Postriba Uprising: Exhibition marks 80 years of anti-communist resistance

To mark the 80th anniversary of the Postriba Uprising, a documentary exhibition titled ‘Postriba ’46’ has opened at the Museum of Witness and Memory in Shkodër. Organized by the Institute for the Study of Crimes and Consequences of Communism, the exhibition utilizes archival documents to detail the 1946 anti-communist movement and the subsequent state repression.

The uprising, which took place on September 9, 1946, is noted as one of the first armed anti-communist movements in the Eastern Bloc. Following the suppression of the revolt, dozens of participants and supporters were executed or imprisoned, and the homes of involved families were destroyed. The exhibition aims to preserve the memory of the resistance and educate younger generations about the historical events and the identity of the region.

Commentators have noted that the uprising remains a symbol of resistance against the communist regime, which sought to eliminate national elites to maintain power. There are ongoing calls to ensure that the crimes of the dictatorship are not relativized or forgotten through political propaganda.