THE USA AND THE WESTERN EUROPEAN COMMINATION OF THE KILLING OF THE CATHOLIC PRIEST, 74 YEARS OLD, DOM SHTJEFEN KURTI

THE USA AND THE WESTERN EUROPEAN COMMINATION OF THE KILLING OF THE CATHOLIC PRIEST, 74 YEARS OLD, DOM SHTJEFEN KURTI 
  

Facts and documents published for the first time 
 Nikolin KURTI 

Who is Shtjefen Kurti?

Dom Shtjefen Kurti was born in Prizren on 24.12.1989 on Christmas Eve. His family was from Kosovo and on 1990 they moved to Ferizaj. From the Ottoman times until the First Serbia, his father was a trader of grain and other food products thus providing his family a good living. Shtjefen Kurt finished the primary school in Ferizaj while the high school in the Jesuit school in Shkodra. On autumn 1918 he was admitted to the State University of Insbruck –Austria- for theology. One year after the end of the First World War he went to Italy to further continue the graduate studies. On 1921 after becoming a priest he went back to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia where he became the secretary of Archbishop in Skopje for 6 months and as the archbishop was transferred to Shkodra, Shtjefen Kurti became the parson in the village of Novoselle, Gjakova. On 2 January 1930 fled the country to Albania as threatened by the Serb organization ‘Crna Puka’. On the same year he takes the Albanian nationality while holding the Yugoslav as he did not move his civil status. Firstly he settled in Kruja and on 1933 became the parson in the village of Gurez. From April 1938 till 1947 Shtjefen Kurti became the parson of the Catholic Famultary of Tirana when he was arrested for the first time and sentenced for 20 years by the Military Court. Until May 1963 he passed his sentence in the jail of Burrel. The communist institutions declined his request in becoming the parson in the Jube of Durres; he went back to the church of Gurezi. After the violent closure of the religious institutions and the exercise of religion by the communist regime, he became a worker in the cooperatives until 11 June 1970 when he is arrested for the second time. On 22 July 1971 he is convicted with death sentence with execution and he executed when he was 74 years old in a hidden way on 29 September 1971. Until nowadays the place of his grave is not known. 

The pastoral activates on the service of Catholic Church and the Albanian Nation

 

After finishing the theological university “Propaganda Fide” in Rome, he was invited to work at Vatican State, but he refused as expressed by him “my fate is linked to the Albanian nation thus I have to stand by its side”. The situation of the Albanian in Kosovo was desperate under the dominance and continued genocide of the Serbs. The suppression of fundamental principles of universal inalienable right to life, freedom, property, native language, right to speech, could not permit Shtjefen Kurti to accept the repressive and murderous reality from the Kingdom of Yugoslavia exercised on unprotected Albanian population in its territory. Thus together with other two priests Dom Gjon Bisaku and Dom Luigj Gashi, they gather facts, evidences etc. and prepared a denouncing document called ‘Memoir’ where 50 pages denounced the violence and genocide of the state of Yugoslavia towards the Albanian nation who lived in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. This document was delivered to Eric Drumond, General Secretary of United Nations, in Geneva. In Geneva he declared:

“Honorable Mr. General Secretary, we are not the first envies to come from the Albanian nation who live under the Yugoslav Kingdom and who present in front of the League of Nations the desperate situation under the Serb repression. I am sure we will not be the lasts to protests in front of this high forum in order to request the international rights of Albanian, which will be denied if the politics of the Serb invaders of Beograd will not change fundamentally towards the Albanian nation… Condemned with black fate and passing from a verdict to another, this part of the Albanian nation unrightfully left outside of the independent state of Albania, never after long centuries it still did not enjoy its freedom.  The right of self-determination declared solemnly by the founders of the League of Nation; apostles of international peace remain for us only a sacred desire”. 

This speech and denouncing document “Memoire” incited the League of Nations to come up with an international investigation by making a commission by diplomatic representatives coming from Spain, China and Norway. Immediately the Kingdom of Yugoslavia appointed to Nobel price winner, author Ivo Andrric as ambassador to the League of Nation. Due to his European reputation and the lack of diplomatic support to the Albanian independent state, he was able to stop the investigation commission consisting on the three powers Spain-China-Norway. This action made Shtefej Kurti to go on with his clerical activities and increase his reputation for his patriotic movements.

