28 years after thousands of Albanian students marched in Prishtina for their right to education, the October 1, 1997 protest is remembered as a key moment in Kosovo’s fight for freedom and struggle against Serbian repression.
On the 28th anniversary of the student protests against the regime of former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, former students and civil society activists gathered at the Reporting House in Prishtina to reflect on the event.
Bujar Dugolli, one of the organisers and then-president of the students’ union at the University of Prishtina, recalled how the protest was more than just a fight for access to education.
“Many of us were also involved in the broader national movement. After the suppression of Kosovo’s autonomy, resistance was intensifying, and this march symbolised the beginning of active resistance,” Dugolli said.
Bujar Dugolli in the discussion panel at Reporting House, commemorating the 28th anniversary of the student protests in Prishtina. Photo: BIRN
Kosovo Albanians were expelled from their faculties in 1991 and one year later the Albanian language was banned in classrooms. By 1997, the students had endured a difficult six years, forced to hold their lectures in less than ideal conditions in private homes in Prishtina as Kosovo struggled to keep its education system afloat.
In September 1996, under the mediation of the Community of Sant’Egidio, Serbia’s President Slobodan Milosevic and Kosovo’s President Ibrahim Rugova reached an agreement allowing Albanian students to use proper school buildings.
“We knew Milosevic wasn’t interested in a real agreement—he just wanted to buy time to prolong the occupation,” Dugolli added.
A struggle for education and freedom
A general view showing the police chasing Albanian students who marched in the October 1, 1997 demonstration in Prishtina. Photo: EPA/Srdjan Suki
The October 1 protest is widely regarded as a turning point in Kosovo’s path toward independence. It marked the end of passive resistance and the beginning of a more active phase of defiance against Serbian rule.
In a statement commemorating the anniversary, Kosovo’s President Vjosa Osmani described the protests as a historic milestone: “The 1997 student protests were the herald of freedom. In 1997, Kosovo’s students rose up, not only for their rights, but for the dignity of an entire people.”
She added that every step taken by those students was an act of heroism, and every cry for justice was a call for freedom and independence.
“They had the power of voice, the courage of heart, and the belief that the future could not be built on fear, injustice, and terror.”
Students had planned a peaceful march from the Velania neighbourhood toward the University of Prishtina, demanding their right to attend classes in their own buildings. The march was met with violence and arrests by Serbian police.
Remzije Shahini- Hoxhaj, who participated in the protest as a student, recalled the emotional and physical challenges of that time.
“Our parents feared for our lives. There was a curfew at the time. Sometimes we had to sleep at friends’ homes because we couldn’t return safely,” she said.
Hoxhaj noted that students wore white clothes at the march to symbolise peace and wrote slogans in multiple languages “to ensure their message reached the international community.”
The discussion panel at Reporting House, commemorating the 28th anniversary of the student protests in Prishtina. Photo: BIRN
Driton Lajqi, another participant, described the oppressive atmosphere students lived in.
“Our everyday lives were occupied. The Serbian police and army were everywhere. To break that cycle, we had to risk everything—even death,” he said, adding, “this was not just a protest, it was a movement for Kosovo’s freedom.”
According to Lajqi, the student movement formed strategic partnerships with other resistance actors, including the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, and continued its activities well into April 1998.
Mihane Salihu Bala, now a civil society activist, was among the thousands of students who protested that day. Reflecting on the aftermath, she said: “Many students were beaten and injured. I understand the fear our parents had. Imagine having four or five children in the protest, not knowing if they’d return.”
She also paid tribute to the ordinary citizens of Prishtina for opening their homes to shelter students fleeing from police violence. “It was a collective act of courage and solidarity.”
She noted that even high school students participated in the protests, “parents couldn’t stop them from joining.”
Salihu Bala emphasised the importance of preserving the memory of the protests and documenting both the full scale of damage suffered by students and the wave of arrests.
“It was only 25 years later that I learned that my ribs had been fractured [from being beaten] during the protest.”