The Special Court for War Criminals and Enemies of the People ( sq, Gjyqi Special për Kriminelët e Luftës dhe Armiqtë e Popullit), usually referred only as The Special Court ( sq, Gjyqi Special), was a Socialist court set up during the spring of 1945 (1 March - 13 April) in the newly established
Socialist Albania, which carried on the trial against those labeled as "people's enemies" and "war criminals". It was based on a decision taken by the
Anti-Fascist Council of National Liberation on 25 December 1944.
Like the rest of the
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is a subregion of the European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russia, whic ...
, the purge against
"Fascists" and
"war criminals" became a central part of the construction of society based on the
Soviet
The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
model.
Background
In November 1944, the
socialist partisans (LANÇ) took power and began immediately with the arrest of all public figures who were perceived to have collaborated with the occupiers or not to have supported the LANÇ before. The ''
Bashkimi'' newspaper of the
Democratic Front of Albania had already been coming out in early January 1945 with agitative editorials pointing to "traitors" and "people's enemies".
Sixty of these public figures were the object a treason trial in March 1945 at a socialist Special Court with Prosecutor
Koçi Xoxe
Koçi Xoxe (pronounced ; 1 May 1911 – 11 June 1949) was an Albanian politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Interior of the People's Socialist Republic of Albania. He was supported by Yugoslav leader Josip Broz ...
. Xoxe, Minister of Interior, was considered from some as the most powerful person in Albania for the moment.
Proceedings
Various non-Socialist/non-Communists politicians were object of the court: Pro-
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
s,
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 ...
collaborationists,
Balli Kombetar
Balli may refer to:
Places
Ballı (literally "(place) with honey") is a Turkish place name that may refer to the following places in Turkey:
* Ballı, Ardanuç, a village in the district of Ardanuç, Artvin Province
* Ballı, Kahta, a village ...
members, previous Ministers, anti-Communist figures, military personnel,
King Zog
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the t ...
supporters, former publishers and journalists, and members of public administration during the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
and
German regime.
"People's Tribunals" had been taking place since December 1944, but the most notorious was the Special Court of Tirana.
The Special Court started 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 ...
on 1 March 1945, and lasted until April 13 1945. The sessions took place in the premises of former "Savoja" cinema (renamed later to "Kosova" cinema, today's
Albanian National Theater building). During this time it held 31 session and trialed 60 persons.
General Lieutenant Koçi Xoxe was the leading judge, while
General Major Bedri Spahiu
Bedri Spahiu (July 13, 1908 – 11 January 1998) was an Albanian politician and Lieutenant-General and one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian Labour Party up to 1956.
Life
Born into a Muslim family in Gjirokastër, Spahiu completed ...
was the
prosecutor. The jury had 9 members,
others were
Beqir Balluku,
Medar Shtylla (Minister of Economy), Faik Shehu, Halim Budo, Gaqo Floqi,
Hysni Kapo,
Bilbil Klosi, Gjon Banushi.
[Skeda e Lazër Radit dhe Gjyqi Special (in Albanian)](_blank)
The defendants were:
Most of them were found guilty: 17 were executed by firing squad, 8 received
life imprisonment, and the rest various terms.
Abdurrahman Telqiu and Luigj Filaj were released due to lack of evidence. Ded Jakova, Zef Shiroka, and Abedin Xhiku were sentenced to 1, 2, and 1 year but were released on probation.
Aftermath
With the demise of Koçi Xoxe in 1949, few political figures, including the ones which would be arrested and sentenced later, would get partially rehabilitated. Other notorious trials would come out during the socialist period in Albania, i.e. the "Assembly Members' Group" ( sq, Grupi i Deputetëve), the "Sabotators' Group" ( sq, Grupi i Sabotatorëve), "Coup d'Etat Group" ( sq, Grupi i Puçistëve) and many more. Xoxe,
Beqir Balluku,
Bedri Spahiu
Bedri Spahiu (July 13, 1908 – 11 January 1998) was an Albanian politician and Lieutenant-General and one of the most prominent figures of the Albanian Labour Party up to 1956.
Life
Born into a Muslim family in Gjirokastër, Spahiu completed ...
would be later accused themselves of "treason" and "enemy of the people" and executed or imprisoned.
See also
*
Show trial
*
Communism in Albania
The People's Socialist Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika Popullore Socialiste e Shqipërisë, links=no) was the Marxist–Leninist one party state that existed in Albania from 1946 to 1992 (the official name of the country was the People's R ...
*
Albanian resistance during World War II
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 ...
*
Albania under Italy
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares l ...
*
Albania under Nazi Germany
References
{{Reflist, 2
Courts in Albania
Nazi war crimes in Albania
Trials in Albania
Communism in Albania
World War II war crimes trials
1945 in Albania
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Courts and tribunals established in 1945