On the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Jusuf and Bardhosh Gërvalla, along with Kadri Zeka, Prime Minister-in-Office of the Republic of Kosovo Albin Kurti, together with President Vjosa Osmani Sadriu and Speaker of the Assembly Dimal Basha, paid homage and laid fresh flowers at the graves of Jusuf and Bardhosh Gërvalla in the village of Dubovik.
The three prominent Albanian activists were assassinated by agents of the notorious Yugoslav secret police (UDB), at a time when political repression against Albanians in Yugoslavia was intensifying.
Speaking at the ceremony, Prime Minister Kurti emphasized that Kosovo has always had extraordinary patriots and unwavering activists, even before the abolition of autonomy, who sacrificed everything for freedom and statehood, which Kosovo enjoys today.
“Even before the war, Albanians under Yugoslavia and Serbia did not live in peace,” Kurti said, pointing to numerous demonstrations, political prisoners, and persecuted activists as evidence of systematic repression.
Kurti recalled that Jusuf and Bardhosh Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka were murdered less than a year after the 1981 demonstrations, at a moment when underground Albanian organizations were uniting, and the movement for the Republic of Kosovo and national liberation was gaining momentum.
The Prime Minister highlighted that Jusuf Gërvalla was not only a patriot but also a publicist, poet, writer, journalist, and intellectual, whose rich artistic and cultural contribution was tragically cut short.
“With Jusuf’s assassination, we did not lose only a political activist,” Kurti said. “We also lost an entire artistic and cultural legacy that was never fully realized because his life was taken halfway.”
Kurti concluded by stating that the progress, security, and international standing of Kosovo today, as well as the broader strengthening of the Albanian nation, serve as clear proof that the sacrifices made by past generations were meaningful and justified.
