Avni Rustemi
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Avni Rustemi (22 September 1895 – 22 April 1924) was an Albanian patriot, militant,
teacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...
, activist and member of the
Albanian parliament The Parliament of Albania ( sq, Kuvendi i Shqipërisë) or Kuvendi is the unicameral representative body of the citizens of the Republic of Albania; it is Albania's legislature. The Parliament is composed of no less than 140 members elected to a ...
. Rustemi was the leader of both democratic organisations "Atdheu" and "Bashkimi", and also a member of the democratic opposition in the Albanian National Assembly preceding the Revolution of June 1924. He is also known for assassinating
Essad Pasha Toptani Essad Pasha Toptani or Esad Pasha Toptani ( sq, Esad Pashë Toptani; 1863/4 or 1875 – 13 June 1920), mainly known as Essad Pasha, was an Ottoman army officer who served as the Albanian deputy in the Ottoman Parliament. He was a prominent po ...
.


Early life

Rustemi was born in
Libohovë Libohovë ( sq-definite, Libohova) is a town and a municipality in southern Albania. It is overlooked by Libohovë Castle and has a main street with views across the Drino valley. Libohovë is at the foot of the Bureto Mountain. The region forms ...
, in a patriotic family of landowners with ancient progressive traditions who were born into the
Bektashi The Bektashi Order; sq, Tarikati Bektashi; tr, Bektaşi or Bektashism is an Islamic Sufi mystic movement originating in the 13th-century. It is named after the Anatolian saint Haji Bektash Wali (d. 1271). The community is currently led by ...
faith. He attended secondary school in Janina (Ioannina) and
Istanbul ) , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = 34000 to 34990 , area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side) , registration_plate = 34 , blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD , blank_i ...
. In 1908, at only 13 years of age, he abandoned school to join the guerrilla group of
Çerçiz Topulli Çerçiz Topulli (20 September 1880 – 17 July 1915) was an Albanian revolutionary and guerrilla fighter involved in the national movement operating in the mountainous areas of southern Albania. He was the younger brother of Bajo Topulli. He w ...
and in 1910 he attempted the assassination of the Ottoman army general of expedition, Turgut Pasha in Shkodër. In 1912-13, he studied at a teacher training college in
Geneva , neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier , website = https://www.geneve.ch/ Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
and returned to Albania in 1914 where he served as a volunteer fighter against the Greek chauvinist forces in southern Albania during the Occupation of Albania (1912–1913). In 1915, he studied at a Jewish school in Janina (Ioannina) run by the
Alliance Israélite Universelle The Alliance Israélite Universelle (AIU; he, כל ישראל חברים; ) is a Paris-based international Jewish organization founded in 1860 with the purpose of safeguarding human rights for Jews around the world. It promotes the ideals of Jew ...
. In 1917 he taught school in Tepelenë and
Vlorë Vlorë ( , ; sq-definite, Vlora) is the third most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Vlorë County and Vlorë Municipality. Located in southwestern Albania, Vlorë sprawls on the Bay of Vlorë and is surrounded by the foo ...
, and then in early 1919, Rustemi began further studies at the Arberesh College of Saint Adrian in
San Demetrio Corone San Demetrio Corone (Arbëreshë: ''Shën Mitri'') is a town and municipality in the Calabria region of Italy, at an altitude of 521 meters and with 3,387 inhabitants. The town is among the most important cultural centers of the Albanian communit ...
in Calabria. In the spring of 1919 in San Demetrio Corone, he formed the ''League of the Albanian Youth'' ( sq, Lidhja e Rinisë Shqiptare) for the defence of the Albanian nation. After a stay in Rome, he returned to Vlorë in the spring of 1920 and to the political chaos reigning in Albania. It was there, after contact with certain individuals who were no doubt supporters of those in power, that he was encouraged to assassinate Essad Pasha Toptani, who was scheming to overthrow the new and unstable government. Essad Pasha was regarded as a traitor for having murdered Hasan Riza Pasha, commander of Shkodër, in April 1913, and for turning the fortress of Shkodër over to Montenegro.


