Kemal Vrioni (1885–1952) was an Albanian political figure of the 1930s and 1940s.

Biography

Kemal Vrioni was a member of the Vrioni family, a major landowning family from the Ottoman cast. He was the main landowner in the

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 ...

region. Born in Fier in 1885. He studied economics public administration in

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 ...

.
Qemal Vrioni was a participant at the

Congress of Durrës The Congress of Durrës () was a conference of Albanian political leaders, held from December 25 to December 27, 1918, in Durrës, at the time capital of the Principality of Albania. Mehmet Konica was the Chairman of the Congress, which aimed a ...

in December 1918. He was Assemblyman of Albanian Parliament during 1921-1928. He was involved in the anti- Zogist Uprising of Fier in 1935. Unlike other organizers like Costa Chekrezi, Musa Kranja, or Xhevahir Arapi who fled the country or were severely punished, he managed to come out unharmed. In 1938-1939 he was appointed in charge of ''SITA'', an Italian corporation operating in Albania in the field of electrical equipment and infrastructure. He would be replaced later by Salih Bey Vuçitërni. In 1940, during the Italian Occupation he took over the direction of the ''Tomorri'' newspaper, a fascist media which succeeded ''Fashizmi'' (Fascism). He was Minister of Finance in the government of

Shefqet Vërlaci Shefqet bey Vërlaci (; 15 December 1877, Elbasan, Manastir Vilayet, Ottoman Empire – 21 July 1946, Zürich, Switzerland), also known as Shevket Verlaci, was an Albanian politician and wealthy landowner. Biography In 1922, Vërlaci was the b ...

of 1940 succeeding

Fejzi Alizoti Fejzi Alizoti (22 September 1874, Gjirokastër – 14 April 1945, Tirana), also referred to as Feyzi Bey Alizoti, was an Ottoman and later Albanian politician who served as the Chairman of the Central Administration of Albania from January 1916 to ...

. At the end of

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 opposing ...

he was arrested by the Albanian Partisans, proceeded at the Special Court of Spring 1945 which handled many previous politicians at that time. He was initially sentenced to death as "war criminal" and "enemy of the people", but later the charge was changed to prison time. According to Elsie, he died in

Burrel prison Burrel Prison () is a high security prison located outside the town of Burrel, in northeastern Albania at the District Police Station in Mat with a maximum capacity of 198 inmates. In 2011 the prison housed 182 inmates and employed 120 corrections ...

in 1946. According to Aliko, he was condemned to 10 years of imprisonment, and released in 1952, being persecuted ever after. All the properties and estates were confiscated. Vrioni was accused during the 1920s for brutal behavior towards his estates' peasants, including driving them out of his land and burning their homes. He was unsuccessfully brought to court for that.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vrioni, Qemal Bey 1885 births 1946 deaths People from Fier Albanians from the Ottoman Empire 19th-century Albanian politicians 20th-century Albanian politicians Qemal Government ministers of Albania Finance ministers of Albania

Biography

See also

References