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| Cover of the book "The Tellini Murder, from Ioannina to the Conquest of Corfu" by Andrea Giannasi and the portrait of Enrico Tellini |
If Enrico Tellini had not been killed, the border between Albania and Greece would have been across Ioannina. But that Monday of August 23, 1923, was fatal not only for the life of the Italian general, acting chairman of the International Boundary Commission between Albania and Greece but also for the fate of Albania.
In an ambush by a gang of 7 people, the Italian general was killed along with 4 other people who were in the car with him.
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HOW THE MURDER WAS ORGANIZED
He incorporated the villages of Pobickë and Radat into the Albanian territory, as well as the villages of Peshkëpi, Rrëzë e Zeze, and Kakavija.
He worked diligently to complete the task swiftly. When Enrico Tellini was preparing to establish the Albanian border line to include Kallama and all of Northern Chameria, including Ioannina and its surroundings, there was only one method for Greek circles to halt his progress: by physically eliminating him.
This situation was clearly documented in the newspapers of that time.
"On September 6, 1923, our Representatives in Paris, London, Rome, and Geneva informed us: General Tellini's most recent action was his decision to stay in Albania from August 2 at the Vromoner baths, which led to his murder..."
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The level of concern General Tellini evoked can be observed in a report sent to the League of Nations detailing the progress made so far:
"This delegation does not inspire confidence in me regarding sincere cooperation. They are employing all means and excuses to withdraw..."
"Greek authorities and troops are creating numerous obstacles."
Greece's dissatisfaction arose when the League of Nations appointed Tellini as the chairman of the International Border Commission between Albania and Greece following the Paris Peace Conference.
After expressing their dissatisfaction through words and gestures, the Greeks resorted to concrete actions. Just a few days after assuming his position, the newspaper "Dielli" reported that 50 Greek soldiers deliberately feigned illness in Korça, forcibly entered the commission building to intimidate General Enrico Tellini, and coerce him into incorporating Korça into Greek territory (Illyria newspaper).
According to a report from the Italian consulate in Ioannina, during a conversation filled with frustration, the Greek representative allegedly stated, "General Tellini should be killed."
This colonel openly repeated this statement in a bar, foreshadowing the unfortunate outcome.
WHO KILLED GENERAL TELLIN?
The only person at that time who provides us with the names of the killers is Mehdi Frashëri, the Albanian representative at the International Commission and the representative of the Albanian government in the investigative group. He even reveals details about the preparations made by the Greek authorities to make it appear as if the murder was committed by Albanians. However, in reality, it was the Greeks who were behind it.
Frashëri presents a fascinating version of how the Greek state manipulated the criminals to falsely attribute Tellini's murder to Albanians.
According to Mehdi Frashëri, the Greek criminal Koço Memo, who had come to Albania, had been imprisoned in Gjirokastra prison for the murder of Myfit Libohova's servant. In truth, the criminal intended to assassinate Myfit Libohova from outside the walls of his palace but mistook the servant for him.
The two masterminds behind this confusing murder, Minister of War Ismail Tatzati and Regional Commander of the Gendarmerie Ahmet Selenica, also orchestrated Koço Memo's escape from prison. However, the story becomes even more convoluted and intriguing from this point onward.
After the escape, Koço Memo found shelter with a member of the Karagjozati family, who requested Memo to kill their enemy, Boço Kalo.
"The Greeks, through the Greek informants in Gjirokastra, were well aware of these events and planned to pardon Koço Memo, indoctrinate him, and present him as a witness before the International Commission, to whom they would falsely attribute the Albanians' plot to assassinate Boço Kalo" with the correction that instead of the name Boço Kalo, they meant the name of General Tellini."
This is where the execution of the plan to assassinate Tellini began to take shape. Mehdi Frashëri reveals that the perpetrators of this murder were 5-6 bandits, along with a criminal from Nivica who was incidentally caught armed in Saranda. In the report that Frashëri sent to the investigative commission in French, he writes:
"During the pursuit by the gendarmerie, the Greek accomplices of the gang reentered Greece, while the criminal from Nivica remained in Albania, where he was apprehended while armed. According to Kol Tromara, this Greek gang was responsible for the assassination of General Tellini and, following the murder, they crossed the Albanian border to fabricate evidence against Albanians."
THE EXPERIMENTS OF TELLINI
During Tellini's era, experimentation was in vogue. The Italian general faced numerous challenges and disputes with the Greeks regarding their territorial assertions in Albania.
Inspired by this situation, he conducted an experiment that would immortalize his name. He tossed candies into a gathering of children and observed the language they spoke while scrambling to catch them.
To his delight, everyone spoke Albanian. This evidence was sufficient for the Italian general, prompting him to establish the border, including the village in question within Albanian territory. The Greeks were profoundly infuriated by this decision, leading to numerous confrontations involving members of the commission.
FAILED INVESTIGATION
In the distant year of 1923, the techniques employed for investigating grave incidents relied more on intuition than scientific methods. This was exemplified by the experiment conducted by the leader of the investigative group, Colonel Shibo from Japan. Upon reaching the site where Tellini was assassinated, the Japanese officer drew his pistol and fired two shots into the air. Within moments, a group of Greek soldiers, situated nearby, swiftly approached and encircled all members of the investigative commission. It was at this moment that the Japanese colleague uttered a profound statement:
"The investigation concludes. If the soldiers heard the shots from two revolvers, how is it conceivable that they did not hear hundreds of rifle shots?"
While there is no doubt that the Greeks were responsible for his murder, we Albanians have not bestowed upon him the honor that the Italian general deserves. A statue, erected in 1933 by the author Odhise Paskalin, was dismantled during the initial years of communist rule. To comprehend his love and respect for Albanians, as well as the lack of respect shown to him, one need only read these lines penned by General Tellini himself:
"I hold affection and admiration for Albanians because they possess pure hearts and courage. It is unfortunate that they suffer from the misdeeds of their neighbors. I will strive to lessen their burdens and alleviate their national anguish, enabling Albanians to live freely like other nations."
Thus perished an Italian who fought tirelessly for Albania and its people, only to meet his demise at the hands of the Greeks.
* Extracted from the book of the Albanain journalist Ronald Qafoku, "100 most sensational murders in the history of the Albanian state 1912-2017".