Ali Demi (18 January 1918 – 29 December 1943) was an Albanian hero of World War II and a communist.[1][2] He was killed in battle fighting German forces in Vlora, Albania in 1943.[3]
Ali Demi | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Born | Ali Ahmet Demi 18 January 1918 |
| Died | 19 December 1943 (aged 25) |
| Cause of death | Assassinated by Balli Kombëtar |
| Resting place | National Martyrs' Cemetery |
| Political party | PKSH |
| Opponents | |
| Family | Demi family |
| Awards |  Hero of the People |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance | LANÇ |
| Service | Çermenika Battalion |
| Years of service | 1943 |
| Rank | Commissar |
Biography
editHe was born in Filiates, Greece (Çamëria), to a Cham Albanian family. Later Ali Demi studied at the Lyceum, in Tirana, Albania and in 1939 he participated in antifascist demonstrations. He was also one of the founders of the Communist party of Albania. He was sentenced to death by the Italian forces but he managed to escape and join the partisans. In 1943, Demi was killed in a battle against German forces in Kaninë village, near Vlora.[4][5]
Aftermath
editIn May 1944, the Greek People's Liberation Army formed and named a mixed unit of both Greeks and Cham Albanians in his honor, the IV "Ali Demi" battalion of 15th regiment.[6]
Ali Demi Street and Ali Demi (neighborhood) in Tirana, are named after him. There is a statue of Ali Demi in Tirana stating on it “ ALI DEMI HERO I POPULLIT” - in English “ Ali Demi hero of the people”.
References
edit- ^ Balkan Newspaper Archived April 30, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ article of Tirana Observer newspaper[permanent dead link]
- ^ [1] A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History By Robert Elsie, pages 101-2.
- ^ Zane, Hyqmet. "Ali Demi, i vetmi Hero i Popullit i Çamërisë". sot.com.al. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
- ^ Rama, Luan. "Ali Demi, muajt e fundit të jetës së një heroi (FOTO)". www.gazeta-shqip.com. Retrieved 2022-01-21.
- ^ "...in May 1944 ”a mixed battalion of the Cham minority that was formed within ELAS-fighting units under the command of the 15th regiment in the village of Kastanjë”, was named “Ali Demi” and comprised in the time of its formation 460 men..." Kretsi, Georgia: Verfolgung und Gedächtnis in Albanien: Eine Analyse postsozialistischer Erinnerungsstrategien, ISBN 3-447-05544-8