Poet Havzi Nela is one of the "Martyrs of Democracy" in Albania and his poems did not coincide with the rules of the time for artistic creativity. The Albanian state institutions, not even those dealing with books, have not remembered Nela with any activity or action, however symbolic, on the 37th anniversary of his death sentence. The poet's widow, Lavdie Nela, has remembered him by placing a bouquet of flowers next to his bust in the northern city
A Facebook post by the National Museum "House with Leaves" and the republishing of this text by a public media outlet are the actions with which the poet Havzi Nela was remembered on the 37th anniversary of his hanging in Kukës by the communist regime. Nela is one of the "Martyrs of Democracy" in Albania and his poems did not coincide with the rules of the time for artistic creativity. The institutions of the Albanian state, not even those dealing with the book, have not remembered Nela with any activity or action, however symbolic. The poet's widow, Lavdie Nela, remembered him by placing a bouquet of flowers next to his bust in the northern city.
"Today we commemorate the poet Havzi Nela (February 20, 1934 - August 10, 1988)" is the title of the publication of the National Museum "House with Leaves". Taken from the Encyclopedic Dictionary of Victims of Communist Terror, 2017 edition, it sheds light on part of Nela's biography.
As written in the Dictionary, born on February 20, 1934, in the village of Kollovoz, Kukës, Nela, after completing primary and secondary school, began his studies at the Higher Pedagogical Institute of Shkodra.
"Due to her beliefs, she was expelled from the institute as a destructive element. Amidst many difficulties, she began working as a teacher at the Plan i Bardhë primary school in Mat. She was expelled from this village due to suspicions that had been raised about her: it was thought that she was reading her poems to her students," the Dictionary states. It states that Nela later managed to graduate from the Higher Pedagogical Institute of Shkodra by correspondence. She then worked as a teacher in various villages, such as Krumë, Lojma and Shishtavec until 1967, the year she was transferred to Topojan.
"There he was constantly checked and taken into custody many times. A series of restrictions were imposed on him on the type of work he could do and where he could live. On April 26, 1967, he and his wife, Lavdien, crossed the border into Kosovo. While crossing the border, they were arrested by Yugoslav soldiers and imprisoned in the Prizren Prison," the Dictionary states. It explains that on May 6, 1967, the Yugoslavs returned them to the Morina border crossing in exchange for Albanians from Kosovo, whom the communist government of Enver Hoxha handed over to the Yugoslav secret police, the UDB. On May 22, 1967, he was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for illegal border crossing. As a result, Nela's entire property would be confiscated.
"His wife was sentenced to ten years in prison. On August 8, 1975, another eight years were added to the existing sentence. He was released on December 19, 1986, but only for a short time. Less than a year later, on October 12, 1987, he was exiled to the village of Arrën. On June 24, 1988, the Supreme Court rejected Lavdie Nela's request and he was sentenced to hanging," the Dictionary states.
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After placing a bouquet of flowers next to the bust, Nela's widow, Lavdie Nela, said that he loved freedom very much.
"Even 37 years after the murder, justice has not been served for him and for my suffering," said Nela. She spoke in the very space where on August 10, 1988, Nela was found hanging. His body was exposed all day long and was removed from there in the evening. According to some witnesses, there were increased police forces in Kukës that day. Even for political purposes, lists with the signatures of those who supported the hanging are often updated in the media. Some signatures are attempted to be denied by the families of communist rulers. Nela's case has made discussions about it not uncommon.
In commemoration of the 75th anniversary of Havzi Nela's birth, the world-renowned writer Ismail Kadare wrote that Albanian society is under siege.
"The poet Havzi Nela is a bell that still rings for Albanian society. Not to hear this bell means continuing to trample on the freedom of Albania," Kadare would write.
