State leaders paid tribute to Jusuf and Bardhosh Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka, who were assassinated 44 years ago on January 17, honoring their sacrifice for the Albanian national cause.
President Vjosa Osmani described January 17 as a day of multiple losses, but also a day of national pride, recalling not only the murder of the Gërvalla brothers and Kadri Zeka, but also the assassination of Smajl Hajdaraj in 2002 and the death of national hero Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg.
“January 17 is one of the darkest days for our nation and our people. It is the day when Jusuf and Bardhosh Gërvalla and Kadri Zeka were brutally murdered. At the same time, it is the day when Smajl Hajdaraj was killed, and the day we lost our national hero, Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderbeg. A day of multiple losses, but also a day of pride for our nation,” Osmani said.
Homage was also paid by Parliament Speaker Dimal Basha and Acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti.
Sacrifice for Freedom
Prime Minister Kurti emphasized that even before the revocation of Kosovo’s autonomy, Albanians were continually subjected to oppression, yet extraordinary patriots and unyielding activists sacrificed everything for the freedom and statehood enjoyed today.
“Even before the war, Albanians under Yugoslavia and Serbia lived without peace. This is evidenced by numerous demonstrations, as well as by former political prisoners and those who were persecuted,” Kurti stated.
The Assassination in Germany
The three Albanian patriots were assassinated in a planned attack by the Yugoslav UDB intelligence service just meters from the garage of the house where they lived in Heilbronn, Germany. According to witnesses, two attackers opened fire on their BMW vehicle and fled the scene.
German police reported that 12 bullets of 7.65 mm caliber were fired at the victims. The perpetrators were never identified, and the crime remains unresolved to this day.
