Abas Ermenji

Ermenji was born in the village of Ermenj, Skrapar on December 12, 1913.[2] His education was conducted in Berat elementary and middle school. He attended high school in Shkodra. In the years 1934-1938, Ermenji went to university in Sorbonne, Paris and was part of the Faculty of Literature with specialization in History.[3]

Ermenji returned to Albania in 1938 and appointed professor at the Lycée of Korçë where he taught until November, 1939.[4] He was arrested by the Italians as one of the organizers of a rally in Korça on November 28, 1939, against the fascist occupation. He went on exile to the island of Ventotene. In 1941, Ermenji returned to Albania and helped organise the National Front (Balli Kombëtar).[5]

Once back in Albania, Ermenji took part in organizing armed resistance against foreign occupation in the Skrapar-Berat area and managed to keep it free from the Italian forces.[6]

After the victory of the communist revolution in Albania, Ermenji was forced into exile by the new regime. He settled in Paris where he worked for the Democratic-National Committee "Free Albania", a political organization supported and funded by Western countries where he worked with other nationalists and collaborationists towards the efforts to free Albania from Hoxha's regime and to liberate Kosovo from Yugoslavia.[7] The organization was not successful as a result of multiple conflicts between members of the committee, mainly due to opposing views between pro-Italian/German collaborationists and anti-fascist nationalists, regardless of the many attempts to organize a military takeover of Albania.[8]

Abas Ermenji was a staunch defender of Albanians in Yugoslavia and Greece. He published many articles to bring awareness of the issues Albanians faced under neighboring rule. Ermenji was also known for writing the book Place of Scanderbeg in Albania's history, a study of Scanderbeg's impact on the history of Albania and the Albanian nation.[9]

After recreating the National Front in Albania in 1991, Ermenji was elected leader of the new National Front in the years 1994 and 1998. During this period and despite his great age, Ermenji made a major contribution to the establishment of Albanian national sentiment through a series of conferences in the entire country.[10] In the problematic 1996 elections, he contested the results and boycotted the new parliament even though his party was to gain through their pre-electoral alliance with the governing Democratic party. In a speech he denounced the elections as stolen and called the then president Sali Berisha a Diktator Qesharak (Roughly in English: "Ridiculous Dictator"). [11] [12]