In May 1959, from Brooklyn, America, Father Vasil Dhimitri of the Albanian Orthodox Church wrote to Enver Hoxha about the release from prison of his brother, Ilo Dhimitër Argjendarit, one of the most famous goldsmiths in Korça.
Ilo Argjendari came from a well-known patriotic family from Korça, with contributions to the civic life of Korça. But there was another fact that makes this letter even more significant: Enver Hoxha knew him well. He had known him since the years of the Korça Lyceum, when the city still had its old spirit, with cultured families, skilled craftsmen, clergymen, teachers, merchants and patriots who had built authority through work and name.
But the communist regime spared neither well-known people, nor families with contributions, nor old connections. Even less did it show mercy.
Father Vasil Dhimitri's letter, dated May 16, 1959, is a restrained, painful and humane prayer. He reminds Hoxha that he had received a letter from Korça, where he had learned that his brother, Ilo Argjendari, was in prison. He calls him "one of the patriots and good people" and asks for his release.
There is no political language in those lines. There is only the desperation of a brother addressing the most powerful man in the country, hoping that personal memory, past acquaintance, and the reputation of a citizen of Korçë might open a door.
"I will guarantee you that my brother will not get into trouble again," writes Father Vasili.
This sentence says a lot about the time. People no longer sought justice, because justice had become the property of the party. They sought mercy. And mercy was perhaps the only part of the character that no one ever recognized in the Albanian dictator.
Enver Hoxha built a regime where fear was stronger than memory, ideology more important than friendship, and power more precious than any human connection. Even those he had known early on, even those who came from his city of formation, even those who might once have shared the same streets, the same environments, the same Korça, could end up in prison without any moral restraint.
The story of Ilo Argjendarit is precisely one of those stories that shows the true nature of the communist regime. It was not enough to punish opponents. It also struck people who did not pose a threat, but had a name, dignity, memory and internal independence.
At the end of the letter, Father Vasil Dhimitri closes with the words "Yours faithfully."
An old Albanian formula, handwritten by a priest in America, for a man who had established a state in Albania where trust, friendship, and mercy no longer had a place.
