From the cells of fascism to the communist investigation/ The tragic fate of Harilla Bakalli

2026-05-29 19:55:00, Kulturë Aleksandër Cangonja

From the cells of fascism to the communist investigation/ The tragic fate of

The story of Harilla Bakalli is one of the most chilling testimonies of how the post-war regime in Albania rewarded with torture and death people who sacrificed everything for freedom and the reconstruction of the homeland. To fully understand the scale of this tragedy, it is enough to see the official documents of the time that show his journey from the cells of the fascist occupier to the highest offices of the new Albanian state, before ending up lifeless in the cells of the communist investigation.

Everything begins during the dark years of World War II. Harilla, one of the well-known suckers of the Bakalli family in Durrës, who had invested in public life and as a publicist with his newspaper, could not remain indifferent to the fate of the country. Also driven by the ideals of his nephew, Spiro Bakalli, who left his studies in France to engage in the liberation of the homeland, Harilla put his position as Director of the Chamber of Commerce in Durrës at risk.

The first official document, issued by the Gendarmerie Arma on March 10, 1944 with protocol number 2676, clearly reveals his courage. This document communicates his arrest on the charge that "according to the information that the District Command has, he is accused of supplying bulk food such as sugar, Oris, Macaroni, etc., which he gave to the National Liberation Brigade of Myslim Peza". This fascist document not only proves that he was part of the National Liberation Council since December 1942, but also shows that he was imprisoned and sent to the Court for the Protection of the State precisely because he fed and supported those who fought in the mountains.

With the arrival of liberation, Harilla Bakalli was released from prison and, as a man of integrity and great experience, was immediately put at the service of the recovery of the destroyed country. His technocratic skills were immediately recognized by the new military and civilian leadership. This is confirmed fourfold by the second document, where just a few days before the official liberation, on November 25, 1944, the Commander of the 1st Army Corps, Major General Dali Ndreu, addresses the Council of the Prefecture of Durrës with the final order: "Comrade Harila Bakalli, has been given instructions by the Ministry of National Economy and Reconstruction that in cooperation with that Council, he should take an interest in the resettlement of the population of Durrës, in the reconstruction and putting into operation as soon as possible of every industry or entity of public interest."

Harilla threw himself into the work and became the first and successful organizer of the Port of Durrës. In this vital role for the survival of the people, he managed with surgical precision thousands of tons of goods, medicines, clothing and means of transport that the Allied Military Mission brought in as an emergency and the great aid that UNRRA donated. Moreover, beyond the economic aspect, he showed a high level of humanity and great logistical skills by carefully and conveniently managing the repatriation of Albanians and Italians, as well as the delicate operation of repatriating 170 Jews to Palestine with UNRRA ships. He became vice-president of the Front in Durrës, consolidating himself as a key figure of the new state.

But, this is where the great break and tragic paradox occur. The one who was once imprisoned by the fascists for helping the national liberation movement, and who later raised the economy of Durrës from the ruins, received as his only reward physical elimination. In early 1947, under the wave of wild ideological paranoia and class struggle that hit the merchants and intellectuals of Durrës, Harilla Bakalli was called to the Internal Affairs Branch.

His official cooperation with Western structures in the management of aid was used as a pretext to arrest him under the absurd accusation of being an Anglo-American agent. After inhuman torture in the investigation cells, Harilla died without ever being tried and without a guilty verdict from any court.

Its history remains a painful monument to an era that killed capable and patriotic people, but also an indelible testament to the citizenship and sacrifice of the people of Durrës.