Avni Rustemi
| Avni Rustemi | |
|---|---|
 Avni Rustemi in the 1920s |
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| Born | 1895 Libohovë, Gjirokastër, Albania, then Ottoman Empire |
| Died | June 10, 1924 (aged 29) Tirana, Albania |
| Occupation | writer |
| Nationality | Albanian |
| Period | 1930-1938 |
| Genres | Realism |
Avni Rustemi (born 1895, Libohovë, Gjirokastër, Albania, then Ottoman Empire – June 10, 1924) was an Albanian, teacher, activist and member of the Albanian parliament. Rustemi was the leader of the democratic organisation "Bashkimi", and member of the democratic opposition in the Albanian National Assembly preceding the Revolution of June 1924.
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[edit] Early life
Rustemi was born in Libohovë, in a family of patriotic values. He followed the primary education in his homeland, continuing with high-school in Elbasan and later in San Demetrio Corone (Italy) – a town populated with arberesh. He graduated at the University of Rome La Sapienza with a major as a middle school teacher. He started his teaching career at his birthplace, Libohovë (in 1910), in Tragjas of Vlorë (1913), Tepelenë (1916–1917) and Vlorë (1917–1918).
Grown and educated in a patriotic environment, Avni Rustemi was known as a freedom fighter for the independence of Albania. In 1908, only 13 years old, he abandoned school to join the guerrilla group of Çerçiz Topulli and in 1910 he attempted the assassination of the Ottoman army general of expedition, Shefqet Turgut Pasha in Shkodër. In 1914 he joined the expeditionary forces of Southern Albania against the Greek occupation forces during the Occupation of Albania (1912–1913). In 1918, with his initiative, a patriotic organisation known as The Youth of Vlorë (Albanian: Djalëria e Vlorës) was formed in Vlorë. As the president of the organisation, on November 28, 1918 Rustemi organised a demonstration against Italian occupation forces. In the spring of 1919 in San Demetrio Corone, he formed the League of the Albanian Youth (Albanian: Lidhja e Rinisë Shqiptare) for the defence of the Albanians Nation.[1]
[edit] Essad Pasha assassination
On June 13, 1920, he assassinated Essad Pasha in Paris. Essad Pasha, a political figure in Albania but in exile, had already managed a coup d'etat to overthrow Wilhelm of Wied, the then Prince of Albania. Although living in Paris and away from legislative governing of Albania, Essad Pasha claimed to still be the ruler of the state and attempted to represent Albania in the Paris Peace Conference. The governmental delegation didn't permit him to do so as they were going to represent Albania themselves.[citation needed] The assassination was largely seen as a heroic act as it has historically been seen as a signal of a new bourgeois revolution against the feudal traditions of Albania and a crossing bridge in the newly democratic-bourgeois values.[2]
Upon his return in Albania, in December 1920, Rustemi worked towards uniting all the democratic organisations there. A congress held in Vlora on April 25, 1921 lead to the new formation "Atdheu" (en. Fatherland). Avni Rustemi was chosen as honorary president. His further initiatives resulted in new creations of professional teachers' associations. After "Atdheu" was shut down, in August 1922, again with his initiative, the democratic national organisation "Bashkimi" (en. Unity) was created on October 13, 1922 in Tirana.[3]
[edit] Ideology
Avni Rustemi was an eminent democratic ideologist. His ideology, expressed through different forms of speeches and journalism, became a strong weapon for the democratic Albanian youth. In his speeches he claimed that when the government does not fulfill the needs of the people, then this need must be fulfilled with the organised interest of people to push government to do so. For the solution to the country's crisis, Avni Rustemi pointed at the development of the independent national economy. He is quoted saying that without an independent economy, there can be no independent politics. His ideology was further enforced in the National Assembly of 1924, where he was chosen as a deputy of the people from ex-prefecture of Kosovo. He bravely criticized the bureaucratic system of that time and the ignorance of the governing classes while fiercely defending traditional values and the human rights of the Albanians living in ethnic Albania.
[edit] Death
In time of turmoil and intense class contradictions in the country, anti-Rustemi forces led by Ahmet Zogu organised the assassination of Avni Rustemi on June 10, 1924, aiming to strike at the democratic-bourgeois revolution. The assassination of the eminent democratic leader sparked the Noli Revolution on June 10, 1924.
