Liri Gero (1926–1944) was a young
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
communist
Communism (from Latin la, communis, lit=common, universal, label=none) is a far-left sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology and current within the socialist movement whose goal is the establishment of a communist society, a s ...
activist and resistance member during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. Fighting along the partisan forces, she was killed in a skirmish with the
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
s. For her heroism she received the title
People's Hero of Albania
People's, branded as ''People's Viennaline'' until May 2018, and legally ''Altenrhein Luftfahrt GmbH'', is an Austrian airline headquartered in Vienna. It operates scheduled and charter passenger flights mainly from its base at St. Gallen-Altenr ...
.
Life
Gero was
Albanian
Albanian may refer to:
*Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular:
**Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans
**Albanian language
**Albanian culture
**Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...
of
Aromanian descent, born in
Fier
Fier (; sq-definite, Fieri) is the seventh most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Fier County and Fier Municipality. It is situated on the bank of Gjanica River in the Myzeqe Plain between the Seman in the north, the Vjos ...
, central Albania, in 1926. At a very young age she was involved with the resistance, as part of the communist cells opposing the
Fascist occupation. Her home was one of the "
safe house
A safe house (also spelled safehouse) is, in a generic sense, a secret place for sanctuary or suitable to hide people from the law, hostile actors or actions, or from retribution, threats or perceived danger. It may also be a metaphor.
Histori ...
s" used by the resistance members for their activities.
On 14 September 1943, Gero and other 67 girls from Fier, 68 in total joined the same night the ranks of the partisans of the
National Liberation Movement, a remarkable moment in the history of Albanian resistance, considering the fact that Fier had around 5,000 people at the time.
Liri joined the 16th Attacking Brigade ( sq, Brigada e 16-të Sulmuese). On 6 October 1944, while fighting against the German forces along the national road in Çukas near
Lushnje, she was wounded. Without the possibility to move, she continued fighting until she lost her senses. The Nazis found her unconscious. Infuriated by the non-predicted resistance of the 17-year-old, they tied her to a tree, poured
gasoline
Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic co ...
on her, and set her on fire.
She received posthumously the "People's Hero" (Heroinë e Popullit) title. Her monument resides in one of Fier's main parks since 2010.
A school and a neighborhood in Fier are also named after her.
See also
*
Margarita Tutulani
Margarita Tutulani (1925 – 6 July, 1943) was an Anti-fascism, anti-fascist and hero of Albania during World War II. Her brutal death inspired many to join the resistance against fascism in Albania.
Biography
Tutulani was born in Berat, to a ...
References
External links
Left side of the road
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gero, Liri
1926 births
1944 deaths
People from Fier
Albanian people of Aromanian descent
20th-century Albanian people
Albanian resistance members
Albanian communists
Heroes of Albania
Female resistance members of World War II
Resistance members killed by Nazi Germany
20th-century Albanian women politicians