The persecution, punishment and becoming a martyr 

When the communist regime was established on 29 November 1944, Dom Shtjefen Kurti was the head of the Catholic Church of Tirana since 1938. He had a high reputation, not only as the preacher of the authoritarian Catholic Church over 100 years from the Austrian Empire Franc Jozef in the center of the capital city but for a year until April 1939 was the Chapel an of Queen Geraldine who even build a cupola inside the royal palace for the spiritual prays of the Queen. Meanwhile during the Italian and German invasion he saved 10 Hebrews from execution while spreading aid, support, solidarity to the people in need; he was a member of the Tirana commission intended to protect the city from the burning which could follow the arrival of partisans after the Italian invaders on September 1943; he had absolute influence as the Archbishop of Durres-Tirana.

For these reasons starting from the first days of the establishment communist regime he was marked as a person who had to be isolated and even liquidate if the previous proved impossible. On October 1946 he is arrested and on April 1947 he is convicted by the military court of Tirana. On the decision on 17.4.1947 as follows: “On the accuse: he was a member of the representative and organization of the Terrorist Fascist Organization of Sami Qeribashit on the basis of the article 3, 7 paragraph 8,9,10 of the Legislation no. 372 convicts him for 20 (twenty) years imprisonment with mandatory work, loss of civil and political rights for 5 (five) years”. 

The ‘Union’ newspaper  dated 18 April 1947 would write under the title ‘Yesterday the Military Court of Tirana gave the verdict against a group of clerics, enemies of the Albanian nation covered by religious features, who have worked for the fall of the popular authority while in contact with foreign agents from whom they took money and directions. This group was composed from Dom Shtjefen Kurti, Dom Pjeter Meshkalla. Rrok Abati and Bishop Irine Banushi. The defendants Dom Shtjefen Kurti and Pjeter Meshkalla have cooperated closely with the occupier and have contributed in the adjustment of their regime. The defendant Dom Shtjefen Kurti during the time of the Italian occupation was the Chaplain of the Jakomont Villa and has performed information services in favor of fasiscm… Dom Shtjefen Kurti has cooperated closely with the foreign agents i.e. General Hodgon, Colonel Palmer; Major Smith… he has close ties with the American military missions and as well the French military Major Nisdrov…. Dom Shtjefen Kurti has prepared a memo and sent it to these missions where he stated that he is ready to form a detachment of 4 000 people who will be responsible to cause chaos in the country and ask for aid from the Anglo-American military to throw down the popular authority”. On 11 June 1970 on the age of 72 he was arrested for the second time now in Gurrez while he was working in the cooperatives. After a year of investigation to prove the alleged political accusation, propagandas and false evidence on July 1971 he is convicted by the Local Court of Kruja after an open court lasting three days giving him the maximum sentence. On the decision no. 54 dated 31.7.1971 the judicial body stated: “On basis of the accusations for the agitation of the propaganda and based on article no. 72 in connection to article 42, point a, of the Penal Code, he is convicted to be executed. According to article 73 of the Penal Code he is convicted for 10 (ten) years of imprisonment and according to article 27 and 28 to 5 (five) years abolition of the electoral rights. Finally according to article 48 of the Penal Code he is convicted to execution and sequestration of private properties. The Military Court approved the decision taken for the execution of Dom Shtjefen Kurti”. 

The Judicial Council of the Criminal College of High Court approved the decision without reconsidering the evidences but in unanimity approved the decision to implementation of the decision taken by the Court of Kruja. In the decision is written “Appendix no.7, the order of the gathering dated 23.09.1971, 11:00 a.m. the document on the execution sentence for Shtjefen Jak Kurti:

“Full with deep hostility against the state, immediately after the revolutionary measures taken against the religion, Kurti went on with his hostile activities. During the conversations with the defendants and the witnesses, Shtjefen Kurti disapproved the socialist reality and talked about the low standard of living under this system, especially for the poverty in the villages blaming the socialist system of cooperatives. He went on saying that there is no freedom in our country, and the measures taken against the religion and the last bits of freedom that are denied to people. While wanting the collapse of the popular regime, he welcomed the so called “Spring of Prague” and hoped the same for our country as well…” 

In the final document presented at the High Court of RPSSH is written as follows: 

The Judicial Council of the Criminal College of the High Court, after listening to the evidences provided by the members and the prosecutor decided to approve this decision and gave the following statement:  

The decision taken by the court is the right decision thus it should be immediately executed.

