In Vlora, Zylyftar Veleshnja, a participant in democratic movements and the National Liberation Anti-Fascist War, passed away. Born in the village of Veleshnje in Skrapar in 1902, he participated in the June Revolution of 1924 and collaborated with figures such as Asim Vokshi and Riza Cerova during the anti-monarchist Uprising of Fier in 1935. Following the uprising’s failure, he fled to Greece. Veleshnja returned to Albania in 1939 and immediately joined the National Liberation Anti-Fascist Movement, taking on various command roles including commander of the partisan detachment of Skrapar in 1942, deputy commander of the district headquarters of Berat, and commander of the partisan battalion “Riza Cerova” in 1943, as well as commander of the partisan group of Skrapar in 1944. He distinguished himself as a skilled warrior and leader and was elected a member of the National Liberation Anti-Fascist Council at the Përmet Congress in 1944. After the liberation, despite being a war invalid, Veleshnja held significant positions in the army and local authorities in Skrapar and Berat. He served as vice-president of the Albanian People’s War Veterans Committee and was elected deputy of the People’s Assembly in all legislatures. (In the photo: Zylyftar Veleshnja)
Text: Albanian encyclopedic dictionary – Vol. 3, Academy of Sciences of Albania, “Kristalina-KH”, Tirana, 2009, page 2867-2868.
Photo: © https://telegraf.al/dosier/
Graphic processing: AHCF
