The man you see in this photograph is Hisen Kadri Gërbavci; born in the village of Dazhnicë in 1905, he passed away on April 7, 1971—marking 51 years since his death today. He spent much of his life in the mountains, pursued by the Serbs because he refused to accept their regimes and the oppression they inflicted. He lived through two wars: the First and Second World Wars.

His brother Rexhep was killed in the First World War, while in the Second World War, they killed his nephew Ramiz, his cousins ​​Rrahman and Kamer, and two neighbors—Limi and his son Lami—and even burned down his house in 1945. However, in 1949, a police officer named Can Rrahimi—aware of the tragedy that had befallen Hisen’s family—intervened to free and protect him, ensuring he was not punished.

Rrahimi shielded him from torture during the “rifle collection” campaign, allowing him to live freely with his family for the next 12 or 13 years. He has an extraordinary story. If he had been from Drenica, there would be a monument to him, or a school bearing his name—for he, too, contributed to the homeland, and he should not be left in oblivion. I, his son Asllan, am proud that he never surrendered to the enemy. May the earth rest lightly upon him.

I will cherish the memory of Asllan Hisen Gërbovc as long as I live.

Written by Asllan Hisen Gērbovci.