Teme Sejko (August 25, 1922 – May 31, 1961) was an Albanian

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star " admiral" rank. It is often rega ...

and commander of the

Albanian navy The Albanian Naval Force ( sq, Forca Detare të Republikës së Shqipërisë) is the naval branch of the Albanian military. Their name was changed from the Albanian Naval Defense Forces in 2010. The Naval Force is headquartered in Durrës, and o ...

and the naval base of

Durrës Durrës ( , ; sq-definite, Durrësi) is the second most populous city of the Republic of Albania and seat of Durrës County and Durrës Municipality. It is located on a flat plain along the Albanian Adriatic Sea Coast between the mouths of ...

. In 1961 he was executed for allegedly being the leader of a pro-Soviet group that had been planning a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

against

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanians, Albanian communist politician who was the authoritarian ruler of Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was Secretary (title)#First secretary, First Secretary of t ...

by selling the

Albanian Navy The Albanian Naval Force ( sq, Forca Detare të Republikës së Shqipërisë) is the naval branch of the Albanian military. Their name was changed from the Albanian Naval Defense Forces in 2010. The Naval Force is headquartered in Durrës, and o ...

to the United States Sixth Fleet.

Background

Teme Sejko, a member of the Sejko family of Filiates, was born in

Konispol Konispol ( sq-definite, Konispoli) is the southernmost town in Albania. It sits one kilometer away from the Border crossings of Albania, Albanian-Greek border. The settlement is inhabited by Muslim Cham Albanians. Konispol is the modern centre of t ...

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 share ...

, on August 25, 1922. His father, Mehmet Sejko, was a landlord of the region and one of the leaders of the

Chameria Battalion The Chameria battalion ( sq, Batalioni Çamëria) was a battalion of the National Anti-Fascist Liberation Army of Albania during the Second World War. It was formed from the organized resistance groups of Cham Albanians on 15 June 1943 and was rena ...

. His mother, Shyqëranie Taka, was a housewife. She was the niece of

Alush Taka The Stations of the Exodus are the locations visited by the Israelites following their exodus from Egypt, according to the Hebrew Bible. In the itinerary given in Numbers 33, forty-two stations are listed, although this list differs slightly ...

who had been a commander of the Vlora War. Teme Sejko had two brothers, Taho and Sulo, and two sisters, Nurie and Merushe. One of his sisters was married to

Rexhep Plaku Rexhep is an Albanian masculine given name. People bearing the name include: *Rexhep Pasha Mati (1842–1908), Ottoman marshal, governor, war minister, revolutionary *Rexhep Demi (1864–1929), member of the Albanian independence movement, polit ...

, a landlord from

. His father sent Teme to Tiranë,

Sarandë Sarandë (; sq-definite, Saranda; el, Άγιοι Σαράντα, Ágioi Saránta) is a city in the Republic of Albania and seat of Sarandë Municipality. Geographically, the city is located on an open sea gulf of the Ionian Sea within the Medi ...

, and

Shkodër Shkodër ( , ; sq-definite, Shkodra) is the fifth-most-populous city of the Republic of Albania and the seat of Shkodër County and Shkodër Municipality. The city sprawls across the Plain of Mbishkodra between the southern part of Lake Shko ...

to study. He finished his studies in the Voroshilov Military Academy in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

. YUGOSLAV COMMENT ON TIRANA SPY TRIAL F-107
, 1961, Open Archives, accessed April 2010

Activity in the Albanian army

In 1943 he was sent by the National Anti-Fascist Liberation Army of Albania to

, where he became one of the founding members of the

Chameria battalion The Chameria battalion ( sq, Batalioni Çamëria) was a battalion of the National Anti-Fascist Liberation Army of Albania during the Second World War. It was formed from the organized resistance groups of Cham Albanians on 15 June 1943 and was rena ...

( sq, Batalioni Çamëria). After

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 World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

Teme Sejko rose rapidly through the ranks of the

Albanian army The Albanian Land Force ( sq, Forca Tokësore të Republikës së Shqipërisë) is the land force branch of the Albanian Armed Forces. Mission The Albanian Land Force's main mission is the defense of the independence, sovereignty and territorial ...

, becoming in 1958

rear-admiral Rear admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, equivalent to a major general and air vice marshal and above that of a commodore and captain, but below that of a vice admiral. It is regarded as a two star "admiral" rank. It is often regarde ...

of the

. During the period of poor relations with Yugoslavia, Colonel Sejko was sending undercover groups into Yugoslavia. In July 1960 he was arrested and brutally beaten by the Sigurimi, Albania's secret police, for allegedly being part of a joint Greek-Yugoslav-Italian-US sixth Fleet counterrevolutionary plot to overthrow the Albanian government. He was arrested along with six other military commanders: his brother, and ex-

editor-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also known as lead editor or chief editor, is a publication's editorial leader who has final responsibility for its operations and policies. The highest-ranking editor of a publication may also be titled editor, managing ...

of ''

Zëri i Popullit ''Zëri i Popullit'' ( en, Voice of the People) is an Albanian online newspaper. It was the official press organ of the Party of Labour and, later, of the Socialist Party of Albania, but it later ceased print publication and became an independe ...

'', Taho Sejko;

Liri Belishova Liri Belishova (14 October 1926 – 23 April 2018) was an Albanian politician. She was a member of the Politburo of the Party of Labour of Albania and an important political figure in Albania between 1944 and 1960. Life Born in the village of ...

, chairwoman of the Central Committee of the Party of Labour of Albania; and Tahir Demi, representative of Albania at

Comecon The Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (, ; English abbreviation COMECON, CMEA, CEMA, or CAME) was an economic organization from 1949 to 1991 under the leadership of the Soviet Union that comprised the countries of the Eastern Bloc#List of s ...

. They were tried in May 1961 and convicted. Teme Sejko was sentenced to death and shot after the trial along with three other high-ranking members of the Albanian army and the Party of Labour of Albania, Tahir Demi,

Abdyl Resuli Abdyl is a given name. Notable people with the name include: * Abdyl Dylaveri, Albanian politician * Abdyl Frashëri (1839–1892), Albanian diplomat * Abdyl Këllezi (1919–1977), Albanian politician * Abdyl Xhaja, Albanian government minister * ...

and Hajri Mane on 31 May 1961. The four remaining commanders received prison sentences ranging from 15 years to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes fo ...

. Teme Sejko's son, Sokol, and two of his brothers were shot as well. His wife, Shpresa, committed suicide as did his brother, Sulo. After his execution the

Office of Naval Intelligence The Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI) is the military intelligence agency of the United States Navy. Established in 1882 primarily to advance the Navy's modernization efforts, it is the oldest member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and serve ...

reported that Teme Sejko was a key figure of the Soviet-Albanian split. Sources in Yugoslavia at the time argued that Sejko had been accused because of his politics. It was said that the executions had arisen because Hoxha disagreed with the conclusions of a Party conference 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 ...

in 1956.

Sources

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sejko, Teme 1922 births 1961 deaths People from Konispol Albanian military personnel Military Academy of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Soviet Union alumni 20th-century executions by Albania Executed Albanian people