Written by Petrit Latifi

Daut Hoxha was a nationalist fighter, who with his gang fought against the anti-Albanian Greek regime and its criminal gangs in Chameria. He was killed by Greek agents.

History

In 1913 Daut created his own gang, composed of his own descendants, to repel the Greek army. In 1925, when Zog took power, he did not want any trouble with Greece. But Daut did not give up. Although he was already living within the borders of Albania, he crossed the border several times and fought. For this very purpose, Zog’s authorities exiled him to Lezhë, Krujë and more recently to Elbasan.

Defender of the Chams

Hoxha was reported to have defended the Chams from Greek atrocities.¹ His head was cut off by the Greek agents² which was confirmed by Italian sources in Tirana.³

The murder

Some time passed and he received a notice to go to Saranda to get weapons. He thought of getting the weapons that were confiscated from him. He left from Konispol. Vangjel Pandoja from Sopik was the main agent of Asfalia who would have information about Daut’s movements. Since he knew my father because he had employed him several times on his property, he had a kind of friendship and took advantage of this. He announced that Daut was moving from Konispol to Saranda.

The Greek squad that was assigned to kill him consisted of 7 people, 4 from Korofilla and 3 criminals who had been released from prison to commit murder. They killed him in an ambush right in Rrah Square, 7 kilometers inside the Albanian border, halfway between Konispol and Saranda. The expert examination revealed that he had not been killed in the place where he was found but in another place.

According to Martino Contu, Hoxha was killed by Greek emissaries.⁴

Then

The “Stefani” news agency broke the news. Benito Mussolini decided to attack Greece. This was also the reason because the war was predicted to happen. The Italians took advantage of the murder because it served as a reason. Greece had also been taking measures for some time. One of the measures was the massive expulsion of the Chams to the Turkish waters. This was done because in this way they eliminated a force that would support Italy in this attack.

The Italian magazine “Illustrazione” produced a sketch of the hanging.

Daut Hoxhas sons interview on Balkanweb.com

“As I said above, the murder of my father was not a coincidence. It had been prepared since 1913. My father was from the famous Bejdeshati family, which in the war against the Greeks had sacrificed 3 of its important and well-known representatives at that time in the entire Chameria area. This family belonged to the forefront of the fighting against the Greeks in Chameria. On October 18, 1918, the Greek army poured towards the South of Albania, supposedly fighting against the Ottoman Sultanate. In reality, the Ottoman Sultanate was divided into many provinces, but this was not their goal, but they poured into the Albanian trunk to plunder it. They had actually made three more attacks but were defeated with heavy losses. Daut Hoxha represented the undefeated warrior in all the battles with the Greeks.

Did Daut have his own company?

Yes. Of course, in 1913 Daut created his own company composed of his own people to repel the Greek army. After 1913, the Greeks entered Chameria and took it over. They said they were not dealing with Albanians but with Ottomans. Upon entering, they killed and chopped down 101 Albanians in Paramithi with axes. At this time, Daut Hoxha grabbed his brothers and some of his relatives and went up the mountain to respond to the Greeks. They elected him captain of the company. This was the company that resisted and lasted longer than all the other companies of that time in Chameria. Various researchers have published reports from Greece at this time that wrote that Daut Hoxha was bringing the Greeks around Chameria. During these years he clashed several times with the Greek army and in these attempts Daut was wounded twice. But luckily the doctors healed him.

After this situation and this fact, what did Greece do to him? Did it seek to capture or kill him?

Yes. Greece at this moment was committed to killing him, arresting him, eliminating him, in other words, everything to stop Daut Hoxha and his company.

From the efforts that Daut and his company made, is there a balance sheet of how many deaths the Greeks caused?

This cannot be said with certainty, but the Englishman who came to the investigative commission together with the Italians said that within just one hour in those gorges and mountains that Daut was fighting with their comrades, 72 or 73 Greek soldiers.

How did events continue with the coming to power of Ahmet Zog?

In 1925, when Zog took power, he did not want any trouble with Greece. But Dauti did not give up. Even though he was already living within the borders of Albania, he crossed the border several times and fought. For this very purpose, Zog’s authorities exiled him to Lezhë, Krujë and more recently to Elbasan. After a few years, they released him from exile, but Dauti did not give up. Of course, not in the old way of being hostile to Greece. He also lived for some time in Korça, but then he decided to live in Konispol in our house that we had there. However, our house was very different from other houses. A family friend who visited Dauti at that time and saw the house said that he remembered it as a military barracks, so armed and militarily prepared were Dauti and his men.

What was in the house?

It was not just Dauti. The Chams did not stand idly by in the face of Greek rule. 10 Chams would come to the house, 15 would leave. They fought, but they had to have a central power, a base. And this center was our house, that is, Daut Hoxha. It was precisely by serving as a base that they took it very seriously. The Greek state put a price of half a million drachmas to capture Daut Hoxha.

What was the value of this amount then?

