Are Albanian blood feuds legal?

These blood feuds are part of an ancient Albanian code of justice that obliges murder to be repaid with murder. Many of those involved in the feuds, including children or teenagers born into feuding families, are only safe from retaliation killings inside their homes. To step outside is to risk your life.

Do vendettas still exist?

Regardless of this, the Maniot Greeks still practice vendettas even today. Maniots in America, Australia, Canada and Corsica still have on-going vendettas which have led to the creation of mafia families known as “Γδικιωμέοι” (Gdikiomeoi).

Who codified the Ottoman laws?

The kanuns of Selim I (reigned 1512–20) and Süleyman I (reigned 1520–66), called Kanuni (“Law Giver”), were known for their political wisdom.

Why is Kanun important?

The first two centuries of Ottoman rule, from 1350 to 1550, saw an explosion of kanun rulings and laws, so that by the beginning of the sixteenth century, the kanun were a complete and independent set of laws that by and large were more important than the Shari’ah .

What was an Anglo-Saxon blood feud?

Avenging the Wrongful Death of a person’s kin by killing the murderer or by receiving compensation from the murderer’s possessions. In Anglo-Saxon law, the amount of compensation, called angylde, was fixed at law and varied with the status of the person killed. …

Is Britain Anglo-Saxon?

The Anglo-Saxons were a cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. Historically, the Anglo-Saxon period denotes the period in Britain between about 450 and 1066, after their initial settlement and up until the Norman Conquest.

What is the Albanian tradition of blood feuds?

In Albania, tradition states that blood must flow to make amends for a crime. Nearly 1,000 families there may be living in hiding to protect children, the main targets of blood feuds. According to the Kanun — Albania’s civil and penal code dating back to the 15th century — a murder must be avenged by the death of a man from the murderer’s family.

Why are there so many families living in hiding in Albania?

Nearly 1,000 families there may be living in hiding to protect children, the main targets of blood feuds. According to the Kanun — Albania’s civil and penal code dating back to the 15th century — a murder must be avenged by the death of a man from the murderer’s family. The only restriction is that the victim must not be killed at home.

Is the Kanun system still used in Albania?

The Kanun is still applied in the northern and central parts of Albania, and research from the British Embassy in Tirana concluded that these blood feuds are “largely restricted to remote pockets in the mountain north of the country.”

How has covid-19 affected Albania’s tradition of revenge killing?

In recent months, the COVID-19 pandemic has swiftly halted daily life around the world and forced millions into isolation in their homes. The same fate has befallen hundreds of Albanians trapped inside, some for years on end, as a result of the region’s tradition of revenge killing.