May 5 is a historical date for Albanians, which has become a symbol of Martyrs' Day. This date has its origins in an event related to the developments of World War II. On May 5, 1942, Qemal Stafa, who was one of the founders of the Communist Party, the Chairman of the Communist Youth and the organizer of the Communist Resistance, was killed in Tirana. Stafa was executed by King Zog in 1938, when he was only 18 years old, after declaring his communist principles. His assassination was one of the first strong blows that the Communist Party faced, as one of the three elements of the resistance of that time, but for many years it remained a mystery. After 1990, many arguments emerged about the way in which his assassination occurred. The show "Opinion" tonight did not stop at these hypotheses, but reproduced through the testimonies of people who were with Qemal Stafa on May 5, 1942, what really happened. Qemal Stafa was only 22 years old and suffered from myopia, which was getting worse. In the illegal base where he was hiding, there were 6 other people, Beqir Minxhozi, Drita Kosturi, Gjustina Sata (Flora Dishnica), Marie Lezhja, Kristo Themelko and Isuf Keçi, who left as soon as they were surrounded by the police and survived. In the documentary by director and journalist Namik Ajazi about Qemal Stafa's fiancée, Drita Kosturi, entitled "Between Death and Hope", there are also testimonies of the Albanian and Italian police of the time about the action to kill him. While in an interview for Klan magazine in 1998, Kosturi recounted what happened on the evening of May 4 and the morning of May 5 at the illegal base. According to her, Qemal Stafa had a strange premonition, which had made her sentimental, nostalgic and vulnerable to old memories. Beqir Minxhozi and Isuf Keçi had gone out for food, Kristo Themelko and the two girls were in the room, while Drita Kosturi and Qemal Stafa were in the front room. Under still unclear circumstances, Minxhozi was arrested and forced to show the house where Stafa was sheltering, while the latter was reading Manx's poems, verses about May 5, Napoleon's poetry and addressed his fiancée, saying: "If only they would kill me today too!", when the latter accidentally noticed armed civilians approaching the house. Fleeing, Drita fell into the hole created by the bombs they had dropped, while Qemali left. His fiancée said: "Qemali left. I saw only his silhouette, far away, the last image of a love that had lasted so many years. And that would last a lifetime again". In the documentary "Between Death and Hope", Drita Kosturi said that on May 6 she learned that her fiancé had been killed. On the other hand, Gjustina Sata testified to her version of the event that happened 68 years ago. According to her, Qemal Stafa shot an Italian and was wounded in the hand. Then he left, leaving no trace behind. Gjustina confessed that they were caught by the police and did not see Stafa dead. But in the last years of her life, Drita Kosturi stated that Qemal Stafa killed himself to escape the police. According to her, he was wounded and could not continue any longer, so he decided to end his life. A witness with the initials YB, admitted that he had met with Qemal Stafa, had offered him help to change clothes, but the latter refused and in his eyes discharged the bullet on his body, without leaving any evidence. "Qemal killed himself. I learned that day, when they showed me his remains and took me to the morgue. Those who were there spoke openly about what had happened. He was wounded and had kept the last two bullets for himself. When they found him, there was still a bullet in the pistol. I have never said this because an official version of the event was accepted", said Drita Kosturi with indisputable certainty, 56 years after the event. The manner of his death remains unclear, but at 09:35 the 22-year-old was found lying on the riverbank, with a revolver to his head, his glasses down and his eyes up. His murder or suicide would have spawned an entire legend, with which the pride of the Albanian resistance during the fascist occupation was defended. But on the other hand, Enver Hoxha in his book “Për shoqët e mi pionëre” gave another version of Qemal Stafa’s death, which does not match any of the 6 witnesses. According to him, the 22-year-old slept in another illegal base together with him and was then killed at the base mentioned by the witnesses, while he was on his way to Vlora. But the biggest question is whether Qemal Stafa was betrayed. The event itself raises many mysteries. It could be a coincidence or a debunking that could have stemmed from carelessness, but the mysteries still remain./tvklan.al