The Beden Camp was one of those horrible sites for political prisoners, who had to build a canal from the Beden swamp area (also known as the Zhabjak Swamp) all the way to the Shkumbin River. In 1948, 1200 prisoners divided into brigades worked to open this canal. Prisoners came from the prisons of Shkodra, Elbasan and Durrës, as well as from the Maliq Swamp. They were put in makeshift barracks for several months of work.
Father Zef Pllumi was one of the prisoners who came from Shkodra and worked in this camp. It is interesting that 29 Catholic priests worked in a single brigade. They had all come from the Shkodra Prison. They were: Mikel Koliqi, Tom Laca, Nikollë Shelqeti, Nikollë Laska, Rrok Fisku, Nikollë Mazreku, Ndue Suma, Ndue Soku, Mark Hasi, Zef Pllumi, Vlash Muçaj, Pal Gjini, Injac Gjoka, Gegë Luma, Agostin Ashiku, Donat Kurti, Çiril Cani (75 years old), Frano Kiri, Dionis Makaj, Karlo Serreqi, Leon Kabashi, Aleks Baqli, Filip Mazreku, Mëhill Miraj, Mark Harapi, Jak Gardini, Anton Luli and Alfonc Çuni.
The first work was flattening a small hilly area by the Shkumbin River. Convicts worked eight hours per day, but an hour would be added “in honour of Comrade Stalin”, after that another one “in honour of Comrade Tito”, and lastly another hour “for the commander, comrade Enver.” All living conditions in the camp were poor.
Along with the work itself, the walking distance from the work front to our camp grew more and more tiring. The canal’s length increased the distance in kilometres from the camp, therefore their return from work would become increasingly exhausting.
“Bymid-October, the Beden Camp had become this lump of waste that deserved setting fire to so as not to pollute the earth with more germs”, – Zef Pllumi writes.
Aside from opening canals, the prisoners were also exploited for deforestation, planting etc., and their number of working days was assessed at 16,017.
By September 1950, convicts who worked in Bishqem came to this camp.
The camp commander was Beqir Liço, who used to be at the Orman-Pojan Camp.
By November 1950, Shkodra’s prisoners returned to their places.
A few days before the camp was closed, convict Mustafa Vata was killed in the camp seemingly due to an escape attempt. He had served two years in prison and needed only a few more days to be released. Even the camp command reached the conclusion that he did not want to escape and that the guard was wrong.
Convicts
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- Mikel Koliqi
- Tom Laca
- Nikollë Shelqeti
- Nikollë Laska
- Rrok Fisku
- Nikollë Mazreku
- Ndue Suma
- Ndue Soku
- Mark Hasi
- Zef Pllumi
- Vlash Muçaj
- Pal Gjini
- Injac Gjoka
- Gegë Luma
- Agostin Ashiku
- Donat Kurti
- Çiril Cani
- Frano Kiri
- Dionis Makaj
- Karlo Serreqi
- Leon Kabashi
- Aleks Baqli
- Filip Mazreku
- Mëhill Miraj
- Mark Harapi
- Jak Gardini
- Anton Luli
- Alfonc Çuni
- Beqir Ajazi
- Mustafa Vata