Havzi Nela, a poet and anti-communist, was hanged in Kukës. After completing primary and secondary education, he began his studies at the Higher Pedagogical Institute of Shkodra (now “Luigj Gurakuqi” University), but he was expelled for his beliefs, which authorities deemed to be of a destructive nature. Later, he managed to complete his studies at the Higher Pedagogical Institute of Shkodra through correspondence. Nela worked as a teacher in various villages, including Kruma, Lojma, and Shishtaveci, until 1967 when he moved to Topojan. On April 26, 1967, he and his wife crossed the border into Kosovo but were arrested by Yugoslav soldiers and imprisoned in Prizren. On May 6, 1967, they were returned to the Albanian border point of Morina in an exchange for Albanians from Kosovo, whom the communist government of Enver Hoxha had handed over to the Yugoslav secret police. On May 22, 1967, Havzi Nela was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for illegal border crossing, and all of his property was confiscated. His wife received a ten-year prison sentence. On June 24, 1988, the Supreme Court dismissed her appeal, leading to the final approval of his death sentence by Ramiz Alia, the Chairman of the Presidium of the People’s Assembly. Consequently, Havzi Nela was executed by hanging in 1988 in the center of Kukës. For his commitment and sacrifice, he was posthumously awarded the “Martyr of Democracy” medal by the President of the Republic. (In the photo: Havzi Nela)
Text: Encyclopedic dictionary of victims of communist terror – Vol. VI , Institute for the Study of Crimes and Consequences of Communism, “WestPrint”, Tirana, 2017, page 75.
Photo: © https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Havzi_Nela
Graphic processing: AHCF
