TIRANA, June 26 /ATA/ – Albania is marking the 82nd anniversary of the 1944 forced expulsion and killings of Cham Albanians with a week of commemorative and cultural events focused on historical remembrance, justice and the preservation of Cham heritage.
The programme opened on Tirana’s “Martyrs of the Nation” boulevard with the installation of an “I Love Çamëria” display, intended by organizers as a symbol of remembrance and reflection.
Speaking at the event, Liljan Idrizaj, head of the Patriotic Association “Çamëria,” described June 27, 1944, as one of the darkest dates in the history of the Cham Albanian community, saying it marked the beginning of expulsions, massacres and the ethnic cleansing of Albanians from the region.
The commemorative week includes cultural and memorial events aim at preserving the historical memory of the Cham community, promoting its identity and cultural heritage, and calling for justice over the events of the past.
Shpëtim Idrizi, leader of the Party for Justice, Integration and Unity (PDIU), has called for greater institutional and national support for what Albanians refer to as the Cham issue, saying it remains a historical obligation to seek justice for Cham Albanians.
The events will conclude with commemorations at the memorial cemetery in Kllogjer, near the coastal town of Saranda, where organizers say the remains of 2,900 Cham Albanians are buried.
Later on Friday, Albania’s parliament, in cooperation with the Patriotic Association “Çamëria”, is due to host a commemorative event marking what it describes as the 82nd anniversary of the genocide against Cham Albanians, attended by lawmakers, scholars, representatives of the Cham community and public figures.
Albania’s parliament in 1994 designated June 27 as the “Day of the Genocide against Cham Albanians by Greek Chauvinists” and approved the construction of a memorial.
According to the Albanian account of the events, Greek forces entered Paramithia on June 27, 1944, after assuring local Cham representatives that civilians would not be harmed if weapons were surrendered. Albanian sources say the pledge was broken and hundreds of Cham Albanians were subsequently killed.
Albanian institutions and Cham organizations say more than 30,000 Muslim Cham Albanians were expelled from their homes and more than 3,000 were killed during the campaign, while thousands more died during their flight to Albania from hunger, disease and hardship.
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