Revista Haemus nr. 30-32 - Libraria pentru toti

Several days later, military operations began in town with identity checks
and searches. All the houses in town, without exception, were searched by
armed partisans, every nook and cranny, every chimney and basement. On
the pretext that they were looking for 'criminals' and 'reactionaries,' they
strove to spread terror throughout the population. In almost all cases, the
searches resulted in imprisonments and executions.
To escape the terror, many people fled into the mountains and joined the
illegal opposition, or hid in the home of a trusted friend. Punishment for
anyone sheltering 'reactionaries' was terrible torture and execution. This
sometimes even occurred in cases where one person's name was the same as
the person being sought. Most of the men, soldiers and civilians, who
carried out these searches were virtually illiterate.
In early December 1944, a group of 7-8 important figures arrived at the
Franciscan Monastery in Gjuhadol. Among them was Kolë Jakova and it
was said that their leader was Nako Spiru. They brought orders with them
for the closing down of our religious periodical Hylli i Dritës (The Day-
Star), and of all other religious periodicals, Zani i Shna Ndout (The Voice of
St Anthony), Zgjimi i djelmnisë (The Awakening of Youth), Bijat e Zojës
(The Girls of Our Lady), etc. They shut down the printing house and all
religious organizations. The men paid a 'visit' to the library and museum of
Father Shtjefën Gjeçovi. Kolë asked for Gjeçovi's ring. It was said to be
from ancient times, probably from the first century, and was made of gold,
crafted with great mastery. On it was a large gem, far too large for the ring
itself. They say that a representative of the British Museum had once
offered to buy it for 14,000 pounds sterling. Kolë confiscated it, leaving us
with an official receipt.
The Year 1945. The grim measures introduced to terrorize the population
got worse and worse in the months of January and February 1945: identity
checks increased, more people were imprisoned, there was more torture,
more executions. Almost every evening after dark, organized groups would
parade down the streets howling with fury and singing songs to terrorize the
population, such as "Vengeance for the Youth!"
The same fate awaited the villages in the surrounding area. No foreign
occupation had ever caused more suffering to the Albanians than this group.
We received news that Dom Lazër Shantoja had been caught while in
hiding with Dom Ndre Zadeja in Sheldi. Dom Ndre Zadeja was then shot,
the only reason being given was that he had sheltered a colleague in his
home. Both of them were Catholic clergymen and writers. Dom Ndre
Zadeja had studied in Austria. He was much admired by young people in
Shkodra for his plays on legendary and historical subjects. Dom Lazër, a
priest from Shkodra, was a man of learning and of rare talent as a public
speaker. He had been politically active and was one of the main editors of
the opposition newspaper Ora e Maleve. When Zog took power in 1924, he
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