Jusuf Gërvalla

Jusuf Gërvalla (October 1, 1943 – January 17, 1982) was a Kosovo Albanian activist, writer, musician, Marxist-Leninist and the founder of the group called National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo.

Jusuf Gërvalla
Statue dedicated to Jusuf Gërvalla in Pejë
Born(1943-10-01)1 October 1943
Dubovik, Deçan, Kosovo
DiedJanuary 17, 1982(1982-01-17) (aged 38)
Untergruppenbach, West Germany
Cause of deathAssassination
Alma materUniversity of Pristina
University of Ljubljana
Occupation(s)Activist, journalist, musician and writer
MovementNational Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo
OpponentYugoslavia
SpouseSuzana Gërvalla
Children3, including Donika
RelativesBardhosh Gërvalla (brother)
Signature

Biography

Born in the village Burrëmadh (Dubovik), in the municipality of Deçan in Yugoslavia, Gërvalla pursued a college education in Prishtina and Ljubljana before working as a journalist in Skopje and Prishtina. A vocal nationalist, he came under the radar of Yugoslav secret service, prompting him to seek asylum in Germany in 1980 where he subsequently established the Popular Movement for the Republic of Kosovo (Albanian: Lëvizja Popullore për Republikën e Kosovës), which later split into the two factions the People's Movement of Kosovo (Albanian: Lëvizja Popullore e Kosovës) and the National Movement for the Liberation of Kosovo (Albanian: Lëvizja Kombëtare për Çlirimin e Kosovës), the former being the forerunners of the, at the time, ideologically heterogeneous Kosovo Liberation Army. While abroad, he also made efforts to unite Albanian movements and political parties. On January 17, 1982, Gërvalla along with his brother Bardhosh Gërvalla, and fellow activist Kadri Zeka, were assassinated in Stuttgart, allegedly by Yugoslav secret service. His murder caused outrage among Albanians and abroad, and led to an increased intensity in Albanian nationalism and hostility to Yugoslav control of Kosovo.[1][2][3][4]

Some of his literary publications include Fluturojnë e bien ("They Fly and Fall"), Kanjushë e verdhë ("Green Stork") and Rrotull ("Around").[1] Gërvalla's daughter Donika Gërvalla-Schwarz is a politician in Kosovo, serving as minister of foreign affairs and second deputy prime minister in the second Kurti cabinet since 2021.[5][6]

References
  1. Elsie, Robert. Historical Dictionary of Kosovo. The Scarecrow Press, Inc. p. 111.
  2. J. Perritt, Henry (2010). The Road to Independence for Kosovo: A Chronicle of the Ahtisaari Pla. Cambridge University Press. p. 236.
  3. Bejtullahu, Alma. Female Singers in Rural Kosovo. Böhlag Verlau Köln. p. 249.
  4. Hehir, Aidan. Humanitarian Intervention: An Introduction. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 225.
  5. "Donika Gërvalla" (in Albanian). Vetëvendosje. Retrieved 23 March 2021.
  6. "Kush është Donika Gervalla, kandidatja që braktisi LDK-në për të hyrë me Vjosa Osmanin në listën e Albin Kurtit" (in Albanian). Kosova.Info. 2021-01-29.
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