Gjergj Kokoshi (1904-1960)

Gjergj Kokoshi completed his studies in Italy and France, where he obtained a doctorate in literature. Upon returning to Albania, he supported the anti-fascist movement. At the Congress of Përmet, he was elected a member of the General Council of the National Liberation Anti-Fascist Council and was assigned responsibility for education.

He was appointed Minister of Education, a position he held for 80 days before resigning due to disagreements with the policies of the time. His opposition to the new electoral law of 1945, which did not guarantee free elections and hindered the establishment of a parliamentary opposition, marked a turning point in his political trajectory. Together with a group of intellectuals of the time, and with the involvement of the British and American missions in Albania, he sought to establish a political group that could oppose or postpone the elections, given the limited time available.

The group failed to formally establish an opposition to the Democratic Front, and Kokoshi was subsequently arrested as one of 37 people accused in the case. The trial began on 17 June and concluded on 2 July 1946. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison.

He died in Burrel Prison in 1960.