The National Museum House of Leaves commemorated the victims of the Catholic clergy, executed near the Rrmaja Cemetery in Shkodra on March 4, 1946.
During December 1945, communist authorities discovered in Shkodër the “Albanian Union” organization that was led by the young seminarian Mark Çuni. The organization had just issued a few anti-communist tracts around the city of Shkodër. For this reason, Father Giovanni Fausti and Father Daniel Dajani were arrested as responsible superiors of the seminary. A total of 39 people were arrested.
This would be the first organized attack against the Catholic clergy in Albania.
In the trial held at the “Rozafati” cinema, prosecutor Aranit Çela accused the defendants of “working to prepare a favorable field for Italian fascism, collaborating with the occupation forces for the legalization of the occupational and for the fascism of the country and the population, assisting the treasonous organizations created by the enemy and the Quisling government, sabotaging the people’s resistance by committing acts of terrorism”, etc. In the absence of evidence, any accusation of committing terrorist acts was denied by the clerics.
Of the 39 arrested, seven of them were sentenced to death. The execution by firing squad took place near the Rrmaja Cemetery in Shkodra on March 4, 1946, for:
- Father Daniel Dajani
- Father Giovanni Fausti
- Father Gjon Shllaku
- Deacon Mark Çuni
- Qerim Sadiku
- Gjelosh Lulash Bajraktari
- Fran Miraka (executed on July 3, 1946)
