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Kanuni i Lekė Dukagjinit (English: The Code of Lekė Dukagjini), or simply Kanuni, is a set of laws developed by Lekė Dukagjini and used mostly in northern Albania from the 15th century until the 20th century and revived recently after the fall of the communist regime in the early 1990s.
This set of laws was a customary one, passed down through the generations, and not codified and written down until the 19th century by Shtjefėn Gjeēov. Although Kanuni is attributed to the Albanian prince Lekė Dukagjini, the rules evolved over time as a way to bring laws and rule to these lands. The code was divided into several sections: Church, Family, Marriage, House, Livestock and Property, Work, Transfer of Property, Spoken Word, Honor, Damages, Law Regarding Crimes, Judicial Law, and Exemptions and Exceptions.
Some of the most infamous rules specified how murder was supposed to be handled, and it often led to blood feuds that lasted until all the men of the two involved families were killed. These rules have recently resurfaced in northern Albania, since people have lost faith in the powerless local government and police. There are organizations that try to mediate between feuding families and try to get them to "pardon the blood" (Albanian: me e fal gjakun), but often the only resort is for men of age to stay in their homes, which are considered a safe refuge by the Kanuni, or flee the country.
The only complete English translation is by Leonard Fox, published in 1989 (ISBN 0962214108).
See also
External links
- The criminal law in the "Kanun of Lekė Dukagjini" (http://www.shkoder.net/en/kanun_en.htm)