Open Camps Archives - Harta e Kujteses

“Ylli i Kuq” Camp, Valias

Indrit Dervishi — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 11:08:35 +0000

One of the most unknown barbed-wire fenced camps was that known as number 3. This camp mainly held Albanians from the south of the country and Greek minority members. The camp was opened in 1948 by the “Ylli i Kuq” Farm in Valias in tents and sheds, old houses. Internees and prisoners were held here for forced labour. In the beginning, the camp served as a site to hold “Greek monarchic-fascists”, as well as German POWs. Internees worked in agriculture. According to the report dated 13 August 1948, 89 internees went to work, including children, for three hours every day. In January – May 1950, around 200 German POWs worked here. Due to the harsh conditions in this camp, eight people died in 1949, of which four children.

According to the 1950 records, this was a yearly dynamic for the internees in Valias.

-Total: 475 – 820 people.

-70 – 152 men

-164 – 130 women

-500 – 800 children

In 1951, on average the camp had:

-Total: 741 (January) – 872 (September)

-161 – 193 men

-284 – 325 women

-296 – 350 children

In 1952, on average the camp had:

-In total: on average there were 400 internees.

-Around 120 men

-Around 190 women

-Around 90 children

In 1952 this camp was moved from Valias to Cërrik.

Internees

- Fetie Nurçe (-)
- Gjon Preloshi (-)

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“Rrapi i Treshit” Camp No. 6, Tirana

Indrit Dervishi — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 10:23:58 +0000

The records of 1952 indicate that a labour camp numbered 6 was created that year. Camp No. 6 was located at the so-called “Rrapi i Treshit” in Tirana.

In the beginning of 1953, 700 prisoners worked in this unit. In the command’s report, it was admitted that this camp’s prisoners were violated barbarically. Neim Musaraj was camp commander.

The data from the biography of camp commissar Njazi Banushi indicate that the camp operated from July 1952 to September 1953. This camp’s staff was made of formerly agricultural labourers with elementary education.

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Radostinë Camp, Fier

Indrit Dervishi — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 10:48:45 +0000

Internment site, as well as temporary labour camp for prisoners. Prisoners from Camp 2 worked in Radostinë from May to July 1955 to open an 8-km-long canal. It served as an internment site for political internees for years on end.

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29 Nëntori Farm Camp, Plug, Lushnja

Indrit Dervishi — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 09:47:51 +0000

The 29 Nëntori Farm Camp in Plug, Lushnja, was formed in 1950 as an enclosed camp.

In summer 1951, Greek immigrants were taken here. They were exploited for forced labour in agriculture. Plug had been chosen as an appropriate concentration site, where checks were performed more easily. Other prison convicts started to come here, gradually populating the camp with a large majority of Albanian prisoners, whereas the Greeks became a small minority.

In 1953, internees from barbed-wire camps, which were closed by law, were taken there, but the internees continued to be surrounded by barbed wire as prisoners worked at this camp too. Until 1955, it operated as an internment camp.

*During their stay in Plug, 2 Greek monarchic-fascists died without leaving any trace. They stayed at the first sector of the 29 Nëntori Farm. In a notification from the Lushnja Directorate of Internal Affairs dated 20 January 1956, it was said that there was no certain knowledge on their bodies or whereabouts.

As Albanian prisoners were joined with the Greeks ones, a group of 500 convicted labourers was created. Here, prisoners performed works such as cultivation and opening irrigation canals etc. At the Plug field, the camp operated until November 1953.

*Lieutenant Besnik Çomo was commissar. The camp’s operative worker called Mantho, according to a report dated 7 June 1952, tortured, robbed and stole from “monarchic-fascists”, whereas he had also tried to rape a woman.

Later on, the internment camp would eventually be called an internment site and continued so until the fall of the communist regime. The internees were not isoalted but appeared on roll call and had to get authorization to leave the locality.

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Kuç Camp

Indrit Dervishi — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 09:02:06 +0000

-Kuç Camp 1954 – 1958The Kuç Camp operated in the years 1954 – 1958. A camp isolated by nature, former senior officials, intellectuals and members of renowned families, such as Lazër Radi, Zef and Baltazar Benusi, Lekë and Valentin Pervizi etc. In January 1956, the daily communication of the MIA indicates the number of internees there and their harsh living conditions. It stated: “Vlora informs us that there are 90 people at the Kuç Camp, of whom 45 are able to work and 45 are not able to work and are fed by us. Some of these people have no income from work or other resources and their families are not able to help them. Therefore, they lack conditions as regards clothing, personal belongings and sleep.”
Internees

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Tale Internment Site

Indrit Dervishi — Sat, 30 Oct 2021 07:33:24 +0000

According to data found by researcher Kastriot Dervishi, there is a paradox here. Tale, in Lezha, was an internment site as many other villages in Albania, but in 1977, some of the internees of this and other villages in Lezha lived surrounded by barbed wire, although by that time, surrounded camps had been closed.

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Kodra e Beut Camp, Paskuqan

Indrit Dervishi — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 14:59:24 +0000

This camp served to place the internees who worked on the reclamation of the Kamza and Valias fields.

It was a small camp surrounded by barbed wire. There is not much information about this camp.

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