Dashnor Kaloçi
Memorie.al publishes some unknown archival documents that deal with the much-discussed event of February 4, 1944, otherwise known as the “February 4 Massacre”, with the minutes of the investigative group that was charged by the government of that time for coverage of that event, chaired by the State Prosecutor, Tod Gjini, from Durrës, the Secretary of the Durrës Prosecutor’s Office, Tofik Kazanilla, (was appointed in the absence of the Secretary of this Prosecution, Pandeli Kosova), Deputy Mayor Nikola Kotte , who were accompanied by Lieutenant Dick Cami, in charge of the Gendarmerie Commander, Major Sybi Topalli, to secure the investigative team. From the minutes kept by this investigative group from February 5 to February 16, 1944, there are a total of only 14 people killed, where 10 of them were in the morgue of the Civil Hospital of Tirana since February 5, while four others were found a few days later, killed on the streets of Tirana, or buried on the outskirts of the capital near the national road Tirana Elbasan.
The event of February 4, 1944, where in the streets of Tirana were found killed by gunfire several people (for their number there is still no exact figure), which is otherwise known and rightly known as the Massacre of February 4, 1944 “, is one of the events that for years has aroused or more precisely has sparked debates, both for the reasons: who and why ordered the killing of those people, and also for the exact number of those killed in those two or three days in the city of Tirana. As above, so many articles have been published about this event, which opened and sparked debates only after the ’90s, that if you go back to it, it would hardly change anything. After all, scholars, historians, journalists, publicists, veterans, associations and various individuals who have dealt with what is known as the “February 4, 1944 Massacre” would never move from their “istikams”. But what can be said for sure, has been and remains the inaccurate number of killed, which during the communist regime of Enver Hoxha, was officially said 84, a figure which after the ’90s was not confirmed and was not never proved, though the archives have been and remain open to anyone. That the number 84 is extremely exaggerated and is inflated several times (as well as the number of 28 thousand martyrs), is confirmed by the fact that the list of names of those killed does not exceed 40 people, including the names of martyrs, which at the time they were in jail and were executed a few months later! Which for which there are very accurate documents in the archives of the Albanian state. Without wanting to get into a debate that brings nothing new about what has been said and written so far about this event, but with the sole purpose of shedding some light on this event, starting with this writing, Memorie.al is publishing some archival documents with the minutes of the State Prosecutor of that time, who was in charge of investigating and uncovering that event. The minutes in question were kept from February 5, 1944, ie one day after the murders that took place in Tirana and ended on February 16. And from these investigations result a total of only 14 people killed, where of these, 10 bodies were in the morgue of the Civil Hospital of Tirana on February 5, and only two of them were unidentified. The dead bodies of 4 other people were found a few days later in different places, such as in the river of Tirana or buried on the outskirts of the city near Elbasan Street, where these documents do not appear to have been identified. who they were, but their number remains unclear.
Investigative file with the minutes of the State Prosecutor, Tod Gjini for the event of February 4, 1944
Minutes
On the notification given to us by the authorities of S.P. (mentioned above) that in the civil hospital here were transported several corpses of persons killed on the 3rd and 4th of Fruer 944 on the streets of the capital by undetected persons: sod on 5/2/944 on Saturday morning , signed by the State Prosecutor Tod Gjini, assisted by the Secretary of the Prosecution of Durrës, Mr. Tofik Kazanilla, in the absence of the Secretary of this Prosecution, Mr. Pandeli Kosova, who is provisionally serving in the special court for the Protection of the Homeland, was accompanied by the Lieutenant of the Gendarmerie, Mr. Sadik Cami, delegated by the Governor, Mr. Major Sybi Topalli, to accompany the head of this Prosecution with the conduct of investigations into the murders committed on the date indicated above, and by the Deputy Mayor Mr. Nikola Kotte went to the hospital of the country where the staff of that hospital informed us that some corpses were taken to that hospital and placed in the room of the dead, whose visit was made by the doctor Mr. Suljeman from Dibra, from whom the room destined for the dead was opened and ten corpses of people in different civilian clothes were seen lying, from which they were identified by interested persons.
- Vangjel Capo, son of Andoni and Vala from Fieri, 22 years old
- Tod Shkurti, from Fieri, 25 years old
- Hasan Rexhep Çeliku, 34 years old, Chief Worker at the Ministry of World Affairs from the village of Mullet in Tirana.
- Sokrat Vangjel Tako, son of Aleksandra, 43, from the village of Novosel in Përmet and resident in Tirana, Mihal Grameno Street.
