Aqif Përmeti was born in Përmet, senior military man, Commander-in-Chief of the Albanian Gendarmerie, founder and head of the first gendarmerie school, creator of the genius department, creator of Military Topography. In 1890, he started teaching at the Turkish school in the city. He finished high school in Greece. In the years 1902-1906, he completed his military studies in Istanbul, while in the years 1906-1908 he completed the Higher Military Academy. After graduation, he held important positions in the ranks of the imperial army. In 1911, at the age of 27, he received the rank of general in the Ottoman army. Along with Mehmet Pashë Deralla and Shefqet Skopje, he was one of the organizers of the army of the Provisional Government of Vlora. During the Balkan Wars, he led the Albanian forces against the Greek army in the south of the country. In 1914 he emigrated to America, where he was elected manager of the newspaper “Dielli” (“The sun”). In January 1920, the “Vatra” (“Hearth”) society appointed him in charge of the Albanian volunteers who would be put at the disposal of the government emerging from the Congress of Lushnja, and on March 29, 1920 he went down to Albania, heading a group of volunteers of about 300 people. Then the command of the gendarmerie was assigned to restore order in Central Albania. After eliminating the esadist forces in Durres, Shijak, Tirana and Elbasan, he left for Vlora, where he participated directly in the war and made a great contribution to the organization and direction of the combat formations. After the end of the Vlora War (1920), he was appointed head of the gendarmerie of Korça. At the end of August 1923, he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Albanian Gendarmerie. He held the same function during Fan Noli’s government. After its fall, he left Albania. He returned after the amnesty of 1926. He was recruited again with the rank of major in the Albanian gendarmerie, and was involved in the organization and management of the first gendarmerie school in Shkodër. After the consolidation of the school, he transferred with the same rank to the army, taking over the creation of the genio department, which he commanded until the end of June 1928. He was then entrusted with the creation and management of the first military farm in Albania. After nearly three years in this position, he was entrusted with the construction, organization and management of Military Topography (April 1931-February 1933). Then he was appointed head of the officer training school. In October 1940, with the start of the Italo-Greek War, he refused to be put in charge of the troops of the “Tomori” and “Taraboshi” battalions to fight alongside the Italian forces, so he was dismissed from any military function. In January 1942, he was appointed to the civil administration of Kosovo, performing various functions and duties. After the capitulation of Italy, he was appointed deputy commissioner of Kosovo. At this time, he also received the high military rank of General of the Division. Together with a group of Albanian teachers who accompanied him to Kosovo, he started organizing Albanian schools in that province. At the beginning of 1944, he returned to his family in Albania and did not participate in the civil war. Despite the request made by the National Liberation General Staff, he did not participate in the partisan ranks. He was arrested on November 18, 1944, together with his two sons, Astrit and Feti, and on April 13, 1945, the Special Court of Tirana sentenced him to death as a “war criminal”. He was executed a day later, at Kodra e Priftit, in Tirana, along with 16 other people. (In the photo: Aqif Përmeti)
Text: Encyclopedic dictionary of victims of communist terror – Vol. VI , “West Print”, Institute for the Study of Crimes and Consequences of Communism, Tirana, 2017, pages 287-288.
Photo: © https://sq.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqif_P%C3%ABrmeti
Graphic processing: AHCF
