T.C.-00:00 (Title) IN THE NAME OF KANUN
T.C.-00:02 In the mountains of northern Albania, honour is sometimes prized more highly than life. Here a centuries-old custom has survived: revenge killings.
T.C.-00:11 It's been years since Ahmet has left his house. He is paying the price for what his father did.
T.C.-00:17 AHMET GJUCI (18 Years old) „Ten years ago my father killed a man in a
fight at work.
T.C.-00:21 Since then, I haven't left the house because my life would be in danger.
T.C.-00:29 I live here with my grandmother and siblings.
T.C.-00:35 But I can't go out like everybody else."
T.C.-00:39 Ahmet doesn't go to school anymore. A volunteer teacher visits him frequently. On today's schedule: Physics.
T.C.-00:50 The house is a sanctuary that the victim's family also respects. Only here is the 18 years old Ahmet safe. A teenage life spent in this home, which is effectively a prison.
T.C.-01:05 For now, there's no hope for reconciliation, other than his own death. But he hasn't felt alive for a long time anyway.
T.C.-01:10 „I would like to go out, meet friends or play soccer
T.C.-01:15 and see the world beyond these four walls.
T.C.-01:20 I'm tired and sad, so sad, that I can't stay here any longer"
T.C.-01:25 Blood must be re-paid with blood. Those are the rules of the so-called Kanun, the traditional law of Albania, the origins of which date from the 15th century.
T.C.-01:33 The Kanun provides a parallel system of justice based on honour, guilt and mercy.
T.C.-01:40 It also promotes things like hospitality and loyalty, but its interpretation has been distorted and many still invoke it as an excuse to kill.
T.C.-01:49 IZMET ELEZI (Expert on Kanun): „The truth is that the Kanun has a very detailed and explicit set of rules.
T.C.-01:59 An important rule is that blood revenge only concerns the murderer,
T.C.-02:05 which means that only the killer can be killed.
T.C.-02:08That's the way it was, so family members were not in danger. Since then, this rule has been changed.
T.C.-02:14 Now blood revenge can also be exacted on family members."
T.C.-02:19 Around 3,000 families are involved in blood feuds in Albania. Since the collapse of communism, 10,000 lives have been claimed. The family of Xhafer Bruci also once wanted revenge. 90 years ago, his grandfather was killed. The quarrel was about property, a major source of tension in these parts.
T.C.-02:40 Today Xhafer is receiving a visit by a mediator. Pashk Lleshi is a member of the National Reconciliation Committee. He's trying to negotiate between the quarreling families
T.C.-02:53 PASHK LLESHI (Mediator): Tell me what happened after your grandfather was killed.
T.C.-03:00 XHAFER BRUCI: "Back then, my family was big. My two uncles and my father, were the right age to take revenge.
T.C.-03:12 They tried repeatedly to kill a member of the other family, they were chasing him but they didn't manage it.
T.C.-03:18 The bullet almost got him but missed. He survived and got away.
T.C.-03:22 They were confined to the house for many years, which made it impossible for them to try again."
T.C-03:34 In theory, a civil court would be in charge of the issue, but trust in the justice system is very low.
T.C-03:40 PASHK LLESHI The dysfunctional relation between police, courts and prosecution, helped Kanun a lot.
T.C-03:52 It's why people here trust Kanun more than the law.
T.C-03:55 It is better for the people and the community, especially those who are in blood feuds
T.C-04:01 They would rather a missionary or a wise elder, as in the past, than the police or courts.
T.C-04:10 Mediator Pashk is on another mission of reconciliation. Two quarreling families have gathered on neutral ground, 15 years after one of them killed a man during a fight. The relatives of the victim want to end the feud.
T.C-04:21 "I thank God who gave us the possibility to gather today for this reconciliation.
T.C-04:28 Everything good thing comes from God, as does this reconciliation
T.C-04:36 Bad things came to us, and we have been waiting for good days, good news.
T.C-04:44 This is a big achievement for us, a miracle.
T.C-04:50 The family of the perpetrator has been in hiding for years.
T.C-04:55 What's done is done. I thank you very much, what happened was unexpected, I wish it hadn't.
T.C-05:11 Now come and shake hands again, you two.
T.C-05:15 The handshake seals the reconciliation, after which both parties sign a contract. A 15-year long fight to the death over honour has come to an end, and the family of the killer are finally able to leave their homes without risking their lives.
T.C-05:44 We return to 18-year-old Ahmet. Afraid of being murdered, he cannot work. It is his grandmother who has to provide for the family.
T.C-05:33 BARDA GJUCI (Grandmother of Ahmet): All night long, I lie awake and sleep very little.
T.C-05:58 I move from the door to the window to look outside, to see if somebody is coming to our house.
T.C-06:03 We would really like to leave this place but they won't let us sell the house.
T.C-06:07 They threaten all the potential buyers: Don't buy the house, otherwise you'll be in big trouble!
T.C-06:14 So we stay.
T.C-06:17 I don't know what we're waiting for. There is no hope, there is no future for us. T.C-06:22 If I die tomorrow it's all over for these children.
T.C-06:25 In Albania, 800 youngsters are living in isolation because of blood feuds, prisoners in their own homes. A figure that is disputed by the Albanian Government, which recently applied for the EU membership and wants to project a modern image.