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| Shahin Toçi |
On 26 May 1939, a brutal murder shook the Trastevere in Rome. A young Albanian, Shahin Toçi, newly graduated from the Military Academy was found dead by the Italian authorities.
Many were the hypotheses about the cause of death, likewise the questions, however the truth remained unknown. The Italian state filed the Toçi file, perhaps to hide what really happened, and that had to do with the great patriotic gesture of this Albanian man from Burrel - a region of Northern Albania.Two weeks before being found dead, Shahin Toçi made a gesture that today reflects patriotism and courage. It is precisely that firm position of an Albanian patriot that perhaps cost him his life, in the middle of an Italy dominated by the thrill of fascism and black shirts. However, before commenting on his death, let's see who this young man of 21-year-old was.
Who was Shahin Toçi
Born on 30 October 1918, Toçi stood out for his qualities. The adventures of the studies in Italy and in general his existence in the last years of life, was a real drama for him far from the homeland and that contained also the dynamics of the turbid events of Albania of 1939. Also because of his origin, on the side of King Zog, Shahin Toçi would have experienced a strong inner dilemma in the days when Italy occupyed Albania and the entire Albanian system of traditional values entered into crisis. In the debates among the Albanian students, particularly hot in those moments, he always showed himself to be careful to not leave doubds and superficial interpretations.
He was convinced that in the midst of fascist propaganda and in such a great distance from his country, the events, the facts and the truth about the occupation came in a distorted, emotional and subjective way. However, Toçi was among the first to propose the idea of organizing the students to return back to Albania and fight for the liberation of the country.
"Those who speak with fine words and who consider themselves civilized, in fact justify the slavery of the people," said Shahin Toçi in those days.
"There is no other way, except to throw away the facost weapons clothes, and return to our homeland. There the "Besa" is not lost, nor was its virility. There we can organize ourselves even better to drive out the slavery”.
Words with which he tried to convince the other students that they gave in to fascist ideas without much resistance.
The capitulation of the Albanian Royal Crown
Shahin Toçi witnessed in despair the moment of the handing over of the Albanian reigning Crown to Rome by the National Guard, a fact that would have an inner tragedy for him. However, Toçi was able to remain an Albanian character even in those difficult days and far from his country.
At the beginning of May 1939, the Albanian students of the Military Academy were gathered in a large hall for the oath. The academy commander, after speaking to the students about the new relations between Italy and Albania, invited them to take the fascist oath, with which they undertook to be in the service of Rome. According to the program, the oath was held in one of the squares of the Italian capital, on May 13, 1939.
On the day of the oath, in a ceremony armored by Italian troops, in the presence of War Secretary, Pariani, the student Shahin Toçi presented himself with a red and black ribbon over the Italian military uniform. This symbol created a visible agitation among the high officials present at the ceremony who asked to the young Albanian to immediately remove the black red ribbon. It was General Pariani who was the most surprised by this gesture.
"What value does this uniform have, your king has fallen", he saidd to Toçi. "Kings can fall, uniforms can be changed, but this ribbon remains.", Replied the young Toçi. The witnesses of that moment of tension reported that the Italian general was silent after the young man's reply.
The Albanian students were asked the next day to meet again, to recite the formula of the fascist oath. When the officer began to read aloud, a profound silence followed. It was thought that the students did not understand the language, but at that moment Shahin Toçi left the line and spoke in a loud voice: "Mr. General, we are Albanians and we swear only before our red and black flag!"
Needless to say, the ceremony was ruined for the second time. The next day the students were asked to appear before a commission at the Ministry of War to sign (and not swear aloud) the text and the fascist military oath. A cautious hand forcefully kept Shahin Toçi at the entrance door: "We know his arrogant behavior, he is not allowed to enter here", he was told at the entrance of the Ministry.
Under these conditions, the brave young man had a fixed idea: to return as soon as possible to Albania. But he never fulfilled his wish. An invisible hand took his life one night at the end of May 1939, in the hotel where he lived on the Trastevere.
It is little to call it a suspicious death because of the way it was consumed and the threatening message it carries with it. However, the loss of Toçi in the first few days after the fascist occupation, marks a little-known fact until "yesterday", that showsof how complex and multifaceted was the resistance of the Albanians against the Italian fascist occupation.
Shahin Toçi was proclaimed "Dëshmor i Atdheut" (martyr of the homeland) in 2004 and awarded with the "Urdhri i Flamurit të klasit të parë" (First Order Flag) in 1994.