At Monday’s commemorative ceremony marking Youth Day on December 8, the son of Azem Hajdari recalled the important decisions his father made from a very young age.

“Azemi sought to seize the future,” he said, sharing personal details from his father’s life and story.

He recounted that, after falling in love with his future wife, Azem Hajdari was forced to “take her away” in order to live the life he wanted—rather than the one imposed by the communist regime of that time. His son also remembered the opposition of the family, who wanted a safer and more stable life for him, away from the unrest of December that would later mark Albania’s history.

“I am pleased to be here today, on a day when all Albanians should feel like leaders. I believe that thanks to the heroism of these people, Albanians must understand that because of that sacrifice, today they are living in democracy. When my father was chosen to lead the Student Movement, he had just become a parent.
When he first came to Tirana to study, he wanted to seize everything. He fell in love with my mother, and he was forced to take her away, despite their love—because the regime would not allow it. After returning to Tropoja, he set off again for Tirana.
My grandfather, may he rest in peace, being a product of the time and its generations, thought it impossible for his son to go to Tirana. He would tell him: ‘Forget these dreams; it’s impossible for you to do this.’ He would laugh and mock him ironically.
But no—Azemi did not think short-term. He thought long-term, for himself and for my friends. He did not believe in fear, nor in death or loss, but he feared only losing his freedom.

In Tirana, he met his friends, and they decided to stand in front of bullets and tanks. On the day when students were confused and unsure whether to continue, he stood above his friends and said: ‘I guarantee with my children, Kiri and Rudina. If I betray you, you have my children.’”