The value is huge for the time but also for today. It could buy an entire city.

But why did Greece decide to kill him exactly after Italy had invaded Albania?

Before we get to the murder, I want to emphasize that Greece had made several attempts to kill Daut. It had even introduced people into his squad to eliminate him. Both injuries occurred precisely from these attempts. But he had the ability to be very fast and was able to escape.

What happened next? Was there a legal trial against Daut Hoxha?

In this situation, which Dautin and others could not eliminate, after 1931 Greece declared an amnesty for all the Chams who had fled and were wanted by Greece. At this time, Zog’s state signed a treaty for the mutual surrender of criminals on both sides of the border. This meant that all criminals who had fled from Albania to Greece and those who had fled from Greece to Albania would surrender. But there was also a condition according to which every returnee had to appear before a political court. In this situation, my father appeared before the court in Gjirokastra. There was a Greek lawyer there. Since they thought that the political court would hand over Dautin, some representatives of the Greek state had gone from there to Gjirokastra. The idea was that they would take Daut with them and for this they had also come by car. The Greeks made such accusations which were rejected by the court authority itself because they did not use the documents that they had made available. According to the court, the murders that Daut Hoxha was accused of had occurred for patriotic reasons and were not ordinary.

Did Daut himself speak at the court?

Even my father was unschooled but Daut had some natural abilities of thinking and speaking. He took the floor at the court and explained the reasons why he had taken the mountains. He told the court about the Greek massacres and according to him this had forced him to seize the weapons. “If I had not done what I did, there would not even be grass in Chameria. That is why we are alive today but we would all have died, we would have been wiped out,” my father said at the court. Thus, the court decided that Daut Hoxha was inexcusable and the cars of the Greek representatives returned from where they had come.

What happened after this trial?

The Greek state continued to pursue Dauti. But you think they had spy centers and had information.

What happened next?

Since Dauti was free, Greece made another maneuver. It sent the Minister of the Navy, Mr. Boçari. Through the Albanian authorities, he asked to meet with my father. My father actually did not want to meet him. But the Albanian state authorities convinced him to make the meeting. Someone told him that regardless of what he thought, the meeting was not unreasonable. After he agreed, my father set a condition that the meeting be held 10 meters inside the Albanian border. The meeting was held according to what Dauti decided. They met inside the Albanian border. They sat on the grass and he introduced himself. He told him that he assured Dauti that there would be no problem and that the Greek government had forgiven him. He even suggested where he should live in Paramithi or even in Athens if he wanted to just leave Albania and come to Greece. The minister was of Albanian origin from Suli, a neighbor of ours, and he told Dauti about this fact. But Dauti cut him off: I have not done anything to the Greek government to deserve forgiveness. I have not asked for and do not expect forgiveness. In fact, the Greek government should apologize to me because it has buried me and cut off my family and my people. It has taken my property and taken my place. The envoy tells him that they should leave these behind also because they were both Albanians. But Dauti here tells him something very important:

“My head is used to living under the red and black shadow, while your head under the dark shadows. I suffocate under the dark shadows. That is why this work is not done”.

How did the events unfold after the Italian invasion of Albania?

At this moment everything was extreme and Greece wanted it at all costs. Even though Italy had invaded Albania, the Italian army had not yet arrived in the Konipsol area. The Greeks took advantage of this, who on many occasions entered deep into the Albanian border. Sometimes the Italian soldiers also clashed with the Greeks. However, some time passed and the Italians also came to Konipsol. Upon arrival, they issued an order: Daut Hoxha is strictly forbidden to carry weapons of war. According to the Italians, Daut carried Greek weapons. In fact, this was not true. He made Turkish weapons. However, Daut received the disarmament that Italy did to his father very badly. They took all his weapons and this created a big problem for Daut. At this time, the Greek Asphalia tasked its centers to organize because they had information that Italy would attack Greece. According to the data, one of the Albanian leaders who would support this war was Daut Hoxha with his platoon. At this moment, the Greek secret agency decided to kill him.

But did Dauti have any connection with the Italians?

My father had no connection with the Italians at all.

But how was he doing at this time without weapons? He had carried weapons all his life and suddenly he no longer has them.

Some time passed and he received a notice to go to Saranda to get weapons. He thought of getting the weapons that were confiscated from him. He left from Konispol. Vangjel Pandoja from Sopik was the main agent of Asfalia who would have information about Dauti’s movements. Since he knew my father because he had employed him several times on his property, he had a kind of friendship and took advantage of this. He announced that Dauti was moving from Konispol to Saranda. The Greek squad that was assigned to kill him consisted of 7 people, 4 from Korofilla and 3 criminals who had been released from prison to commit murder. He was killed in an ambush right in Rrah Square, 7 kilometers inside the Albanian border, halfway between Konispol and Saranda. The expert report concluded that he was not killed in the place where he was found, but in another place.

The Italian magazine “Ilustrazione” has published a sketch according to which he was killed in his sleep. What is the truth?

