Margarita Tutulani

Tutulani was born in Berat, to a family the Gorica neighborhood.[1] Her grandfather, Dhimitër Tutulani, who was of Aromanian origins,[2] was a notable lawyer and one of the signers of the Albanian Declaration of Independence in 1912 and her father was a member of the Albanian Parliament.[3] She attended the Queen Mother Pedagogical Institute in Tirana.[1]

When Italy invaded Albania in April 1939, Tutulani moved back to Berat, where she and her family protested and demonstrated against Italian rule of their country.[1] In 1942, she joined the Communist Party.[1] She was also a leading figure in the November 28, 1942 demonstration in Berat, which was an anti-fascist protest that drew thousands of people.[4] After November, she was wanted by the fascist government.[4]

Tutulani and her brother, Kristaq Tutulani, were eventually arrested in Berat on July 4, 1943.[3] After their arrest, they were then subjected to torture while in prison.[1] They were later moved out of the prison and shot in Gosa, near Kavaja,[1] on July 6, 1943.[3]

The city of Berat was shocked at the death of both brother and sister.[3] A "photo of her mangled body" circulated and eventually the brutality of her death inspired people to join the resistance against the fascist government.[1]

A statue of Tutulani is at the National Martyrs Cemetery of Albania.[5] Tutulani left behind writing which is now part of the Tutulani family archives, which included poetry, memoirs and essays.[4] The Albanian linguist Vehxhi Buharaja wrote a poem in her honor, "Margarita," ten days after she was killed.[3]

• Liri Gerro