Three poets killed by communist regime decorated

TIRANA, May 10 – Three poets killed during the communist regime have been posthumously decorated for their resistance and opposition to the dictatorship. Poets Vilson Blloshmi, Havzi Nela and Genc Leka were decorated by President Bamir Topi with the “Nation’s Honour” order at the inauguration of a photo exhibition dedicated to the writers killed during the communist regime from 1944 to 1991.
The ‘Literature written in barbed wires and in front of bullets” photo exhibition brought together renowned Albanian personalities and foreign diplomats in Tirana, including US Ambassador John Withers, French Ambassador Maryse Daviet and Czech Ambassador Marketa Fialkova.
The photo exhibition brought back evidence of the suffering and self-sacrifice of the martyr poets who put their ideals and dream for freedom and democracy above everything.
President Topi also decorated lawyer Myzafer Pipa for being killed in 1946 because of opposing the establishment of dictatorship in Albania.
“This truth is tragic, as well as heroic. It informs us that where there was a prison, there was also barbed wire and there was torture, there was also death in the very place that was the homeland. There were father Vincens Prendushi, Musine Kokalari, Trifon Xhagjika, Vilson Blloshmi, Genc Leka, Havzi Nela, Arshi Pipa, Pjet철Arbnori, and over 150 writers, translators, other artists sentenced because of the sole reason of wanting to exercise freedom of speech,” said President Topi.