"The New York Times" about the escape of Ismail Qemali from Istanbul

By: Evarist Beqiri

The escape of Ismail Qemali from Istanbul on May 1, 1900, made a big fuss in the "Yildiz" imperial palace, and shocked Sultan Abdyl Hamid II. This event had a great echo inside and outside the Ottoman Empire. The well-known American newspaper, "The New York Times" [NYT], in two articles bearing the dates of May 2 and May 3, 1900, would reflect the news and the request for asylum of Ismail Qemali on the British warship. The NYT describes his appointment as governor of Tripoli as tantamount to his exile.

Ismail Qemali, immediately after learning of the Sultan's decision to appoint him as governor of Tripoli, decided to escape from Istanbul to Europe, with the help and protection of the British ambassador in Istanbul, Sir Nicholas O'Connor. Qemali, throughout his life, was pro-British liberal. And, he used his acquaintances in the high circles of British politics and diplomacy first to secure British support in the realization of a failed coup against Sultan Abdyl Hamidid II and then for the establishment of Albania.

In 1901, Ismail Qemali participated in the funeral ceremony of Queen Victoria in London. Qemali was among the few Ottoman personalities who tried to change the system of government in the Ottoman Empire. With the support of the then British ambassador in Istanbul, Sir Philip Currie, Qemali published the newspaper with a liberal view entitled "Rugga e Ideve" (Mecra-yı Efkar) which promoted liberal ideas for decentralization reforms and reaped success in Ottoman intellectual circles.

Subsequently, only after the sultan's great insistence, this newspaper was closed. Sultan Abyl Hamidi II refrained from the decision to arrest Ismail Qemali, only because he enjoyed diplomatic protection from Great Britain and that such an action would have consequences in bilateral relations. But, immediately after a demonstration at the British consulate, organized by Ismail Qemali, the Sultan decided to expel Ismail Qemali, giving him the post of governor of Tripoli.

This was the only punishment the Sultan could give him at that moment. Sultan Abyl Hamidi II was aware of the protection that the British would give him, in case of Ismail Qemali's arrest or exile. Therefore, the Sultan saw the removal of Qemal from the capital as the best solution. Tripoli was one of the most remote and difficult provinces of the Ottoman Empire, connected to Istanbul only by sea.

The newspaper "The New York Times" emphasizes the importance of this event by comparing it with the escape of the brother-in-law of Sultan Abdyl Hamid II, Prince Damad Mahmud Pasha, former Minister of Justice and former ambassador: "The escape of Ismail Qemali is no less more important than that of Mahmud Pasha, the Sultan's brother-in-law, who disappeared from Constantinople on December 14 and is considered another symptom of the current situation in Turkey."

Ismail Qemali was described by the European press as "a fair, enlightened and educated man". The news of Ismail Qemali's escape was widely covered in the European press of the time and caused a stir in Albania as well. This moment would mark a decisive turning point for the Albanian National Movement and its future. The escape from Istanbul clothed Ismail Qemali with a bright aureole and with the mantle of a hero in the eyes of the Albanians.

In June 1901, the Istanbul Criminal Court sentenced Ismail Qemali to death in absentia, with confiscation of property and loss of civil rights. He was accused of "attempting to incite the people against the Government and the Sultan through seditious publications and other means". Popular memory has fixed this moment with these emblematic verses:

O Qemal, when they drove you away

When Turkey kicked you out
Who are you, man?

Which comes to us from Albania
I am 'Smail Qemali
History comes back to me

Sazan and Karaburun
They are my homelands
You will understand that it is not work
Albania is ours."

The Austro-Hungarian consul in Vlora, Petrović, would proverbially write to the Austro-Hungarian ambassador in Istanbul, baron Kaliçe, in a report dated May 14, 1900 that "in Ismail Qemali, the Albanians see their future leader". From Brussels, in October 1900, Ismail Qemali addressed a call to all Albanians, where he wrote, among other things: "All of us Albanians, big and small, rich and poor, old and young , we must unite and move the country forward on the path of civilization, showing Europe that the Albanian has always remained European in blood and that he wants nothing more than to strengthen his nationality and become civilized".

And, in the end, despite the great difficulties and obstacles, the activity of Ismail Qemal Vlora and other Albanian patriots, in the years 1900-1912, would be decisive and would be crowned with the Independence of Albania, in Vlora, on November 28, 1912...