May 5, Martyrs' Day

2023-05-05 08:23:00, Aktualitet CNA

Illustrative photo

Today is the Day of Martyrs of the Nation who have given their lives for freedom, democracy, human rights and the dignity of every Albanian.

Martyrs' Day originates on May 5, 1942, when Qemal Stafa was killed, who with his activity became a symbol of the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War.

In honor of the memory of those who fell for the country's freedom, every year at the Martyrs' Cemetery, tributes are paid by the highest heads of the Albanian state.

Before the creation of the Albanian state, the people remembered the martyrs and kept their legends alive, through the epic song, and the legacy of their history from generation to generation.

After the declaration of Independence in 1912 until 1945, the Albanian state did not create a legal status for the martyrs of the Motherland. During the National-Liberation war, the first efforts were made to honor the martyrs fallen on the battlefields. After the liberation, on August 28, 1945, the presidency of the National Liberation Anti-Fascist Council approved the law No. 109 "On the compensation of the families of the martyrs and invalids of the Anti-Fascist National Liberation War". This law sanctioned the treatment of the families of patriots who had fought and died for the homeland even before the Anti-Fascist National-Liberation War, during the National Renaissance, in the wars for independence, thus marking the first attempt for an integral law for the martyrs of the Motherland.

In the 1960s, the status of the martyr was further elaborated and expanded, specifying the term "Martyr of the Motherland". This law also includes the Cemetery of the Martyrs of the Fatherland, which were built in all the centers of the country's districts. The Cemetery of Martyrs of the Motherland was also built in Tirana with the "Mother Albania" monument.

In 1992-1993, with the change of the political system, the status of the Martyr of the Motherland also underwent changes.

In 2000, after many efforts, Law No. 8607 dated 27.04, "Status of the Martyr of the Motherland", which includes the martyrs of all historical periods, even those who fell in the years 1997-1999, in Albania and in the Liberation War of Kosovo./ CNA.al