Zihni Abas Kanina Hamzaraj (18 January 1885 Kanina,

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...

– 1959 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 ...

Albania 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 ...

) was a prominent Albanian diplomat and politician. He was one of the signatories of

Albanian Declaration of Independence The Albanian Declaration of Independence ( Albanian: ''Deklarata e Pavarësisë'') was the declaration of independence of Albania from the Ottoman Empire. Independent Albania was proclaimed in Vlorë on 28 November 1912. Six days later the Ass ...

. He was born in a notable Albanian family in Kanina, near Vlora, and was active during the

National Renaissance of Albania The Albanian National Awakening ( sq, Rilindja or ), commonly known as the Albanian Renaissance or Albanian Revival, is a period throughout the 19th and 20th century of a cultural, political and social movement in the Albanian history where th ...

. After the declaration of independence, he was Director General in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the

Provisional Government of Albania The Provisional Government of Albania ( sq, Qeveria e Përkohshme e Shqipërisë) was the first government of Albania, created by the Assembly of Vlorë on 4 December 1912. It was a paternal government, led by Ismail Qemali, until his resignatio ...

, a post he would regain during the Kingdom of Ahmet Zogu. During the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

he worked as a teacher of the

Albanian language Albanian ( endonym: or ) is an Indo-European language and an independent branch of that family of languages. It is spoken by the Albanians in the Balkans and by the Albanian diaspora, which is generally concentrated in the Americas, Europ ...

in his hometown, becoming a prominent activist of

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 ...

against occupants and communist forces. After the war, the established communist regime jailed him in 1951 on political motives and he died in 1959 in the jail of Tirana.

Further reading