 

“The opinion presented by the defendants viewed the economic conditions as very bad and low standard of living in our country which is translated into harming consequences to the nation. They have compared our system to the capitalist and revolutionary system while emphasizing the importance of private property. In particular way they were against the cooperativist system of agriculture and have considered it as the reasons which have left the nation lacking the agricultural products. They have listened to foreign radio stations and have commented on them according to their desire. There are proves that on 1965 there have been initiatives against the popular government and the defendant Shtjefen Kurti has made allegation that the economic and political situation of our country is reaching its bottoms and soon due to foreign intervention this situation is going to change. 

The documents considered by the court indicate clearly that on 1967 the hostile activities of Shtjefen Kurti became open when a year ago was the cleric of the village. He used his power to initiate a counterrevolution against the revolutionary measures taken by the government against the religion. As stated as well by the witnesses he was against the regime starting from the so called poverty in the villages, lack of liberties, and his desire of a spread of the ‘Spring of Prague’ in our country as well. While commenting the foreign radio programs, he was arguing the advantages of the capitalist system for the so-called guaranteeing of personal liberties and the high standard of living in these countries. The defendants have also discussed the possibilities in fled the country. Thus Shtjefen Kurti is slowly becoming an inspirer and key promoter of hostile activities; he argued that fighting the regime would bring merits in the future. Intending to organize further hostile activities by the end of 1969, Shtjefen organized a dinner in his house inviting many others where he tried to convince the guests to steal as much as possible from the cooperatives in order to destroy it. He went on arguing that this was not a sin as they would take what was in fact theirs and according to the religion, people commit a sin when they steal from each other. As observed he started stealing on 1968 and by 1969 in cooperation with others he had taken grain and money equivalent to 6.658 leke. 

Under these circumstances, the court has considered this case under the article 72 and not article 80 of the Code. While stealing in a systematic way in the damage of the agricultural cooperatives, they intended to achieve the counter revolution intended to destroy and harm the agricultural cooperatives meaning to mine the economic basis of the popular regime. Thus in their criminal activities they are guided by counterrevolutionary reasons and Shtjefen Kurti has confessed himself this in the court. 

The sabotage activities against the regime have been exercised by other people. Together with others they conducted activities in damaging the grain and destroyed the vehicle needed to work the land thus making it inefficient. The defendants have exchanged possible ideas for damaging the cooperative by burning the stales and other agricultural products“. 

These judicial decisions taken by the Court of Kruja and the High Court of communist are shocking when considering the language, proofs and facts used which approved and justified the execution of the priest, a citizen, and 74 years old. It is hard to comment on the strange, irrational and illogical allegations which describe the decision which ended the life of the 74 year old man. I believe that if these facts are examined by foreign advocates they will be shocked from the nature of crimes committed during the communist regime. 

The international reaction on the killing of Dom Shtjefen Kurti

 

The execution of Dom Shtjefen Kurti was committed in an incredible mysterious way in which the communist regime had a good record. The burial was done in a hidden place and there is not record of the execution and place of burial as it was usual for these cases. This killing was kept reserved and only on 1973 it became public when the Italian and Austrian agencies were the first ones to receive this news.

The international reaction was immediate and the communist regime was criticized and held responsible for many grave acts. Almost all the TV stations, European newspapers denounced this case and characterized the regime of Enver Hoxha as the harshest communist regime in the Easter Europe. The Albanian Diaspora in America was shocked by this fact and organized a gathering in front of the United Nation building in New York.  Some of the participants who were holding anti communist slogans went up to the 14^th floor where the Albanian diplomatic mission was and only the intervention of the police prevented the escalation into a conflict. The Vatican Radio officially confirmed as barbarian the killing of Dom Shjefen Kurti. The Pope Piu XII convicted this unprecedented act while convicting the communist regime and elevating the Albanian heroes of Catholicism. Vatican prayed for the spirit of Dom Shtjefen Kurti and the martyrs of the Albanian nation under the dictatorial regime of Enver Hoxha. 

