Gaqo Çomo was born in the village of Dardhë in Korça and became at a very young age, together with his brother Ilo, part of the communist groups in Korça and helped organize the youth against fascism. Gaqo and his younger brother were arrested by the Italian police in one of the actions they carried out in Tirana. He was in his 20s when he was imprisoned. Initially they stayed for several weeks in prison in Tirana. Afterwards they were transferred to the prison of “Ustika” in Italy. Together with his brother and the rest they remained there until the capitulation of Italy. Later, when the Germans took control, all political or anti-fascist prisoners were transferred to Mauthausen prison. Gaqo affirmed that the prison conditions in Mauthausen were not comparable to the ones in Italy. The weather in Mauthausen was very cold and the clothes were very thin. Gaqo was horrified by the smell of chemicals when he was disinfected. It was the most disgusting thing he remembered. His great fortune was that he did not work much in the quarry, but in the crematorium.

His work was not physically hard, but psychologically it was terrible. His brother died there, while Gaqo suffered from a cold and stayed in the hospital for some time. Coming from Italy, his best friend in prison was Tuljo, a man from Italy who helped him until the end. When the camp was liberated and Gaqo came out alive, no one from Albania appeared to take him, so he stayed for about six months in Tuljo’s house in Italy. After 6 months he decided to return to Albania, to do an economics course. There he met his wife with whom he had one child. Gaqo left some notes from the time in prison, which his wife submitted to the National Liberation War Veterans Association. Mauthausen had left his mark, and Gaqo passed away at a very young age, with only 63 years. A very short life interrupted on October 31st, 1986.