Xhemil Demiraj, a military officer, was born in Kuç, Vlorë. In 1929, he completed the Carabinieri School in Florence, Italy. Upon returning to his homeland, he served in Gjirokastër, Shkodër, Durrës, and Peshkopi. During the years 1942–1944, he served with the Ministry of Defense. In October 1944, he fled to Shkodër and joined the anti-communist resistance forces fighting in the Northern mountains. He was arrested in Valbona. After spending a year and a half in interrogation, on September 6, 1946, he was sentenced to death by firing squad; later, the sentence was commuted to 30 years of imprisonment. He worked on various projects such as the Jubë Sukth canal, the Peqin-Kavajë canal, the Maliq-Orman-Pojan region, Vlashuk, the Kuçova military airport, the Vjosë-Levan-Fier canal, and Zadrima. He was released in 1960. In 1967, he was interned together with his wife in Kuç, Vlorë, and they were released in 1973. He passed away in Durrës in 1984. (In the photo: Xhemil Demiraj)
Text: Encyclopedic dictionary of victims of communist terror – Vol. II , “West Print”, Institute for the Study of Crimes and Consequences of Communism, Tirana, 2013, page 113.
Photo: © Institute for the Study of Crimes and Consequences of Communism, Tirana.
Graphic processing: AHCF
