photographed in the Museum of Secret Surveillance in Tirana

Born on September 23, 1958, in Tirana, Alma Liço Mirakaj never met her grandfather, Muhamer Liço, a lawyer educated in the United States who was sentenced in 1945 along with 17 others as an opponent of the regime. His execution shaped her life, as on her 10th birthday, she was forcibly exiled along with her family to the village of Dragot, Elbasan. Their home in Tirana was replaced by a straw hut in the village, living in destitute conditions, like other exiled families.

For years, the State Security attempted to coerce her father into becoming a collaborator, but without success. Alma was briefly allowed to return to live with her grandmother in Tirana, but during her second year of vocational high school, despite her excellent academic performance, she was expelled due to her family’s background and sent back to the village, where she worked in agriculture.

Alma was released from internment in 1991, after 23 years. She has documented her life in internment in several books, including Krahë të Këputur (Broken Wings, 2016, 2018) and Ëndërroj (I Dream, 2024), which she has shared with the wider public, including students and young people in various regions of Albania.