On 1 April 1973 in front of the United Nations building in New York hundred of Albanians coming from different states of America gathered holding slogans and demonstrating with letters and memos directed to the high authorities of United Nation, for their intervention against the communist government in order to stop the persecution of the Albanian nation. This demonstration was led by Zef Pashko Dedaj , Dom Zef Oroshi and Pader Daniel Marku who expressed on behalf of the hundred demonstrators the indignation on the killing of Dom Shtjefen Kurti. The diplomatic mission residing in the 14^th floor of the building tried to disperse the crowd by throwing eggs and water at them. This incited some of the protestors to go inside the building and only the intervention of the police stopped any confrontation between the Albanian diplomats of the communist regime and the protestors. 

The reporter Angelo Montanati on 29.04.1973 wrote a special article titled “Il Prete Fugilato d’Albania” on the prestigious newspaper “Famiglia Cristiana“  which gives a reflection of the life and the spiritual work of Dom Shtjefen Kurti, a reflection of a life full of suffer, passion work and the mysterious murder of this unforgettable saint.

 

The war against the injustices committed towards the religion and its martyrs initiated in Europe while in Albania there was a dead silence. The figure of Dom Shtjefen Kurti and his execution was very much discussed in the European and American Medias. 

The German newspaper “FELS” on 17 March wrote “the communist government based on the laws of year 1967, destroyed the hopes of the catholic believers. Shtjefni Kurti was torn from his religious identity and became a worker in the agricultural cooperatives. Many communist militants destroyed a church in Lezha near Drini River where Shtjefen Kurti protested against this barbarian act.  After baptizing a small child on the request of his parents, he was taken by the police and this action would cost his life.  He was convicted on the same building which used to be a church. Shtjefen Kurti’s last words were: “I am a priest and as such I will provide my services to anyone who wants them” 

The German newspaper ‘WELTBILD’ dated 16.05.1973 titled the article “The Baptizing which caused his death’. A priest 74 years old performed his duty; he baptized a small child which became the reason of his execution. The judicial process took place in a former church. The church was filled with people. The judge looked at the defendant and asked him ironically if he wanted to sit and maybe start preaching. The priest set silently and the judge started asking him questions. Is it true that you baptized a small child? – Shtjefen Kurti responded that he was a priest and it was his duty to provide anyone his services. Then the judge turned to the people and said “you are convicted to death sentence”. An immigrant from Albania Mrs. G.T. who now lives in Vienna, was witness to this process and said that “I will show my name only when another process will take place for the spiritual rehabilitation of Shtjefen Kurti. She believes that Shtjefen Kurti died as a real martyr”. 

The international opinion was already sensibilized. All the media around the world supported the massive protests in front of embassies, supported the democratic forces sustaining the figure of Dom Shtjefen Kurti and condemned the unprecedented violence committed in Albania. 

The Italian Newspaper “L’Osservatorio Romano” on May 1973 wrote that “the cultural revolution established by force in the Albanian state has achieved its goal. The Catholic, Orthodox Churches and the Mosques are now culture houses. In order to fade away the religious traditions of the nation, the leaders of the communist regime supported by the new fanatics have performed brutal acts against anyone who preached religion. The priests were accused of treachery against the party and considered as spies of Vatican and foreign powers. Exercising religion is not a crime but a sacred right of any citizen thus the execution of Dom Shtjefen Kurti made his case universal.

 

Dom Anton Kcira, the priest of the Catholic Church in Detriot, USA goes back to his memoirs telling us how he heard the news. “It was a spring day while listening to the communist radio of Tirana, it was said that a criminal was found, a traitor of the Albanian nation. I was shocked and went in Vienna to meet Pader Paulini to tell him this bad news. Padre Paulini after receiving this hard news met immediately the Austrian attaché in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs who sent a protest note on behalf of the Republic of Austria to the Albanian state for the grave violation of the life of an old priest”.

 

The reaction of the communist regime 

As it was usual for the communist government, this note was not considered as important and did not accept the made allegations. This attitude started changing when the demonstrations spread in the major capital cities of Europe and USA and the media condemned this brutal act. The Communist Government was obliged to confess that they had taken the decision to execute Shtjefen Kurti. 

