Hasan Prishtina
Hasan Prishtina (
1873 in
Vučitrn - 'учитрн -
Kosovo), in
1933 he was briefly the prime
minister of
Albania in December
1921. He studied politics and law in
Istanbul. His real last name was "Berisha" but he changed it when elected a parliament member, during 1908-1912, of the Turkish National Parliament in Istanbul.
After the Ottoman Government did not keep their promises for more rights and independence to the Albanian nation, Hasan Prishtina and several other prominent Albanian intellectuals started organizing the Albanian National Movement. He together with
Isa Boletini and
Bajram Curri took the responsibility to start the Movement in
Kosovo.
He was elected a minister in the Albanian government of
Ismail Qemaili in 1913.
In
1918, Hasan Prishtina,
Kadri Prishtina (Hoxhë Kadriu),
Bajram Curri and many others create the committee
National Protection of Kosovo and had their representatives in
Rome and
Albania.
He was in charge of the delegation in december 1919, participating to protect the rights of Albania in the Peace Conference of Paris, where he requested the re-unification of Kosovo and Albania.
He was the main organizer of
Lushnja Congress in 1920.
Later in 1921 he was elected as the prime minister of the Albanian government, but resigned due to contradictions he had with
Ahmet Zogu, the King of Albania. He remained just a member of the parliament.
After the establishment of good relations with the Slovene, Croat and Serbian Empire of 1922 and Ahmet Zogu's government, Hasan Prishtina and many other leaders from Kosovo were persecuted. There are claims that Ahmet Zogu even authorized the Serbian troops to search for him in Albania's territory.
In the end of february of 1923, Hasan Prishtina and Bajram Curri organized an uprisal of Albanians in Kosovo, against the Serbian troops installed there. This uprisal was crushed, as no assistance was provided by Ahmet Zogu.
After this uprisal, several persecutions of Albanians in Kosovo followed.
Hasan Prishtina is known to have been very rich, and sold almost all his property to finance the education of Albanians from Kosovo in universities around Europe, and for the armed resistance, during all his life.
He was imprisoned by
Belgrade for a period, was released in
1931, and was killed in
Thesaloniki in
1933 by king Zog and Serbian government.
*
History of Albania*
List of Prime Ministers of Albania*
O.S. Pearson, Albania and King Zog, I.B. Tauris. 2005 (ISBN 1845110137).
*
Photo of Prishtina
