Memorie.al / The rare event in the documents of the archive of the former Central Committee of the Party, which shows how young people were organized to sabotage voluntary work actions, ideological subjects in school, party activities in the city and how they distributed leaflets, saying that; “Albania on November 29, was not liberated, but was occupied by the communist beast”…! Three documents from January 1948 reveal an unknown event in Shkodra, but very significant for the anti-communist resistance in this city, where those involved were mainly the young people of the city at the Shkodra Lyceum and in the ‘Normale’ and some of their teachers.
The documents were exchanged between the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Albania and the Party Committee in Shkodra. The highest leadership of the communist regime in Tirana was requested to provide detailed information on a series of disturbing events for the regime, where the protagonists were the students of the Lyceum and the ‘Normale’ and some of their teachers. According to these documents, these were organized groups of young people who were active against the regime.
They organized themselves among themselves, spreading slogans and leaflets against the regime of Enver Hoxha, sabotaging productive work actions, sabotaging ideological subjects in school, even the Russian language class, rejecting the holiday of November 29 as a day of liberation and calling it; “The Day of the Invasion by the Communist Beast”, etc.
The entire activity of the anti-communist youth groups in Shkodra was targeted by the regime, and after this a series of arrests were carried out, especially among their teachers and some of the young people. Among the teachers, the names of: Filip Ndocaj, Injac Ndoja, Luigj Franos, Hidajet Cekë, Pashko Gjeçi and Zyhdi Sokoli are mentioned, as well as imprisoned teachers, such as: Abdyl Rusi, Mehmet Daija, Adem Bazhdari, Ruzhdi Çoba, Syrri Anamali, and the poet Qemal Draçini, who is described in the document as “death in prison”.
As can be seen in these documents, these young people had shocked the communist regime with their activity and from the top of the regime, orders were given to give an account of how they had organized and found ground to hinder the government in the city.
Letter from Manush Mufti, to the Executive Committee of the Shkodra District
No. 5/76
6/ I/ 48
City Committee
Shkodra
Within two days, inform us about the situation of the lyceum. We have been informed that the work there is not good. You must send us a detailed report, where you tell us how the work is, what our strength is here, what work has been done and what measures you have taken, regarding this state of work.
At the same time, tell us why you did not inform us in time about this issue.
Manush Muftiu
Report of the Shkodra Party Committee, signed by Abaz Laze, sent to the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Tirana
V.F.L.P.
ALBANIAN COMMUNIST PARTY
SHKODRA CITY COMMITTEE
No. 18/I
Shkodra on 9/ I/ 1948
CENTRAL COMMITTEE OF THE ALBANIAN P.K.
T I R A N Ë
See your radiogram, No. Extra Date. 5-I-48. Since even in the previous reports, the changes and activity that the opposing element has developed in the Normal High School have not been noted, in general terms, we are also noting from last year, in order to clarify the situation and the changes that have been made;
Based on information and the testimonies of the prisoners themselves (high school students), it specifically appears that in the Lyceum and Normale, starting in the fourth grade and up to the last grade, some of the students affected by the various reforms and laws of the Government, encouraged and guided by opposing professors, during 1946 and 1947, were able to unite in small circles of opponents and in organized forms, they developed a type of activity, sabotaging the problems of the organization and in various campaigns and, especially, in volunteer work, etc.
Of the professors who have acted as above, they are: Filip Ndocaj, Injac Ndoja, Luigj Franoja, Hidajet Ceka, Pashko Geci and Zyhdi Sakoli, all still professors, while of the prisoners are: Abdyl Rusi, Mehmet Daija, Adem Bazhdari, Ruzhdi Çoba, Syrri Anamali, all prisoners as well as Qemal Draçini (died in prison).
All of the above-mentioned, in cooperation with each other, have brought closer to themselves the affected elements and those most active who have helped them in every direction, in order to establish opposing circles in every class, so that they could more easily develop their opposing activity, and only with the help that these have given them, have they been able to establish them.
These have charged the following persons with the establishment, organization and education of their circles: Shyqyri Ahmet Agaj, Skënder Gera and Hamdi Omari (expelled), Habit Rusi, Xhevat Çuku and Remzi Çuku (imprisoned), Isa Koka, Telat Rraklli and Injac Doçi (graduated) and Ernest Perdoda, Linda Boriçi, Marije Rranxi, Gjok Berisha, Ahmet Bushati, Gjystina Kapidani, Qazim Borshi, Sadije Draçini, who are still attending school;
All of these have close ties to the opposing professors and have been designated as the responsibility of these circles, for which they have been charged by their superiors (professors) in order to combine as much sabotage and everything else as possible, in connection with their opposing activity.
As mentioned above, by the first months of 1947, up to thirteen opposition circles had been set up in the Normal High School, with up to (60) sixty suspicious students participating, but of these, approximately (25) are outside the school, as some are in prison, some have been expelled and some have taken their matura exams, so the number of the opposition element reaches (30) or even (40) people, who are included as members of the upper circles and who actively participate in any sabotage prepared by the leaders of these circles, etc.
