Draft:Aldo Bare

Aldo Bare, born Fredi Idajet Shkurti, is an Albanian criminal and the former leader of the Lushnja gang, which operated primarily in the town of Lushnja during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Bare was involved in organized criminal activities, including drug trafficking, extortion, and contract killings. He was apprehended in Turkey in 2006 and later extradited to Albania, where he was sentenced to life imprisonment. .

Early life and rise to power

Bare was initially a police officer in Albania's elite special forces unit, Brisku (now known as RENEA) before moving to Greece and Italy after Albania's political changes in 1990. He exploited Albania's period of national unrest to build a criminal network in Lushnja. His home, located near the Lushnja police station, became known as "Police Station No. 2" due to his substantial influence over local law enforcement.

The Lushnja gang

In 1997, the Lushnja gang was formed as a result of a personal feud between Aldo Bare and his rival, Artur Daja. The conflict intensified when Bare wounded Daja during a confrontation, which also led to the deaths of Genci Kashari, an associate of Daja, and Bare’s brother, Ramadan Shkurti. Daja held Ramadan's body hostage for an extended period, further escalating tensions. In response, Bare established the Lushnja gang, which eventually grew to include 15 members. Three of its members, Gentian Kulla, Edison Xhafaj, and Leonard Prifti, were later killed in separate incidents. One member turned state witness, providing crucial testimony about the gang’s criminal activities, which significantly contributed to the prosecution's case.

The Lushnja gang was notorious for its violent tactics and open defiance of the state. The gang controlled large parts of Lushnja and was responsible for numerous high-profile murders, including the assassination of rival gang members and even civilians. The gang's activities included ambushes, bombings, kidnappings and even public beheadings, which instilled fear in both the populace and law enforcement. One of the most notorious acts attributed to Bare's gang involved the public decapitation of his rival Artur Daja, whose severed head was paraded through Lushnja. Eyewitnesses described gang members playing with the head in the streets of Lushnja as if it were a soccer ball, an act meant to demonstrate the gang's dominance and instill fear by intimidating the community.

Fall and arrest

Bare's criminal organization came to an end in 2006 when Albanian authorities, following years of pressure, succeeded in breaking up his gang. He was arrested in Turkey and was extradited to Albania in 2009. His arrest was seen as a significant victory for Albanian law enforcement, although questions persisted regarding the extent of police and government involvement in allowing his gang to operate for so long.

Bare faced multiple serious charges, including:

• Formation of a criminal organization.
• Involvement in at least 15 murders, such as the execution of rival Artur Daja, whose head was severed.
• Multiple acts of violence, such as property destruction, kidnapping, and grave desecration.
• The placement of explosives, notably in Lushnja's stadium and in the house of police inspector Idriz Shuli.
• The killings of individuals like Klodian Haxhiu (2005) and Baki Taullahu (2005).

As part of the legal proceedings against the Lushnja gang, Petrit Liçi, a former member of the gang, turned state’s witness and provided crucial testimony against Bare and other gang members. His testimony in 2007 revealed details of numerous criminal activities, including the infamous decapitation of Artur Daja. Liçi was sentenced to only seven years in prison, whereas other gang members received life sentences. Another key figure, Arben Kicja, also testified but later lost his protected status after breaking his agreement with the state.

Legal challenges and the repeal of his sentence

Initially sentenced to life imprisonment by the Court of First Instance for Serious Crimes in 2009, Bare’s conviction was annulled by the Appeals Court in 2011 due to procedural errors. The case was retried, and the life sentence was reaffirmed in 2012. Bare’s defense argued that his rights to a fair trial, as stipulated under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 42 of the Albanian Constitution, had been violated. In response, the Constitutional Court ruled that the case should be reassessed by the High Court, leading to further legal proceedings.

This development mirrored broader trends in Albania, where procedural errors in high-profile cases often resulted in reduced sentences or overturned convictions. Despite his imprisonment, Aldo Bare is still widely referenced in discussions of organized crime and its history in Albania in the context of the country’s challenges with criminal organizations in its post-communist era.