Rexhep Krasniqi

Dr. Rexhep Krasniqi
Born (1906-04-24)April 24, 1906
Yakova, Ottoman Albania
Died February 12, 1999(1999-02-12) (aged 92)
Nationality Albanian, American
Occupation teacher, journalist
Known for Second League of Prizren
Free Albania Committee

Rexhep Krasniqi (1906–1999) was an Albanian-American historian,[1] teacher, nationalist, and anti-communist politician and activist.[2] A Kosovar Albanian, he is remembered for his role in the Second League of Prizren, and long time leadership of the "Free Albania" National Committee.

Krasniqi was born in Yakova on 24 April 1906. He remained orphan at a very young age and was raised in Bajram Curri's family.[3] As a close acquaintance of the Curri, he was given a scholarship from the Albanian government and sent to study in Austria in 1921.[4] There he studied in Graz and later in the Theresianum of Vienna. He would remain there until his graduation from the University of Vienna in history. He received a doctorate (PhD) there with the thesis "The Congress of Berlin and north-eastern Albania" in 1934, led by Carl Patsch. After that he returned to Albania.[5]
Krasniqi worked as a teacher in Shkoder, Gjirokaster. In 1937 he went to Tirana where he worked again as a teacher for a short time, after which he started as an official in the Ministry of Education of Albania.[5]
The outbreak of WWII would change things. Shortly after the Italian invasion of Albania in April 1939, Krasniqi was arrested and interned for a short time in the "Porto Palermo" camp due to his nationalistic views. With his return in Albania, he was sent to Kosovo (most of which back then were annexed as part of the Albanian Kingdom) and appointed principal of the first (newly established) Albanian language school in Prishtina. There he got close to Xhafer Deva and Rexhep Mitrovica. Krasniqi became part of the leadership of the Second League of Prizren. He proceeded further in politics, first becoming member of the Albanian Parliament in 1943. He was appointed later as Minister of Education in the cabinet of Fiqri Dine, also serving as deputy-chairman of the Parliament.[4][5]
With the Communist coming in power in Albania and Kosovo being reinstated as part of Yugoslavia, Krasniqi with other leaders of the Second League of Prizren. First to Vienna via Zagreb, then passed in Italy and Turkey, to reach Syria where he stayed a short time. After Syria, he settled in Melbourne, Australia where he did all kinds of commons jobs. With an invitation from State Department and support of Xhafer Deva, he settled in US in 1954. There he took over the leadership of the "Free Albania" National Committee[6] from Hasan Dosti.[5] The Committee was an opponent of the Communist regime of Enver Hoxha back in Albania, and gathered most of the anti-communist Albanian emigre of post-WWII. It served as a government-in-exile until 1955 when Albania joined the UN. Anyway, the Committee continued to organize political gatherings, conferences, and seminars. Over 15,000 Albanian refugees were resettled in the United States through its efforts. Krasniqi publisher the newspaper The Free Albanian (Albanian: Shqiptari i Lirë) from November 1957 to 1970. He was also a regular member of the Assembly of Captive European Nations (ACEN).[2][6]
Krasniqi died in New York in 1999.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Miroljub Jevtić (2008), Religion and Power: Essays on Politology of Religion, Dioceze of Ras, Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija: Center for study of religion and religious tolerance, p. 738, ISBN 9788682323297, OCLC 626878617, Albanian historian Rexhep Krasniqi...
  2. 1 2 Harry G. Shaffer (1967), The Communist World: Marxist and Non-Marxist Views 2, Appleton-Century-Crofts, p. 370, OCLC 228608
  3. 1 2 Robert Elsie (2013), A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History, I.B. Tauris, pp. 256–257, ISBN 9781780764313, OCLC 824597079
  4. 1 2 Eugen Shehu, Dr. Rexhep Krasniqi, shqiptari që doktoroi në Vjenë në vitin 1934 [Dr.Rexhep Krasniqi, the Albania who received a doctorate in Vienna in 1934] (in Albanian), Gazeta Lajm online
  5. 1 2 3 4 Robert Elsie (2004), Historical Dictionary of Albania, European historical dictionaries (42), Scarecrow Press, pp. 248–249, ISBN 9780810848726, OCLC 52347600
  6. 1 2 Katalin Kadar Lynn (2013), The inauguration of organized political warfare : cold war organizations sponsored by the National Committee for a Free Europe/Free Europe Committee, Helena History Press, p. 350, ISBN 9780985943301, OCLC 864858372
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