthodox community in the region for decades, until 1967, when the Stalinist dictator Enver Hoxha banned by law all the manifestations of worship in the country and converted the church of the Virgin in Premeti a cultural center. After the collapse of communism in Albania in 1991, the Orthodox Church had been restored in the country again became Church It operated until August 16, 2013, where security forces hired by Mayor Gilberto Jace, stormed the church, beat priests and faithful, smashed icons and crosses and then the municipality announced the recovery of the building as a cultural center.

These actions were contrary to the Greek government, the Orthodox Church of Albania, political groups representing the Greeks in the country and human rights organizations in the region.

The Greek Foreign Minister Evangelos Venizelos sent a demarche to Tirana to protest the actions of municipal authorities Premetis and requesting the return of the church.

Archbishop Anastasios, the Primate of the Orthodox Church in Albania, described the violent actions in Premeti as an attack not only for the Orthodox Church, but also for Albania itself. "I wonder if we are in 2013, where we enjoy democracy and we hope to join the European Union or if we relive the nightmare of 1967 when an atheist party believed they could eradicate forever the religious faith of the Albanian people," he said in a statement about the incident.

The Omonia, the policy group representing the ethnic Greek minority in Albania, challenged the claims of the municipality of Premetis that moved under court order to return the church into a cultural center. "A questionable decision of the court can not be used as an excuse to allow some to desecrate such a violent manner a sacred space," said Omonia.

Organizations defending human rights in the region advised the Albanian authorities to end the occupation of the church and find another place for a cultural center.