These circles led by the above-mentioned persons and based on the instructions given to them by the above-mentioned professors, etc.; They tried to organize themselves as much as possible, provoking organized meetings, in order to develop their activity as widely as possible, and to increase their ranks with dissatisfied elements, etc.
Before and after the arrests of some of the professors and students, they provoked various meetings in their homes, where they constantly explained the state of the reaction and the tasks that lay before them, to give their contribution, to the overthrow of this Government, at the same time in such meetings, they made decisions and commitments, to sabotage in any areas of the Youth organization, as well as in the various problems of the Government, especially in volunteer work, etc.
These, based on the directives they received from former professors; Kemal Dracini, Abdyl Rusi, Eqrem Rusi and the others we mentioned above, as their daily programs of activity, had: To sabotage as much as possible, not allowing students to participate in conferences and meetings of the Front organizations, etc.
To prevent young students from participating in volunteer work, to cause as much disorder as possible in the school, also disrupting class order, to prevent young people from paying attention to various educational issues, especially those drawn from Russian literature, to sabotage as much as possible when teaching is given in various Russian languages, to sabotage asking useless questions, during discussions regarding recitations and debates held in the upper classes, etc.
For all this, they have been instructed by the professors and the heads of the districts, in meetings and in the form of personal meetings, and have been entrusted with other elements of these districts. In addition to what was said above, these, constantly maintaining contact with each other, in accordance with all the political events of the country, such as in relation to the courts, etc., have prepared various defeatist slogans and have distributed them in various centers: for example, in relation to the court, they have tried to present it as a comedy, trying to cover up the facts, in relation to the exposure of the forms of their organization and the activity that has been developed by them, etc.
These have recently provoked a series of meetings, especially at the homes of Hamdi Omar, Thabit Rus, Xhevat Quku, Hodo Sokol and others, where they have always discussed the situation and the tasks that lay before them, in order to continue their hawaz, who recently, that is, on the Feast of November 29 and the New Year, after several meetings held at the home of Xhevat Quku, decided to write and distribute leaflets with political content against the Government, presenting it as a terrorist and as a foreign (occupying) Power.
Such leaflets have also been distributed on the Feast of July 10, as well as on other holidays, in order to arouse suspicion in the People, for which they were recently caught with them in hand and two of them were arrested and are in prison.
In a word, the opposing elements in the above-mentioned countries have been able to unite and together, they have been able to sabotage, as far as it suited them, but this has not been continuous, since in cases where measures of arrest and exclusion have been taken, for some time they have lived in a certain passivity – for example, during these last three months, for fear that they may be arrested, their activity has been, only to throw some rubbish in connection with the trial and, in various meetings, to order one another to be very careful for a few days.
This is in general, while a special part of the above-mentioned, even during this time, continued meetings and under the guise of festivities, gathered in the houses of their friends, such as on the 24th of Nandor, when some were mentioned in court as members of the circle, Gjystina Kapidani and some of her friends gathered in the house of Mici Deda, but members of their circle, also later, gathered in their houses supposedly to study, etc.
Despite the attacks so far, some of them especially the ones mentioned above, but the contacts and meetings where political issues are constantly raised continue, this Committee, in order to avoid an organized activity and to break up these circles, is of the opinion that the persons mentioned above, who are still in school, should be unmasked and expelled. Four of these, the most active and who are hit harder than all the others by the Government, those who should be expelled are:
Ernest Pedoda, who has recently participated in the writing of pamphlets and has taken it upon himself to print and distribute leaflets, Marije Rranxi, who has been advised several times by the former Directorate of the People’s Court, and who always continues to issue pamphlets and encourage others not to stop their work against the Government, etc., Gjok Berisha, as well as the above, and Gjystina Kapidani, who participates in any meeting that these provoke, to raise their issues.
These, not only are affected by the laws and reforms of the Government, but are known by all the students and the People, as irreconcilable opponents of ours, until they saw any situation they have continued their havaz, let loose, etc.
In addition to the above, we think that some others, the Youth Organization, should also withdraw their membership cards, so that the strikes are for all the district leaders, as after the element and some others who are victims, should be advised by the Youth Organization and the Internal Section.
Because the arrested elements are still in the process of being prosecuted, we still do not have a clear idea of who is the leader of these groups and whether the professors have connections with other elements here in Shkodra or in Tirana, and from where they get their lines; and from this we have not been able to give you an accurate report so far.
Attached herewith, we also send you the content of the leaflets they have dropped.
- PARTY COMMITTEE
(Abaz Laze)
(signature)
Handwritten note at the top of the document
What strength do we have in the Lyceum? What is the work of being here? What measures has the Party Committee taken to strengthen the work of not being here?
Archival document with the tract with anti-communist content
- K. RR. Sh.
“The 28th of Nanduri, the day of the Flag, is not celebrated. While the 29th of Nandor, the day of the occupation of Albania by the Communist Beast, is celebrated. Do not lose hope, People, because after the persecutions, Freedom comes…!
Extracted from the original, since we only had one piece and it should be in the Evening Section. Memorie.al
9/I/48
(signature)
