Avni Rustemi

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Avni Rustemi
Hero of the People

Avni Rustemi (22 September 1895 – 22 April 1924) was an

Essad Pasha Toptani
.

Early life

Rustemi was born in

Hasan Riza Pasha
, commander of Shkodër, in April 1913, and for turning the fortress of Shkodër over to Montenegro.

Assassination of Essad Pasha

Essad Pasha was in Berlin and was hoping to return to Albania at the head of a new government or, indeed, as the country's monarch. On 21 May 1920, Avni Rustemi travelled to Rome and continued from there to Paris
, pursuant to his instructions. Three weeks later, on 13 June 1920, he shot and killed Essad Pasha Toptani, who was leaving the Hotel Continental in Paris.

Albanian historians characteristically give lofty patriotic motives for the spectacular deed, which caught the attention of the French and European press. Rustemi was acquitted of the crime before a French court on 2 December 1920.

Political career

On his return to Albania later that month, he was lauded as a national hero and entered the political arena. In April 1921, he took part in the founding in Vlora of the Atdheu (Fatherland) society and, when he founded Bashkimi (Unity) society on 13 October 1923,

Ahmet Zogu
. On 23 February 1924, Rustemi was involved in an attempt to assassinate Zogu.

Death

Avni Rustemi, monument in Tirana

On April 20, 1924, he was shot in Durrës Road in

Noli Revolution
and the short lived rise to power of Fan Noli in June 1924.

Ideology

Avni Rustemi was an eminent democratic activist and ideologist.[citation needed] His ideology, expressed through different forms of speeches and journalism, became a strong weapon for the democratic Albanian youth. He claimed that "when the government does not fulfill the needs of the people, then this need must be fulfilled with the organised interest of people to push government to do so.'" For the solution to the country's crisis, he pointed at the development of the independent national economy. He is quoted saying that "Without an independent economy, there can be no independent politics."[citation needed] His ideology was further enforced in the National Assembly of 1924; he became a deputy of the people from ex-prefecture of Kosovo. He bravely criticized the bureaucratic system of that time and the ignorance of the governing classes and fiercely defended traditional values and the human rights of the Albanians living in ethnic Albania.[citation needed]

Perception

Albanians generally see Rustemi as a national hero for the assassination of

King Zog I
ordered an assassination of him, ultimately leading to his popularity decreasing in the country.

Films

Avni Rustemi has also been the subject of numerous feature films, in most of them he appears as national hero, who killed the traitor of the nation. Two shots in Paris (

Pëllumb Kulla with the subject of Essad Pasha Toptani's murder in Paris and the trial of Avni Rustemi [3]

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Avni Rustemi.
  1. ^ Jan Myrdal, Gun Kessle Albania defiant (1976) page 105, 107, 112
  2. ^ Vladimir Viktorovich Aleksandrov Essays in contemporary history, 1917-1945(1989) page 86 [1]
  3. ^ "Zeri.info | Avni Rrustemi gjatë procesit gjyqësor në Paris (Foto+Video)". Archived from the original on 2016-10-26. Retrieved 2016-08-12.
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