Assassination of Essad Pasha

Essad Pasha was in
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
and was hoping to return to Albania at the head of a new government or, indeed, as the country's monarch. On 21 May 1920, Avni Rustemi travelled to Rome and continued from there to Paris, pursuant to his instructions. Three weeks later, on 13 June 1920, he shot and killed Essad Pasha Toptani, who was leaving the Hotel Continental in Paris. Albanian historians characteristically give lofty patriotic motives for the spectacular deed, which caught the attention of the French and European press. Rustemi was acquitted of the crime before a French court on 2 December 1920. The assassination was largely seen as a heroic act, as it has historically been seen as a signal of a new bourgeois and a peasant revolution against the feudal traditions of Albania and a crossing bridge in the newly democratic-petite bourgeois values.


Political career

On his return to Albania later that month, he was lauded as a national hero and entered the political arena. In April 1921, he took part in the founding in Vlora of the ''Atdheu'' (Fatherland) society and, when he founded ''Bashkimi'' (Unity) society on 13 October 1923, Rustemi was chosen for parliament with the support of
Bajram Curri Bajram Curri (16 January 1862 – 29 March 1925) was an Albanian chieftain, politician and activist who struggled for the independence of Albania, later struggling for Kosovo's incorporation into it following the 1913 Treaty of London. He w ...
as deputy of HASI and came to lead the democratic forces of Fan Noli, Bajram Curri and
Sulejman Delvina Sulejman bey Delvina, also known as ''Sylejman Fehmi'' (5 October 1871 – 1 August 1932), was an Albanian politician and prime minister from March to November 1920. Biography Early life Sulejman Delvina was born on 5 October 1871 in ...
in an increasingly-bitter struggle with the conservative landowners under Ahmet Zogu. On 23 February 1924, Rustemi was involved in an attempt to assassinate Zogu.


Death

On April 20, 1924, he was shot in Durrës Road in
Tirana Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
by a miller called Jusuf Reçi, a loyal subject to the Toptani family, and died two days later of his wounds. His widely attended funeral in Vlora on 30 April gave rise to the anti-government demonstrations that led to the Noli Revolution and the short lived rise to power of Fan Noli in June 1924.


Ideology

Avni Rustemi was an eminent democratic activist and ideologist. His ideology, expressed through different forms of speeches and journalism, became a strong weapon for the democratic Albanian youth. He claimed that "when the government does not fulfill the needs of the people, then this need must be fulfilled with the organised interest of people to push government to do so.'" For the solution to the country's crisis, he pointed at the development of the independent national economy. He is quoted saying that "Without an independent economy, there can be no independent politics." His ideology was further enforced in the National Assembly of 1924; he became a deputy of the people from ex- prefecture of
Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...
. He bravely criticized the
bureaucratic The term bureaucracy () refers to a body of non-elected governing officials as well as to an administrative policy-making group. Historically, a bureaucracy was a government administration managed by departments staffed with non-elected offi ...
system of that time and the ignorance of the governing classes and fiercely defended traditional values and the human rights of the Albanians living in ethnic Albania.


Perception

Albanians view Avni Rustemi as a National Hero who Fought for the Democratization of Albania and killed the National Traitor
Essad Pasha Toptani Essad Pasha Toptani or Esad Pasha Toptani ( sq, Esad Pashë Toptani; 1863/4 or 1875 – 13 June 1920), mainly known as Essad Pasha, was an Ottoman army officer who served as the Albanian deputy in the Ottoman Parliament. He was a prominent po ...
who would sell out the country to its neighbors.


Films

Avni Rustemi has also been the subject of numerous feature films, in most of them he appears as national hero, who killed the traitor of the nation. Two shots in Paris ''( :sq:Dy krisma në Paris)'' is a drama by Sheri Mita, Pëllumb Kulla with the subject of Essad Pasha Toptani's murder in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
and the trial of Avni Rustemi


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rustemi, Avni 1895 births 1924 deaths People from Libohovë People from Janina vilayet Albanian politicians Albanian republicans Albanian revolutionaries Albanian schoolteachers Assassinated Albanian politicians Heroes of Albania