- Mihal Jani Koço, son of Marga, 23, from Dhuvjani, Gjinokastra, resident of Kavaja Street in Tirana.
- Vincenzo Apel, son of Felix and Cleopatra were born in Saranda and resident in Tirana, Dibra street no. 6 years old 20, commissioner
- Reveni Ludoviko Carlo, son of Marija from Italy, resident in Tirana, 26 years old
- Gjergj Legisi, the son of Frrok and Dile were born in Katundë Kthjellë of Mirdita, 45 years old, resident of New Tirana, Llagami neighborhood 43
From the corpses remain two unidentified who… (writing is not understood).
- ………… K.M. 22 years old ……… with black shoes…. black socks military pants, square brown top …… brown polo shirt, brown civilian jacket closed with slightly visible stripes.
- Average age 34 chestnut hair, slightly disheveled face, beardless, with a green wool scarf, civilian jacket and brown pants worn under white pajamas with red stripes, a wool sweater in dye sleeveless, brown vest, colored and striped shirt, black civilian military shoes, European brown socks.
The two unidentified corpses will remain in the death chamber for the eventual identification by those interested who will be notified by the means of the case and the situation caused by the current turbulent circumstances for our country.
All the above-mentioned corpses were searched and no documents or signs were found on them to show their identity. The corpses were all destroyed by bullets from automatic firearms (military weapons), in different places of their troops.
The Directorate of the Civil Hospital here was asked to come to the visiting doctor to issue a relative report on the visit of the corpses and on the ascertainment of their death.
Tell the Deputy Mayor that after the corpses are exposed for identification at the time they possibly remain intact, the order to bury them should be given.
A report was kept for certification, which was read, accepted and signed as follows:
Tirana, on 5 / 2/1944
Secretary of the Durrës Prosecutor’s Office
(T.Hoxhmilla) State Prosecutor
(T.Gjini)
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Minutes
Sod on 6/2/1944 on Sunday by interested persons:
- Mentor Xhemal Sojli from Struga resident in Tirana, Hospital Street, 24 years old
- Shaqir Huta, 70 years old, retired resident in Tirana, Sulejman Pasha neighborhood, Marjan Street
- Bajram Ramazan Shkodra, carpenter, resident of Xhami Sherif neighborhood, Hodo Bej street, no.
- Xhemal Sojlin, the first
- Haki and Maliq Huta, the sons of the second
- Fadil Rada, 22 years old worker, who from the investigations they have done, are not in prisons or any other place in the city
People interested in the information that have observed that in the hills located near the forest located on the public road Tirana-Elbasan where the German armies are concentrated were transported and buried some bodies killed on the night of the above show and we assume that among them the corpses will be even the members of their families who disappeared on the night of the event were not mentioned, and were asked to act on their way to the scene to establish the fact by the Head of this Prosecution. On this announcement, you considered the importance of the situation created by the fact of the event and on the other hand the concentration of the German Army in the place where it will go according to the story of the interested parties, where the mediation of the Prefect was requested for the possibility of an obstruction. on the spot by the German Army, which ended in the absence of any obstruction by the German military authorities and at the same time by the Prefect was authorized by the Capital District Brotherhood Command to be accompanied by the head of the Prosecution has sufficient power under the command of an officer. Major District Commander Mr. Subi Topalli, based on that authorization and upon our request, made available to us the command officer Mr. Dik Cani.
After an action of going to the place we told about the findings of the case required in addition to the long time and a preparation of people and tools was notified to the Municipal Command of the country which informed us that it was ready to make available staff and tools: so the next day in the morning on 7/2/1944 on the day of Hana we signed the State Prosecutor Tod Gjini accompanied by the Secretary of Durrës, Mr. Tofik Haxhimillës, Lieutenant Mr. Dik Camit with a force of 15 officers and two sub-officers and N / The Mayor Mr. Nikolla Kota, we headed to the mentioned place with a car and two trucks that I made available from the Municipality as well as a number of workers, 10-12 workers with the necessary tools, the place which was located on the public road Tirana-Elbasan in a distance of 3-4 kilometers outside the capital, upon arriving at the place of concentration of the German army there we were stopped by the German military service, who, being informed of the purpose of the departure, allowed the passage and so led by a German soldier we headed to the place where it was said were located in and the alleged corpses. On the verbal questions asked to the German military by Mr. Mentor Sojliu, the son of Xhemal, who knew the German language, the military stated that exactly in that place, i.e. Approximately 4 kilometers outside the capital, two days ago a number of corpses were brought from people who could not identify the persons and their clothing and were released on the public road, where signs of slightly aged blood were seen, these corpses were then inserted into and from Italian workers who are in the service of the German Army and work in military works nearby to avoid being eaten by wild animals, off the road at a distance of 2-3 meters near the public road, a place which seemed to be newly worked. This soldier with an armed force and a car and a truck parked at night at approximately 10 or 11 o’clock and took out the corpses and then left in the direction of the city where they arrived. After this information, the site was opened and it was found that in this place, shortly before the excavation, up to one meter deep, three meters wide and two meters long, after the data were removed, there were signs of blood. piled up and stirred the wet sheep and the rainwater that had fallen overnight and found two coats, a raincoat, two handkerchiefs, two republican hats, two belt sofas, all of them still submerged in the wet mud in the way which were pulled out and pulled out piece by piece, outside this place with a distance of two three meters were found two notice letters of the Huta brothers. After this negative action there was no need to continue in their excavations and traces due to the situation became impossible and therefore the action ended and we returned inside the city.
