Qemal Stafa was a founding member of the Albanian Communist Party, and the leader of its youth section. He was very active in the National Liberation Movement (Albania) during World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. He was killed in a house at the outskirts of Tirana

Tirana

Tirana is the capital and the largest city of Albania. Modern Tirana was founded as an Ottoman town in 1614 by Sulejman Bargjini, a local ruler from Mullet, although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. Tirana became Albania's capital city in 1920 and has a population of over...

 by the Italian fascist

Italian Fascism

Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...

 forces, who had occupied Albania. It is believed that he may have been betrayed by one or more of his comrades, possibly Enver Hoxha

Enver Hoxha

Enver Halil Hoxha was a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary andthe leader of Albania from the end of World War II until his death in 1985, as the First Secretary of the Party of Labour of Albania...

 (the first secretary of the Albanian communist party & leader of Albania), who gained much from his death. The source of these allegations may derive from the deaths of many communist party members, during & after WWII, caused by the same Enver Hoxha. The 5th of May, his death anniversary, was chosen after the end of the war as the Martyrs' Day of Albania

Martyrs' Day (Albania)

Martyrs' Day , on May 5, the anniversary of Qemal Stafa's death, all the martyrs that died for Albania's freedom are remembered....

 to commemorate all those who gave their life for Albania's liberation.

Many streets, squares and schools in different cities bear his name as well as a military base and the most important stadium

Qemal Stafa (stadium)

The Qemal Stafa Stadium , named after Qemal Stafa a World War II hero, is a national stadium and the largest football stadium in Tirana, Albania. Construction started in 1939 and the stadium was inaugurated in 1946 for the Balkan Cup, which was won by the Albania national football team...

in the country.