photographed in a Cafe near Berat

Born on December 23, 1951, in Berat, Shkëlqim Abazi was arrested at the age of 16 on August 11, 1968, while at the beach in Himarë with a friend. He was accused of attempting to escape the country and engaging in “agitation and propaganda.” Over the course of three months, he was tortured in the interrogation facilities of Vlorë and later Shkodër, as authorities falsely alleged he was part of a larger group hostile to the regime. As a result of the torture, his vision and hearing were partially impaired.

On October 23, 1968, the Shkodër Court sentenced him to five years in prison, which he served at the Spaç prison camp, where he became a witness to the Spaç Revolt. Abazi served a total of 4 years, 11 months, and 15 days in prison before being released in 1973.

After the fall of communism, Abazi authored several books describing the suffering and forced labor endured by political prisoners. His testimonies have been widely published in the Albanian press and featured in documentary films. He has also written two significant works on the hardships of prisoners under the dictatorship:  Repsi: Kampi i Punës së Detyruar  (Repsi: The Forced Labor Camp, 2017) and Spaçi: Varri i të Gjallëve (Spaç: The Grave of the Living, 2018).