Prek Cali

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Prek Cali (July 29, 1872 – March 25, 1945), also known as Prenk or Preng Cali, was an Albanian leader from Vermosh in the Kelmendi tribe in northern Albania. He served as bajraktar, the flag-bearer and chief of his people, and fought in several uprisings against foreign rule and in the Balkan Wars.

After the 1928 fall of Fan S. Noli’s government, Cali clashed with King Ahmet Zogu and led his tribe in conflicts against Montenegrin forces. By 1941 he commanded a sizeable force around Vermosh, briefly controlled Plav and Gusinje before Italian forces occupied the area, and he helped the Italian counter-offensive in that period.

During World War II, Albanian Communist Partisans aimed to suppress anti-Communist groups in the north. On January 15, 1945, fighting at Tamara Bridge resulted in many casualties on both sides. Cali was surrounded in a cave at Vukël, surrendered after a week, and was executed by the Communists on Palm Sunday.

After communism ended in Albania, Cali was honored as a martyr: he received the Medal "Martyr of Democracy" in 1993 and the Order "Honor of Nation" in 2010. A monument to him was built in Shkodër in 2000. Some later accounts questioned claims that he was a fascist ally, arguing instead that he fought to defend Albania’s northern borders.