The Greek-Albanian border – The “Hoxha's paradise” – The situation in the Eastern bloc – Murders of Northern Epirus residents by Albanians because they tried to come to Greece – Shocking details.
One of the most important scholars of the history of Albania and Greek-Albanian relations in the period 1945-1991 is Mr. Stavros G. Dagios. In our opinion, he is the man who knows this period better than anyone else. Mr. Dayos, it is doctor of History, Department of History and Archaeology, Faculty of Philosophyas of Aristotle University Thessaloniki.
Among the books he has written to date are the following: “The international dimension of the E-Hoxha-JB Tito rift and the end of the Greek Civil War 1945-1949” (2004), “Greece and Albania: 50 years of mutual distrust” (2015), “Nikos Akrivoyiannis and the trial of the airmen” (2017), “Greek refugees in Albania 1945-1990” (2017), “Nikos Zachariadis-Enver Hoxha: Cooperation and secret agreements of the KKE with Albania, 1943-1974”, (2019). The last four books are published by Literatus Publications.
Recently, the same publications released the new book by Stavros G. Dagios, entitled “Chasing chimeras: ALBANIAN POLITICAL FUGITIVES IN GREECE 1945-1991” (2021). The master's books Dayu, have in the past been a valuable source for our articles on protothema.gr, which caused a lively sensation and were widely accepted by our readers.
We asked Mr. Dayos to write an article with elements from his new book. As always, he willingly and kindly gave us permission and we thank him warmly for that. Very soon, we will talk with him about his new book and his interview will be published on protothema.gr
The greek-Albanian border
We have repeatedly referred to the greek-Albanian border, especially in Epirus and how difficult it is to guard it. In his new book, Stavros Dagios provides precise data. The Greek-Albanian border from the tri-national border in Prespa to the bay of Ftelia, opposite Corfu, extends at a length of 349 kilometers.
It is demarcated only by regular landmarks (main pyramids), as defined by the “Protocol for the Demarcation of the Greek-Albanian Border of Florence of 27 January 1925”, which were 177 in total. According to this Protocol, the border has been divided into three sectors: the first it starts from the tri-national park, in Prespa and ends at the peak of the altitude 2036 of Bandaros and on which there are 69 landmarks, the second it starts from the peak of Bandaros 2036 and reaches the confluence of the Sarantaporos and Aoos (Voyousas) rivers, which were identified on site with 29 regular landmarks and the third from the confluence of the Aoos-Sarantaporos rivers, it ends at the bay of Ftelia. In this sector too, the borders were determined on the spot (in loco), with 79 regular landmarks.
In addition to land borders, however, Greece and Albania also have aquatic. Lake boundaries are indicated by light markings, while in rivers and streams, the demarcation line is understood as the middle (line) of the main flow. In navigable rivers, the dividing line is understood as the deepest part of the bed. Finally, in coastal boundaries, the demarcation extends to 15 miles.
How were the borders guarded by the Albanians?
As stavros dagios Writes, The albanian border was guarded by border forces that were subordinate to the Border directorate Of the Ministry Of interior, which had three "pillars": national security, Police and border. The "Weapon of border" was established with a separate administration on 25 April 1945, but the first stations were built after December 1945 and in the meantime the borders were guarded by patrols. Until 1948-49, border guarding was entrusted to the People's Protection Divisions. Subsequently, the Albanian Ministry of Interior reorganized the Border and Prosecution Staff, which was renamed the "Border Directorate of the Ministry of Interior".
The 1967, the construction of " was completedinhibitor fence» along the demarcation line, equipped with signal emission systems at a distance of 250-550 meters in case of violation of the area, which was named «Obstacles electrical marking» (“Pengesa electrosinjalizuese”- PES”) and not only had a deterrent role for possible escape but its main use was the “huge psychological terror» of… candidates fugitivesOf course, the fence was not the only one in the former Eastern Bloc. In total, in all countries that were under soviet influence, the barbed wire fences they were 12,000,000 miles long (more than 19,200,000 kilometers)! (Mark Piros, ”The disillusioned: Twelve Million refugees from Communism”, October 1959).
Hoxha's "paradise"
In all the countries of the former Eastern Bloc, they had been established illiberal regimesThe Nazi concentration camps simply changed hands and were renamed "camps correctional". In total, in communist countries, there were approximately 500 concentration camps and prisons. In 1945, 1,700,000 prisoners from Nazi camps had returned to the USSR, while in 1953, the number of repatriated reached 5,500,5000. 20% of them, more than 1,100,000, were imprisoned with the maximum sentence of 25 years or were summarily executed by military courts of dubious legality and validity of the Soviet regime. But the other Stalinized regimes of Eastern Europe, adopting the same criminal practices, created "reign terror", which managed to survive with effective mechanisms of political repression. The outcome of failed revolutions in these countries is well known...
Albania was a special case. At the top of government and party power was the Enver Hodja, who, like Stalin, cared solely for his stay in powerand his individual integrity, fraudulently using Marxist ideology to consolidate his position.
THE Cross Dayos, in his new book, is a catapult: "The Stalinist Hoxha was an unbridled tyrant in his immoral pursuit of power, who aggressively imposed himself on the nation, equal to his despotism and his hysterical leadership cult. Anyone who questioned his authority ended up in the wastebasket and was then killed." Hoxha's people, as Northern Epirus residents who lived under his authoritarian regime have told us, used to say that "Here, in Albania, is heaven and in Greece is hell." We doubt whether they themselves believed what they were saying... But who was the "hodja's paradise"?
S. Dayos writes: "On the other hand, in everyday life, in which gloom prevailed, nothing justified the unbridled enthusiasm of propaganda." The working class ruled the country, only in theory. The Hoxha regime exploited wage labor, workers' overtime was "christened" "voluntary contribution"", there were also industrial mobilization, ban rights strike and protests, prisons for their… annoying, reduction earnings at construction sites which operated with primitive technology and of course they never had any profit returns...
