Shtjefën Kurti (December 24, 1898, Ferizaj – October 20, 1971, Fushë)[1] was a Catholic priest.
Contents |
Shtjefen Kurti studied in Albania, later on in Graz, Feldkirch, Innsbruck Austria and in Rome. Kurti was ordained priest in Rome on the 13 May 1924.
Father Kurti was parish priest of the in Gjakova's mountain, Kosovo. In 1929, together with same others he wrote a memorandum to the authority of Geneva in protection of the Albanians in Kosovo. In 1929, he was forced to runway from the Yugoslavian government , and came back to Albania. In Albania he was the parish priest in Zheje and in 1930 in Gures. From 1936 he was the parish priest in Tirana.
He was arrested for the first time in Tirana on the 28 October 1946 and imprisoned in the beginning in Tirana and later on in Burrel. Father Kurti was sentenced to death but his sentence was changed to 20 years imprisonment and was set free on the 2 May 1963 after 17 years imprisonment. He was sentenced with 30 years of forced labor after he was released and was sent to Gures, to live in a barracks.
In 1970 even though it was forbidden to administer the Sacraments a lady ask him to baptize her son father Kurti accepted and baptized the boy secretly. After this he was arrested again and sentenced to death. Father Kurti was executed 20 October 1971 (according another source - February 1972).[2].