Today marks 37 years since the brutal murder of the patriotic professor, Xhemajli Berisha, also known as Professor Xhema. He was an emblematic figure in the fight for Kosovo’s liberation and Albanian-language education, leaving behind a rich legacy of intellect and patriotism, writes Rks News.
Professor Xhemajli Berisha was born in Brestoc, Rahovec, and grew up in a patriotic family. He completed his studies at the University of Prishtina and later worked as a professor in high schools and at the Pedagogical Academy in Prizren. Known for his abilities and patriotic ideals, he became a significant figure in Albanian education and a symbol of commitment to liberating Kosovo from Serbian oppression.
During his youth, he actively participated in Kosovo’s liberation movement and was one of the main actors in demonstrations, starting with the March 11, 1981 protests, and later in the Popular Movement for the Republic of Kosovo. Xhemajli was an inseparable part of the national awakening and of raising awareness among Albanian youth to resist oppression and foreign exploitation.
Due to his patriotic activities, Xhemajli Berisha was arrested and tortured in Prizren prison by the UDB (Yugoslav State Security). On April 6, 1989, at the age of 31, he died as a result of violent torture.
To cover up their crime, the UDB officers threw his lifeless body out of a third-floor window and tried to conceal the cause of death. However, the doctor, Halil Berisha, refused to certify the death citing torture, paying a high personal price.
Xhemajli was also a poet of written word, and had he lived, he would have contributed valuable works to Albanian literature. After his death, a collection of his poems titled “Kësi lotësh s’kanë derdhur sytë e mi” (“My Eyes Have Shed No Such Tears”) was published under the editorship of Milazim Krasniqi.
Later, by order of the Presidency of Kosovo, Xhemajli Berisha was declared a Hero of Kosovo.
