Written by: Xhavit Haliti
Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the passing of Berit Backer, a great friend of Albanians, who holds a special place in the early history of international solidarity with Kosovo. I was fortunate enough to know her personally during the years 1987–1988, in the context of the expansion of LPK's activity in emigration, specifically in Norway, at a time when the Kosovo issue was still far from structured international attention.
Its contribution to Kosovo during the 80s and early 90s was extraordinary. Its commitment intensified especially after the establishment of cooperation with the LPK, immediately after the First General Meeting of the LPK in 1987, marking a new phase in the efforts to internationalize the Kosovo issue.
Thanks to her insistence, authority and professional integrity, the Norwegian Helsinki Committee became the first Western organization to include the Kosovo issue on its official agenda. This was a significant historical moment, as for the first time, engagement with Kosovo was institutionalized within a Western organization with real influence on the international human rights discourse.
In this context, in 1988, Berit Backer, together with her close associates, Kristoffer Gjøtterud, vice-chairman of the Norwegian Helsinki Committee, and Nufri Lekën, member of the General Council of the LPK, founded the Kosovo Group within the Norwegian Helsinki Committee. With the full support of the Committee, this group quickly became a key platform for international activity in support of Kosovo, creating sustainable bridges of communication between the political and social structures of Kosovo and Western institutions.
The Kosovo Group undertook a number of initiatives of strategic importance, including: before the fall of the Berlin Wall, it encouraged and supported the travel of the first fact-finding delegation on the human rights situation in Kosovo; organized the first visit of a political delegation from Kosovo to the West, headed by Ibrahim Rugova, to Oslo in February 1990; and prepared visits and programs for the Delegation of the Kosovo Assembly to several Western countries, immediately after the proclamation of the Declaration of 2 July 1990. In addition, the group encouraged and supported the creation of the first nuclei of civil society in Kosovo and Albania. In particular, Berit Backer provided valuable advice to key figures on the Kosovo political spectrum, including Adem Demaç, Ibrahim Rugova and others, contributing to the shaping of a strategic approach to the political resistance of Kosovo Albanians, based on a long-term vision and international legitimacy.
Berit Backer's contribution remains eternal in the history of the struggle for Kosovo's freedom. She represents a rare example of principled international solidarity in a period when Kosovo lacked the support of "foreigners" and when there was a vital need for independent, professional and credible voices to inform and convince Western political and diplomatic chancelleries about the difficult political and social reality in Kosovo.
Glory to her memory.
t7 live
