-On February 26, 1935, the well-known Albanian cinematographer Saim Kokona, “Merited Artist”, was born, operator and director of photography in more than 30 feature movies and documentaries. He finished his higher studies in the Czech Republic as a cameraman in 1960. He worked until 1991, in the movie studios “New Albania”, until he retired. As a cameraman, he stood out for his artistic intuition, the way of shooting, the composition of the frame, which went deep into the spiritual world of the actor.

-On February 26, 1936, Adem Demaçi, activist for the national issue, was born in Prishtina. For his political commitment, Adem Demaçi suffered 28 consecutive years in the prisons of the then Yugoslavia. After he was released, he continued his political activity. From 1990 to 1995, he headed the Council for Human Rights and Freedoms. In 1991, he was awarded the Sakharov Prize by the European Parliament. During the period 1998-1999, he was the political spokesman of the KLA.

-On February 26, 1951, 22 Albanian intellectuals were executed by the communist regime under the pretext of a bomb explosion in the Soviet embassy in Tirana on February 21st. The dictatorship staged the so-called bomb to justify a new wave of terror that it undertook against the persons known for their patriotism, anti-communist ideas and their education in the most developed Western countries.

/a.p./