Murder of a soldier in 1997

The 67 year old Bashkim Novi, from Gjirokaster, claims that his son, Armando Novi, fell on the line of duty 15 years ago, while defending the Military Division 5500 at Mashkullore village. The Tirana Civil Court says that in 2003, the father has addressed a request to the Gjirokaster City Council, demanding his son to be declared a Martyr of the Nation.

The Martyr Status Commission has rejected this request six years after it was filed, but the father continues his battle for resolving this issue by referring to the laws and addressing to the court. Top Channel has secured the claim of the father:

“The Military Division 1801 Command and the Regional Support Brigade in Gjirokaster issued a note asserting that on 2 April 1997, soldier Armando Bashkim Novi died on the line of duty, while confronting the criminal bands created in 1997 for defending the ammunition of the Division 5510 in Mashkullore. Therefore, the request must be approved and the decision of the Martyr Status Commission should be repealed and reviewed”.

But during the trial, Judge Arjan Aliaj declared that the investigations showed that the same institution, the Military Division 5500 (currently 1801), has presented two verifications with different content for the same fact. One of them, issued in 2003, says that soldier Novi has been killed on the line of duty while cleaning the ammunition of the depot, together with his team. Another note of 2011 states that soldier Armando Novi has been killed on the line of duty, on April 1997, in a confrontation with the criminal bands while defending the state assets. The verdict concludes that the Martyr Status Commission has not carried out a complete and impartial investigation, hence it will be repealed and the request will be reviewed by the Martyr’s Status Commission.

Top Channel