Liri Gega Albanian communist Date of Birth: 01.01.1918 Country: Albania

1. Early Life and Communist Involvement
2. Partisan Movement and Post-War Activities
3. Opposition to Hoxha's Regime
4. Trial and Execution
5. Legacy

Early Life and Communist Involvement

Liri Gega was born into an affluent family in Gjirokastër, Albania, in the same town as Enver Hoxha. In 1940, she graduated from the Queen Mother Pedagogical Institute in Tirana. Influenced by communist ideals, she joined the clandestine communist group in Korçë alongside Hoxha, Koçi Xoxe, and others. In 1941, she became a member of the Communist Party of Albania, which later became the Party of Labour of Albania (PLA).

Partisan Movement and Post-War Activities

During World War II, Gega participated actively in the Albanian partisan movement. After the communists came to power, she served as a member of the People's Assembly and headed various women's organizations. She also supported the Yugoslav communist movement and maintained ties with Xoxe and his followers. In 1946, she married General Dali Ndreu and had a daughter, Ladvije, in 1948.

Opposition to Hoxha's Regime

Inspired by the "Khrushchev Thaw" in the Soviet Union, an opposition movement emerged within the PLA in the mid-1950s. Gega, along with her husband, Ndreu, and other high-ranking officials, supported calls for economic reforms and political liberalization. They planned to confront Hoxha at a party conference in April 1956, but their plans were thwarted by security forces. Ndreu, Gega, and other oppositionists were arrested, and the conference was labeled a "Yugoslav plot."

Trial and Execution

Gega and Ndreu were accused of treason and espionage. Despite Gega's pregnancy, they were both sentenced to death in a heavily politicized trial. International pressure, including a plea from Nikita Khrushchev, was ignored by Hoxha. On an unknown date in December 1956, Gega and Ndreu were executed. Their triple murder, including the killing of an unborn child, caused shock and outrage in the international community.

Legacy

In modern Albania, Liri Gega is remembered as a symbol of resistance against the totalitarian rule of Enver Hoxha. Despite her communist past, she is recognized as a champion of democracy and human rights who paid the ultimate price for her convictions.