Minutes were taken for certification, which were sung and signed as follows:
Tirana on 7/2/1944
Sec. Prok. Durrës Tog. Find N / Top. Municipality Prok. State
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Minutes
Sod on 16/2/1944 in the Office of the Prosecutor, in front of me State Prosecutor Tod Gjini assisted by the Secretary Islam Alimehmeti, appeared the so-called Zenel Ismail Reka, a resident of Tirana, Xhami Sherif neighborhood, Mezini street and Gjyle Shkalla, the widow of Selim Ferra, resident in Tirana near the first, and stated that the son, Ali Selim Ferra, son of Gjyle Shkalla, 18 years old, unmarried, had disappeared from the house in the morning of 4/2/1944, taken of armed forces and his body was found in the river of Tirana near Sauk (end of the river) by chariots whose names are not known who accidentally fell where they lived and saw the body mentioned, after this announcement was ordered the transport of corpse to his apartment, after this transportation together with the doctor went to the apartment to visit the corpse by doctor Nasi Kajana at the end of which was issued the report dated 16/2/944 from which it is concluded that the death was caused by injuries bullet holes.
For confirmation, these minutes were kept after being sung and signed as follows:
Tirana on 16/2/1944
Secretary of Prosecution State Prosecutor
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Minutes
They were questioned and testified by Gjindarmë Hamit Januzi and Xhemal Preçi, an effective member of the Zyber Lita Company and serving in the Post-Command of the Madrasa.
Year one thousand nine hundred and forty-four, on Friday, on 4 Fruer / 1944 at 15 o’clock in the Office of the Gendarmerie Command on Dajti street, to us, Lieutenant Mero Bido, Commander of the First Zone and Aspirant, Mahmut Hasi, her area assistant, verbalizes as follows:
It was ordered by Gjindrama Hamit Januzi, the son of Januzi and Hume, 20 years old, born in the village of Rec, Peshkopia, and with the effective service of the Luma Gendarmerie Detachment and provisionally staying at the Post Office of the Madrasa of this Zone, which states as follows:
My friend Xhemal Preçi and I, from 2-3 o’clock to 5 o’clock without dawn, we were on duty along Dibra Street, at 2:30 o’clock, we saw a patrol of the Kosovo Brotherhood, consisting of four with which, according to the slogan we had, we woke up and passed on Bardhyl Street, where after a few minutes we heard some gunshots and returned to the direction where we had come, where around Ferhat Halili’s house we saw a person killed and his patrol Kosovars had left that country. I do not even know the patrol soldiers, because it was dark, we do not even know the body of the murdered person, nor do we know who he is. We do not know the circumstances of how and why they killed him. We did not see them when they were killed, we only know that there was no one there except the military in question. Next, we do not have to say these with my signature I certify.
Aspirant N / Lieutenant Declarator
Hamit Jonuzi
Gjindram Xhemal Preçi, the son of Xhemal and Siba, 30 years old, was interrogated. He was born in Katundin Reç of Dibra and served as the above-mentioned, who was questioned and confirmed point by point the statements of the first Gendarmerie Hamit Januzi, after not pat another said these things I said I confirm with my finger since I do not know how to read and write.
Aspirant N / Lieutenant Declarator
Xhemal Preçi
He was interrogated as a witness called Mustafa Kobeci from Dibra and resident in Tirana, Furrxhi 46 years old, who states as follows: Last night I was in the oven baking bread, and I heard some rifle shots near the wall, but out of fear I did not go out. In the morning I saw one killed and after I did not know who this was and I do not even know who this was. I have not said anything else, I confirm these with signatures./Memorie.al
