Who is Adem Demaçi?
Adem Demaçi was born on 1936 in Prishtina. He is a political activist and writer who spent 28 years in prisons of former Yugoslavia for standing against the inhumane treatment of the Albanians in Yugoslavia and his criticism to Tito s regime. He suffers three prison sentences: the first one during the 1958-1961 period, the second between 1964-1974, and the third in 1975-1990 period. While imprisoned, he is adopted by Amnesty International as a prisoner of conscience. In December 1991 he is awarded the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. The prize honors the name of the renowned Soviet scientist and disident Andrey Sakharov and was established by the European Parliament in December 1988 as a means of rewarding individualss or organizations who devote their lives to defending human rights and freedoms. During 1991-1996 Demaçi heads the Council for the Defense for Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) in Kosova. In 1993, the Club of University Rectors in Madrid awarded him the Special Priz