Martyrs' Day/ Honoring the heroes who gave their lives for freedom

2025-05-05 10:05:00, Sociale CNA

This Monday is the Day of the Martyrs of the Nation who gave their lives for freedom, democracy, human rights and the dignity of every Albanian.

Martyrs' Day originated on May 5, 1942, when Qemal Stafa was killed, who through his activities 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, homages are paid at the Martyrs' Cemetery by the highest leaders of the Albanian state.

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

After the declaration of Independence in 1912 and until 1945, the Albanian state did not create a legal status for the martyrs of the Fatherland. During the National Liberation War, the first efforts were made to honor the martyrs who fell on the battlefields. After the liberation, on August 28, 1945, the presidency of the Antifascist National Liberation Council approved Law No. 109 “On the compensation of the families of martyrs and invalids of the Antifascist National Liberation War”. This law sanctioned the treatment of the families of patriots who had fought and fallen for the fatherland even before the Antifascist 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 Fatherland.

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

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

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