December 8th, the Student Movement, and the Forgotten Truth of Shkodra
By Flamur Bucpapaj
Thirty-five years have passed since December 8, 1990—the day that ignited the hope for a free, democratic, and European Albania. As we commemorate this date, it is essential to bring back into focus the true story of that movement, the role of the students of Shkodra, and especially the fate of those who confronted the dictatorship directly.
The Role of Shkodra and the Student Leadership
I was one of the leaders of the Student Movement in Shkodra. We took to the streets for freedom, equality, and an Albania integrated into Europe. We rose up against communism, against the violence of 45 years, against the fear that had suffocated generations.
It was a time when words had to be spoken loudly, even when every word could lead to arrest.
During those decisive days, I issued the order to elevate the Higher Pedagogical Institute of Shkodra to university status, a step that was carried out with the support of Minister Maqo Lakrori—whom I publicly thank.
I remain the only student of that period who was arrested, isolated, and mistreated in the cells of Shkodra, together with another detainee, Nazmi Peka. We were at the forefront, initiators of the December 13 demonstration—one of the most important acts of civil resistance in Shkodra’s modern history.
While never denying the crucial role of the ordinary people of Shkodra—who came out en masse and with great courage—each of us carries our own merit and our own punishment from the dictatorship.
Exclusion From Politics and the Erasure of Contributions
The most bitter irony is that today, 35 years later, none of the founders of the student movement of Shkodra has become a member of parliament, a party leader, or even been recognized with dignity.
In the leadership of the party that was supposed to be the home of anti-communists—the Democratic Party—step by step entered former collaborators of the State Security and the old communist elite. They built an Albania for themselves, not for those who risked their lives, future, and freedom.
This is why many of us today see the December Movement as a utopian, short-lived movement, manipulated in the background by structures of the State Security, which preserved its power through new masks.
The Forgotten Stones of Resistance
We should not forget that the students of Shkodra also conducted a hunger strike against Ramiz Alia and his collaborators. It was the highest form of sacrifice, a pure act of courage that deserves national respect.
But instead of honor, we were excluded.
Causes of the Failed Transition
– The regime collapsed, but the old communist apparatus was never dismantled.
– The State Security changed only its name, not its mission.
– The new political parties were quickly taken over by the old structures.
– Idealists were systematically pushed aside.
The Consequences
– Albania remained divided, impoverished, and manipulated.
– Society became disillusioned and today no longer trusts politics.
– Socialism in power returned through new forms of economic and media control.
How Can We Defeat Socialism in Power?
1. Return to historical truth – the masks of the last 35 years must fall.
2. Real decommunization – lustration laws, open archives, removal of collaborators.
3. Reaffirmation of the role of the students – not as decoration, but as part of reform.
4. Return to real free-market principles – no oligarchy, no party-state.
5. Education free of ideology – universities that produce critical thinkers, not militants.
6. Decentralization of power – a small state, a strong civil society.
Final Word
These lines are not nostalgia—they are memory. They are a debt. They are a call for the truth to no longer be locked away in the dark cells of the past, nor in the 35-year silence that has followed our fragile freedom.
I, Flamur Bucpapaj, together with my fellow students of the Movement of Shkodra, greet all those who believed in the December of ’90 and wish them the very best. But above all, I remind everyone that freedom must be defended every single day, because otherwise we lose it just as we.
