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Fiqirete ShehuAlbanian communist, wife of Mehmet Shehu
Date of Birth: 17.11.1919
Country:  Albania |
Content:
- Fikirete Shehu: Albanian Communist and Wife of Mehmet Shehu
- World War II and Partisan Involvement
- Second Lady of Albania
- Ideological Influence
- Fall from Grace
- Murder of Mehmet Shehu
- Imprisonment and Death
- Enduring Symbol
Fikirete Shehu: Albanian Communist and Wife of Mehmet Shehu
Early Life and Communist ActivismFikirete Shehu was born into an Albanian family in the Sanjak region. As a young woman, she was drawn to communist ideologies and joined the communist group in Korça. She subsequently became a member of the Communist Party of Albania (later renamed the Albanian Party of Labour, or AFT). Known by the party nickname "Qorja" (The Furious), she married fellow communist Mehmet Shehu.
World War II and Partisan Involvement
During World War II, Fikirete Shehu actively participated in the partisan struggle against Italian and German occupiers. She held administrative and ideological-propaganda positions within the National Liberation Army. She also played a role in distributing British material aid to Albanian partisans.
Second Lady of Albania
In November 1944, the communists gained power in Albania. Mehmet Shehu became a prominent figure in the party-state leadership, holding various positions including Minister of the Interior, Minister of Defense, and Prime Minister from 1954. Fikirete Shehu, meanwhile, became a member of the Central Committee in 1952 and served as Director of the AFT's Higher Party School.
Ideological Influence
Fikirete Shehu played a significant role within the AFT's ideological apparatus. She fully embraced the Stalinist and Hoxhaist ideologies, supporting policies of repression, self-isolation, and forced atheism. She disseminated these principles in her training of party cadres.
Fall from Grace
In the early 1980s, a rift developed between AFT First Secretary Enver Hoxha and Prime Minister Mehmet Shehu. Shehu was believed to have adopted more pragmatic economic policies and advocated for limited financial and trade ties with Western Europe. Hoxha opposed this and maintained an isolationist stance. The strain between Hoxha and the Shehu family intensified after Skendi Shehu, their son, became engaged to Silva Turdiu, a woman from a "politically unreliable" family.
Murder of Mehmet Shehu
On December 18, 1981, the Albanian authorities announced that Mehmet Shehu had committed suicide "in a state of deep emotional turmoil." There are allegations that he was actually shot and killed during a Politburo meeting. The government accused Shehu of espionage, "counterrevolutionary conspiracy," and "plans to restore capitalism."
Imprisonment and Death
Mehmet Shehu's death and subsequent purge of alleged anti-communist elements led to the arrest of Fikirete Shehu and her sons. Under pressure from the regime, she provided testimony against her husband's former friend, Defense Minister Kadri Hazbiu, and her family doctor, former Health Minister Llambi Zicishti. Despite her cooperation, she was imprisoned in Tirana Prison 313. While her conditions were relatively comfortable, she passed away from a heart attack and was buried in a village in Lezhë.
Enduring Symbol
Fikirete Shehu remains a poignant figure in Albanian history, a testament to the unpredictable and often tragic consequences of totalitarianism. Her story echoes that of Polina Zhemchuzhina, the wife of Soviet Foreign Minister Vyacheslav Molotov, who was imprisoned for a "criminal connection with Jewish nationalists" under Stalin's regime.
