Clergy

The 1948 trial against Monsignor Frano Gjini and the Franciscan clergy remains one of the harshest trials of the communist dictatorship in Albania.

At the end of the trial, the following sentences were handed down: Monsignor Frano Gjini, Dom Nikoll Deda, and Father Mati Prendushi were sentenced to death; Dom Tom Laca received life imprisonment; Father Gjon Karma and Dom Ndoc Sahatçija were sentenced to 15 years in prison and forced labor each; Father Mhill Miraj received 7 years; Zef Haxhi and Dom Nikoll Shelqeti were sentenced to 5 years each; while the youngest at the time, At Zef Pllumi, was sentenced to 3 years in prison and forced labor, marking the beginning of his long years of suffering.

This trial represents one of the strongest blows against the Albanian clergy, clearly demonstrating the repressive and political nature of the justice system of that era.