The Honorable John F. Kerry Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
Dear Mr. Secretary:
We are writing to inform you of issues affecting United States citizens who have vested interests in the municipality of Himarra, Albania, and to express our concern about their long outstanding and unresolved problems regarding property rights.
Over 1500 US citizens of Himarrioton descent are disenfranchised of their rights to the ownership of their family properties which were confiscated in 1945 by the communist regime.
They have been attempting to claim their family properties since the end of the communist period without success due to the laws and policies of the Albanian government which a) fail to address ownership rights of pre-1945 landowners, b) fail to address the rights of owners who were forced to emigrate to the United States for economic or political reasons, and c) fail to address the rights of those with dual citizenship who have attempted to claim their properties as Albanian citizens.
These US citizens have turned to the United States government, the Albanian government, the Albanian judicial system, and to the European Court of Human Rights without success in resolving their issues. Further, because these are valuable coastal properties, they have been subject to theft, encroachment and illegal sale to third parties with little protection from the Albanian government.
We believe that it would be most helpful for the US Embassy in Tirana to conduct an assessment about what actions are being taken to persuade the Albanian government to restitute property in the Himarra municipality which rightfully belongs to individuals who are US citizens. Additionally, we urge the Embassy to investigate and intercede on the behalf of US citizens whose family properties are being seized, sold, and encroached upon illegally.
Moreover we wish to bring to your attention the deleterious consequences that the current laws and policies of the Albanian government are having on the local populace of Himarra and the aforementioned US citizens.
Albanian Land Law 7501 and its amendments effectively allows for the distribution of only 20% of the land of the Himarra municipality that was confiscated by the communist regime. It does not allow for the restitution of the family properties, Orthodox Church property or communal village property that was confiscated. Ex-communist party members allied with unscrupulous interests are now using the cover of the law to claim ownership of the remaining 80% of Himarra in a land grab of valuable coastal property eyed for touristic development. This has fueled rampant corruption and land conflicts between pre-1945 owners and those claiming their land. The perpetrators of this land grab believe that they can act with impunity as there has been limited international monitoring of developments or independent investigation of events.
Affected US citizens and the majority of the populace of the Himarra municipality have consistently protested any restitution that does not recognize pre-1945 rights of land ownership and which does not return all the land that was confiscated by the prior communist regime.
We strongly believe that it is in the best interests of the Republic of Albania as a UN member state, a NATO ally and a candidate for EU membership, to hold itself to the high standards of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in its respect for the rights of property ownership. We encourage the US Embassy in Tirana to address this issue with the new government of Prime Minister Edi Rama and encourage that government to exemplify bold leadership and take decisive steps to implement true property rights in Himarra based on full restitution of property.
We look forward to working with your office to discuss this issue further. Thank you for your time and consideration.
- See more at: http://himarriotonsociety.org/content/news/hsa-addresses-himarra-property-issues-us-state-department-ambassador#sthash.uXioqvxo.dpuf