The European Union Ambassador, Silvio Gonzato, attended a memorial concert yesterday. The event marked the 52nd anniversary of the Spaç Uprising.

“The same space where prisoners suffered terrible pain just over three decades ago, now echoed with music and poetry,” Gonzato wrote on social media. “That music and poetry were how political prisoners showed their will to resist.”

He said the EU supported the Kujto Foundation and the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in organizing the event. “We wanted to honor the heroes of the uprising and keep their memory alive—for the good of future generations.”

“Young people today heard firsthand stories about the suffering and inhumane conditions former political prisoners endured,” he added.

Gonzato stressed that the EU fully supports efforts to face the past. Justice, democracy, rule of law, and human rights are all part of the EU membership process.

“The concert was more than a tribute. It reminded us that the wounds of the past are still open,” Gonzato said. “It was a powerful way to keep collective memory alive.”

He recalled his first visit to Spaç prison a year ago. “I promised then to help those who suffered under the brutal communist regime find justice.”

“As Albania moves closer to EU membership, it must confront its past. It must give justice to those who suffered,” he concluded.

/a.c/