I know that they gave the version that he was killed in his sleep. But what kind of crazy Dauti was he to sleep in the shadow of Gorica? He was being chased by the Greeks and could not sleep. What does this mean? They had put him in

side of the road.

Why did they cut off his head after killing him?

Then they cut off his head. They took two shepherds and put their heads in a bag and took them with them. They went to Filat and the horror was present. The residents did not believe it. Taking the head was to convince the authorities and the second to receive the 500 thousand drachmas reward to tell the population that this is how they would end up. To tell them that we managed to kill Daut Hoxha and not you.

Where did they bury his head?

I know that they buried him but I did not learn the place. Maybe in Athens, but we do not have the exact information.

It seems to me that Daut Hoxha ended up like Ali Pasha Tepelena with two graves, one in Konispol and one in Athens?

That’s exactly right. After 1990, I removed the remains from the first burial place and buried his remains in the village cemetery.

You were 18 at the time, do you remember how you found out about the incident?

I was in the fields working in Konispol. I was in the fields because the land in the mountains could not support us. My father was 44 years old when he was killed. My family consisted of my two parents, my father and my mother Adileja, 4 boys and two girls. We learned the news from a woman. In fact, the Italian carabinieri had been notified beforehand. They buried him on the spot. The Greeks had spies everywhere. The woman told my mother that a man had been found murdered. It seemed that she was informed and acted as if she had just passed by by chance.

Was there a funeral ceremony?

No. The murder was reported to the carabinieri at dinner, the carabinieri came to the scene. The body had been massacred and buried where it was found.

Were any investigations carried out?

Yes, and two people were arrested. Sotir Demiri and Vangjel Pando were arrested but were released a few days later. Whoever fired the gun against my father, the real killers are Albanians in the service of Greek Asfalia. At first, the investigations went well, but the surprise was that an Italian military commander was appointed to continue them. As soon as he took over the investigations, he blocked them. He even released the two arrested. The Italians not only released the arrested but also made them agents on behalf of Italy in Greece. But they were from Asfalia and acted in a double-handed manner.

What did the two arrested represent, Sotiri?

He was a worker of my father. He chopped wood, he made fires.

So Dauti was spied on by his own worker?

Yes. That’s right.

Was there anger and resentment to take revenge?

The murder created great anger in Chameria beyond.

And you personally?

Me? You ate me alive. They killed my father.

Did you take any action?

No.

How did the investigation go?

When the investigative commission arrived, an Englishman asked my mother Adilena who had killed her husband. My mother said firmly that the killers were Greeks. How do you know, the Englishman told her? I know, my mother said, they have been looking for him all their lives. The Englishman continued by asking her how it was possible that she did not know that Dauti had killed 70 or so Greeks and that she knew that Dauti had been killed by the Greeks. But my mother told the Englishman. Now I have a question: Where did Dauti hang them, on Greek soil or on Dauti’s soil. It is different that they invaded us, took our goods and killed us. Dauti was on his land and in his house.

How did Italy handle the murder?

Then the attack happened. The “Stefani” news agency reported the news. Benito Mussolini made the decision to attack Greece. This was also the reason because the war was predicted to happen. They only took advantage of my father’s murder and used it as a pretext. Greece had also been taking measures for some time. One of the measures was the mass deportation of the Chams to Turkish waters. This was done because in this way they eliminated a force that would support Italy in this attack.

The Italian magazine “Illustrazione” made a sketch of the hanging. Is it correct?

No. He is given away while sleeping. There was no way Dauti was sleeping when 500 thousand drachmas were put on his head.

What happened next?

Yes, the attack happened. I was taken as a soldier and ironically I was part of Italy’s attack on Greece.

How many Chams participated?

Two Cham battalions participated in the war. These were persecuted by the Greek government and were forced to cross the border.

Did they fight?

This question is not asked in the war. I later became a partisan and fought against the invaders.”

References

http://www.muzeuiflamurit.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/slide1-2.jpg

1. https://books.google.se/books?id=WiHFBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT144&dq=Daut+Hoxha&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAttu6rbOKAxUgHhAIHZf_BQI4FBDoAXoECAsQAg ↩︎
2. https://books.google.se/books?id=nEK9xnmMjrYC&pg=PA114&dq=Daut+Hoxha&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiuqpPaq7OKAxUyBxAIHXqhEtAQ6AF6BAgFEAI ↩︎
3. https://books.google.se/books?id=hFA6Kt0idx0C&q=Daut+Hoxha&dq=Daut+Hoxha&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&printsec=frontcover&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiuqpPaq7OKAxUyBxAIHXqhEtAQ6AF6BAgHEAI ↩︎
4. https://books.google.se/books?id=1kF6lYxrmyAC&q=Daut+Hoxha&dq=Daut+Hoxha&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&printsec=frontcover&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjAttu6rbOKAxUgHhAIHZf_BQI4FBDoAXoECAUQAg ↩︎