The news of the execution of the catholic priest Dom Shtjefen Kurti reached the western world and put the communist regime in a very difficult position in front of the western countries. After the brutal crime that the communist regime had committed became public, the communist regime started the paranoid attack towards the foreign and domestic enemies. The newspaper “Zeri i Popullit “, “Bashkimi “, “Zeri i Rinise” etc. and the National Radio and TV stations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Albanian diplomatic representative around the world, the congresses of the party in many Albanian cities, the Albanian democratic front, thousand of letters, telegrams organized by the party the harshest ever initiative against the figure and the activities of Dom Shtjefen Kurti and at the same time against the capitalist and revisionist world. 

All the embassies and Albanian missions in Europe and Turkey were constructed to take the necessary measures to face this wave of demonstrations. They used to film hidden from inside whatever happened outside and send reports and the filming to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tirana in showing them the situation and asking help and support to deal with the situation. 

There are hundred of encoded phonograms with report of pseudo diplomats or foreign agents and supporter of the communist regime which provides evidences on the directions and orders given by the regime to suppress this international denouncing that exposed the most closed and harshest communist regime. All these documents were over classified and were directed only to Enver Hoxha and Mehmet Shehu. The media and diplomatic war against the western world was prepared, ordered by the highest leaders of the communist Albania precisely Enver Hoxha and Mehmet Shehu. Their engagement in this process of assaults and propaganda against the western societies proved their direct implication in the assassination of the catholic priest Dom Shtjefen Kurti. 

Analysis after the fall of communist regime 

The fall of the communist regime and the victory of democracy on 1991 gave rise to the charismatic Albanian figures that were suppressed by the communist regime. Once the Catholic Church opened in Tirana “Zoja e Keshillit te mire” they immediately put a signing honoring the martyr priest Dom Shtjefen Kurti, Dom Zef Bici and Dom Mark Dushi. 

In the presence of high personalities of the Saint At Virginio Bussanelli, At Trifone Laberlarte, At Umberto Chiarrello and the deputy Pak Dajci on June 2002 in the courtyard of the Catholic Church of Gurezi the statue of Dom Shtjefen Kurti was given as a gift by his family. 

On the proposal of ‘Dom Shtjefen Kurti’ and ‘The Albanian Intellectual Catholics” organization as well ‘Dukagjini’ the Communal Council of Fushekuqe by full unanimity approved the assigning of the name of a communal high school “At Shtjefen Kurti”. In the Republic of Kosovo, the secondary school in the village of Novoselle at the Gjakova commune has the honorable name of ‘Shtjefen Kurti’. 

Shtjefen Kurti is awarded the medal of the “Martyr of Democracy “and the first degree honorable order for “The Partiotic Activities”. 

On 1993 – 1994 two volumes of books entitled “Dom Shtjefen Kurti, Chronic on the life of a saint” “the author is Vlash Prendi and vol. III “Dom Shtjefen Kurti among Christ and Kosovo “the author Ndue Malaj. 

The Municipality of Berat has awarded Dom Shtjefen Kurti with the “Medal of Gratitude” for the contribution given for saving the lives of many Hebrew citizens who were in hide from the Nazi persecution. 

The Royal Court and King Leka Zogu personally have given to Kurti family a ‘Gratitude” from the Royal Family for the Chapel of the Queen Geraldina. 

The Holy Place has valued the sacred activities and the sacrifices of the priest during his life, on the decree of Papa Gjon Pali in Shkodra on 2 November 2002, read by the special envoi the Cardinal Creshenze Seppe, who confirmed the initiation of the process of canonization for Dom Shtjefen Kurti amongst 40 other candidates, this process has finished in Albania and the last procedures which are under the competence of the Holy Place are expected for the final official declaration of canonization. 

The appeal of Kurti Family

 

On behalf of 120 family members, relatives of the Kurti family and many friends and supporters have appealed to the national institutions, the public, social, private, religious, humanitarian, newspapers, magazines, radio and TV station, special individuals, people who might be aware or can help us in our request: we seek your outmost help, assistance and cooperation in finding the enigmatic grave where the body of our dearest Dom Shtjefen Kurti resides.