And such a regime cannot function without them. ruffians (the word is of Italian origin ruffianο, dates back to the 13th century in Italian and according to the leading Italian dictionary LO ZINGARELLI is of unknown etymology). A an army of spies and informers, orhe was ready to "nail" any "tendency" of discontent to the regime and send its adherents to prison...
Murders of Northern Epirus residents who attempted to escape from "Hoxha's paradise"
Until 1939, basic characteristic of Albanians was their migration to other countries. The albanian dispersion even in countries like the U.S., it was important. After World War II and Hoxha's assumption of leadership, the immigration gradually became an act of inferiority and disloyalty, desertion from the common cause and an act punishable and condemnable. According to communist bibliography, they were miasmas, detractors, "crooks without passport" and "feces of nation» (!).
And the right-wing bibliography, however, referred to ""dummies and mysterious little jars" (!). The fugitives were used by both ideologies to serve their purposes. And yet, they were ordinary people, who only wanted freedom and a better life... Of course, the Northern Epirus were treated even worse than the Albanians. The agreements and treaties that the neighboring country had signed and gave some rights to the greek minority, they had been trampled a lot before World War II, with the well-known, timeless tolerance and inaction of Greek governments, which continues to this day... Perhaps this tolerance and inaction are among the few elements that confirm that the Greek state indeed has continuity.
As we wrote in our article about Pogoni (4/1/2020), we had mentioned the Kosovo, the village that was split in two and divided into two states (Greece and Albania), during the drawing of the Greek-Albanian borders (on a map...). This is probably a global first.
In sections 2 and 3 of the Greek-Albanian border, there were the most heinous crimes but also profane acts against the victims. On August 26, 1946, border guards her Kosovitsas, which we mentioned above, killed the Marika Nazi who tried to escape to Greece and was buried in a hurry. Her uncle, Pavlos Katsoulas, having reasonable suspicions that the unfortunate girl was gang-raped., requested that her body be exhumed and displayed publicly so that the world could see her abuse. The answer was: imprisonment and conviction by the Military Court of Gjirokaster.…
In February 1949, elite Security commandos, together with border guards, killed at the border near the border village of Sotira, the Athens Calleja, her mother Calliope and the Athens TerpouPresent At the heinous act, was the 16-year-old Lazaros Kalegias, son of Athena. The Albanians arrested him and convicted him of treason against the homeland! The villagers of the unfortunate women complained that they were abused before their murder (AMPB, V. 1949, D. 6341, Court File of Llazo Kaleja). The abbreviation AMPB refers to the archives of the Albanian Ministry of Interior.
Of course, at the same time as innocent women from Northern Epirus were being raped and murdered on the Greek-Albanian border, because they tried to come to Greece, the DSE men freely entered and exited whenever they wanted, armed of course, in Albania, which was their base and source of supply. There were not a few times when the DSE guerrillas also engaged in smuggling. Of course, the "Radical", he gave pardons in Albania:"The Albanian people have never beaten the brave Greek people," issue of 4/8/1946, p. 4.
The escape attempts of the people of Northern Epirus from the hell of Hodja, this is the correct term, they continued in the following Years. some managed to reach Greece, some were murdered in cold blood.
In March 1953 the Spyrakos Ironworkerwith his wife, originating from droviani, They attempted to escape." But they were murdered at the border, in Bogazi of Radatios. and after being desecrated, their bodies were dragged to the villages of Glyna and Limbochovo as an example. They suffered the same fate in 1954 panagiotis Botos and Michael Xiouras.
In 1958, the Spyridon Pegios arrested at the border and preferred to cut his own throat with a knife so as not to be captured. In 1985, the Sotirakis Nastos and the George Soles from the Himara, attempted to escape in a makeshift boat. They were found dead in Examilia, Agioi Saranda. Albanian port guards collected the bodies and desecrated them by carrying them tied to a boat, in front of the eyes of the terrified residents.
On 6/12/1983, the young man Odysseas Kokolis was murdered. His body tied to a farm tractor and he wandered around desecrated in villages of Dropoli as an example. Finally, on 14/6/1990 the 26-year-old Thomas Botis from the Vodritsa of Gjirokaster, was arrested, detained and was murdered by stoning, tied to the wires. After the fall of the regime, a border guard who participated in the crime, out of remorse, led Botis' family to the scene of the crime. His body was still bound with wire...
The impressive thing is that albanians were murdering Northern Epirus residents even inside Greece! Albanian commandos and security collaborators were pursuing the escapees in our country too! One of them, originally from Pillory, was found dead in Igoumenitsa, in 1973! After 1991 Of course, the escapes were massive and it was impossible for the Albanians to control them...
The black and white photos of the text were sent exclusively for the article and protothema.gr by Mr. Dayo. In them you see: The murdered Pantelis Mertiri at the border (31/10/1987), the Nikola brothers from Himara who escaped in a petrol tanker to Corfu (1953) and part of the infamous fence...
The color photographs were taken from the Greek-Albanian border. In the background, you can see landscapes of Albania in Northern Epirus. We would like to thank the president of the Cultural Landscape Association of Kastanianis, Mr. Dimitrios Papagiannis, and Giorgos Vassiliou, Evi Papagiannis and Panagiotis Kalambokas for their permission.
The source of today's article is the book By Stavros G. Dagios,"Chasing a Chimera: ALBANIAN POLITICAL FUGITIVES IN GREECE 1945-1991", publications LITERATURE, Thessaloniki, January 2021.
Thank you very much again sir Dayo and very soon he will tell us more about his book.
Michael Stoukas – protothema.gr
