Risto Siliqi

Risto Siliqi was an Albanian poet, publicist, lawyer, and militant of the Albanian national cause. [1] His work was influenced by ideas and sentiments of the Romantic - Nationalism like other poets of the national Awakening before him. [2] He was born on 16 August 1882 in Shkodër, today's Albania, back then under the Ottoman rule. [3] His father was a baker. He pursued his first education in the Serbian language school in his town, and later in Ruzdiye (Turkish middle school), where he would immediately spike out for his anti-Ottoman propaganda among the students. At a certain point he got close to being arrested, and his family sent him to Cetinje, Montenegro where three of his brothers had settled before. Siliqi did not stop his nationalist activity for the 10 years that he was in exile. Together with his brothers he opened a small hotel named "Albania" which served as meeting station for patriotic activities. [4] He also traveled to Romania and Bulgaria to meet with the Albanian communities there. [5] Siliqi was an active arms-in-hand participant of the Albanian Revolt of 1911, and together with his collaborators Hil Mosi and Luigj Gurakuqi member of its leadership structure "the Albanian Committee" (Alb: Komiteti Shqiptar ). He participated in the meeting of Gërçe (Gerče, today's Montenegro) and was a signatory of the Gërçe Memorandum. Meanwhile, all these events inspired him to write; many of his patriotic poems would appear in newspapers of the Albanian communities. The First Balkan War would find him in Cetinje. After being informed by Austrian intelligence that he was on the list to be arrested together with other Albanian emigre there, he left Cetinje and hid in Kotor. He and others came to Shkodër in 1913 via an Austrian ship. The Montenegrin court meanwhile condemned him to death in absentia as "enemy of the Montenegrin state". [5] The political situation in Shkodër was turbulent as well. As home of many communities supported by different European powers' interests, there were sharp contradictions and not enough support for the newly created Albanian state. Risto started working immediately on the unification of stance between Christian and Muslim communities. At that time, there were two main propagandist press-organs in Shkodër: Taraboshi of the Arberesh Terenzio Tocci, openly pro-Italian, and Seda-i Millet (Nation's Voice) of Musa Juka, pro-Turkish. At the same time, Essad Pasha Toptani had already established his area of control in central Albania, supported by the participants of the London Conference of 1912–13, and his propaganda units were also established in Shkodër. Siliqi founded the patriotic club "Lidhja Shqiptare" (Albanian League) and was the editor of the newspaper Shqypnija e Re (New Albania) with director Hil Mosi and vice-director Karl Suma. [3] [4] Siliqi resigned from the Albanian League due to his disagreement with the appeal to Montenegro for military help in suppressing the Essadist and pro-Ottoman elements in Shkodër. He joined the volunteer units that went to Durrës to help Prince Wied against the Muslim Revolt in Central Albania. The Montenegrin occupation of Shkodër in 1914 found Siliqi there; he was arrested on sight, along with others like Gurakuqi, and tried quickly and sentenced to death. The Austro-Hungarian offensive against Montenegro and the latter's capitulation saved his life. [5] From a professional point of view, Siliqi had started working as a lawyer, a field to which he devoted himself from the end of the First World War. After the union of Shkodër with the government that emerged from the Congress of Lushnja, in 1921 Siliqi went to work in Vlorë as a judge and in 1923 he was appointed First Secretary of the Ministry of Justice. After 1924 he did not engage in politics anymore and worked as a lawyer until he died on 1 May 1936. [5]