Abaz Kupi
| Abaz Kupi | |
|---|---|
Abaz Kupi
|
|
| Founder of the Legaliteti movement | |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
August 6, 1892 Akçahisar, Ottoman Empire Today Krujë, Albania |
| Died | 17 January 1976 (aged 83) New York City, United States |
| Nationality |
 Albanian
|
| Political party | Legaliteti |
| Occupation | Politician |
Abaz Kupi (1892–1976) or Abas Kupi also known as Bazi i Canës, was an Albanian military officer. Kupi was born in Kruje.
He served as commander of the gendarmerie of the town of Kruja, and later of the town of Durrës. As a royalist, he created the Legality Movement in Albania, which promoted the return to the throne of Zog of Albania. During the Cold War Kupi was a member of the Albanian Free Committee, which intended to overthrow the communist regime in Albania and to return the monarchy.
He was also honored by the Military Order of Bravery.
Born on 6 August 1892, in the Varosh neighborhood of Akçahisar (now Krujë). In 1913-1918 he entered the service of Essad Pasha Toptani. In 1922 he took part in the coup d'état of Elez Isufi that attacked Tirana to overthrow the government, but the rebels were defeated by the courage of Captain Prenk Pervizi and their soldiers come to the aid of Ahmet Zog, back then Minister of Interior. British Ambassador Hayres persuaded Elez Isufi to return to Dibra.
During the revolution of 1924, Abaz Kupi remained neutral and, when Ahmet Zogu returned, his friend Prenk Pervizi brought him close to Zogu, who made him head of the gendarme of Kruja with the rank of captain. The Italian invasion of Albania found Kupi with the rank of major in Durrës, but he was not capable of organizing the defense and had to flee before he was taken by the Italians. With the Italian invasion complete, Kupi moved to Turkey, where he remained until there was a new opportunity to fight the Italians. His family was deported to the south of Italy.
When the United Kingdom entered World War II the British forces were looking into possibilities of creating an antifascist resistance in Albania. At this times the best fit figures of Albania was Muharrem Bajraktari, Prenk Pervizil Hysni Dema, Fiqri Dine, Gjon Markagjoni, Myslym Peza, and Mustafa Gjinishi (a communist). Abaz Kupi went from Turkey with the intention of leading the resistance. The Yugoslav government was against such action, but when a German attack on Yugoslavia was imminent it gave the green light. On April 1941, a small group led by Abaz Kupi, Xhemal Herri, Gani Kryeziu, and Mustafa Gjinishi with the support of Muharrem Bajraktari entered Albania from the Yugoslav frontier. Because of poor supplies and lack of coordination, the expedition was trapped in the mountainous regions of northern Albania and failed. At this times captain Xhemal Herri, chief of secret services of King Zog and his faithful man, was treacherously killed by Abaz Kupi in Kruja in 1943 in obscure circumstances. This crime was a great shame and indelible stain for Kupi.
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