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{{Short description|Orthodox Christians massacred Muslims in Šahovići, Montenegro, in 1924}}
{{Infobox civilian attack {{Infobox civilian attack
| title = Šahovići massacre | title = Šahovići massacre
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| map_caption = | map_caption =
| location = Šahovići, ] (modern-day ] in ] in ]) | location = Šahovići, ] (modern-day ] in ] in ])
| target = ] of ]
| target =
| coordinates = {{coord|43.0578|N|19.6364|E|source:wikidata|display=inline}} | coordinates = {{coord|43.0578|N|19.6364|E|source:wikidata|display=inline}}
| date = {{start date|1924|11|09}}-<br />{{end date|1924|11|10}} | date = November 9 - November 10, 1924
| time = | time =
| timezone = | timezone =
| type = | type = ]
| fatalities = | fatalities = 600-900
| perpetrators = Orthodox Christian mob from ] and ], ]
| injuries =
| victims = Muslims from Šahovići
* 120 - official reports
* between 600 and 900 - various estimates
| perpetrators = 2,000 members of brotherhood of the murdered Boško Bošković from Kolašin
| assailants = <!-- or | assailant = --> | assailants = <!-- or | assailant = -->
| susperps = <!-- or | susperp = --> | susperps = <!-- or | susperp = -->
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| numparts = <!-- or | numpart = --> | numparts = <!-- or | numpart = -->
| dfens = <!-- or | dfen = --> | dfens = <!-- or | dfen = -->
| motive = revenge for murder of Boško Bošković | motive = {{nowrap|Revenge for murder of Boško Bošković<br>]}}
| inquiry = | inquiry =
| coroner = | coroner =
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| litigation = | litigation =
| website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> | website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} -->
| module = | module =
}} }}
The '''Šahovići massacre''' was a massacre of the Muslim population of the ] village of Šahovići (modern-day ] in ]) and its neighbouring area committed on 9 and 10 November 1924 by a mob of Orthodox Christian men from Kolašin and Bijelo Polje that sought revenge for the earlier murder of Boško Bošković. The '''Šahovići massacre''' was a massacre of the Muslim population of the ] village of Šahovići (modern-day ] in ]) and neighbouring villages in the region of the ]. It was committed on 9 and 10 November 1924 by a mob of 2,000 Orthodox Christian men from ] and ] that sought revenge for the earlier murder of Boško Bošković, governor of the area, it was also committed by Montenegrin Greens. The massacre was fueled by rumors which targeted local Muslims, anti-Yugoslav leader ] (]: ''Isuf Mehani''<ref>{{cite book |last1=Verli |first1=Marenglen |title=Nga Kosova për Kosovën: profile biografike personalitetesh dhe luftëtarësh të shquar : studime, skica, publicistikë, dokumente, ilustrime |date=2006 |publisher=Botimpex |isbn=9994380117 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b6ktAQAAIAAJ}}</ref>) as the perpetrator. In time, it became known that Bošković was killed by members of a rival clan, the ]. In the aftermath of the massacre many Muslims fled from the region.


==Background== ==Background==
] ]
The motive for the massacre was the murder of Boško Bošković, the chief of the Kolašin county. Bošković was murdered in an ambush by unknown assailants on 7 November 1924, while he travelled from Mojkovac to Šahovići. In this period the whole region was terrorized by one outlaw, Jusuf from Šahovići.<ref name="Komnenić-DžakovićĐurović1994">{{cite book|last1=Komnenić-Džaković|first1=Jelisavka|last2=Đurović|first2=Žarko|title=U spomen Vukomanu Džakoviću|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PnvlAAAAMAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Stručna knjiga|page=21}}</ref> Suspecting that Jusuf and the population of Šahovići had some role in his murder, an order was issued on the same day to confiscate all weapons in possession of the population of Šahovići and Pavino Polje. Bošković was buried on 9 November 1924. In the speeches held during his funeral, the Orthodox population of Šahovići accused the Muslim population of Šahovići for his death. Adil Zulfikarpašić emphasizes that Šahovići and Pavino Polje had been disarmed two days before the massacre. Local authorities arrested 31 men from Šahovići on 7 November 1924.<ref>{{cite book|title=Историjски записи|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pz9pAAAAMAAJ|year=1986|publisher=с.н.|page=150}}</ref> The motive for the massacre was the murder of Boško Bošković, the chief of the Kolašin county. Bošković was murdered in an ambush by unknown assailants on 7 November 1924, while he travelled from Mojkovac to Šahovići. In this period, in much of Lower Kolašin a group of anti-Yugoslav rebels were active. Their leader was Jusuf Mehonjić (also known as Isuf Mehani), a ] and member of the ]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Neziri |first1=Zymer Ujkan |title=Lahutarët e Sanxhakut të Pazarit të R |date=2020 |publisher=Instituti Albanologjik, Prishtinë |page=69}}</ref> from Šahovići.<ref name="Morrison">{{cite book |last1=Morrison |first1=Kenneth |title=Nationalism, Identity and Statehood in Post-Yugoslav Montenegro |date=2018 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=1474235190 |page=56 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9Js8DwAAQBAJ&pg=PA56 |ref=Morrison}}</ref><ref name="Komnenić-DžakovićĐurović1994">{{cite book|last1=Komnenić-Džaković|first1=Jelisavka|last2=Đurović|first2=Žarko|title=U spomen Vukomanu Džakoviću|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=PnvlAAAAMAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Stručna knjiga|page=21}}</ref> The local Montenegrin authorities singled out Jusuf Mejonjić, despite him being in ] at the time of the murder,<ref>{{cite book |last1=Neziri |first1=Zymer Ujkan |title=Lahutarët e Sanxhakut të Pazarit të R |date=2020 |publisher=Instituti Albanologjik, Prishtinë |page=71}}</ref> and the population of Šahovići as having been active in Bošković's murder and an order was issued on the same day to confiscate all weapons in possession of the population of Šahovići and Pavino Polje. Bošković was buried on 9 November 1924. In the speeches held during his funeral, the Orthodox population of Šahovići accused the Muslim population of Šahovići for his death. Adil Zulfikarpašić emphasizes that Šahovići and Pavino Polje had been disarmed two days before the massacre. Local authorities arrested 31 men from Šahovići on 7 November 1924.<ref>{{cite book|title=Историјски записи|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pz9pAAAAMAAJ|year=1986|publisher=с.н.|page=150}}</ref> After the events of the massacre, it emerged that the murderers of Bošković were clan members from ], a rival tribe to his own.<ref name="Morrison"/>


==Massacre== ==Massacre==
]
Zulfikarpašić concluded that the massacre was committed by 2,000 armed men from Kolašin and Bijelo Polje who coordinated their attack on Šahovići and Pavino Polje on the 19 kilometers wide frontline.<ref name="Zulfikarpašić1984">{{cite book|last=Zulfikarpašić|first=Adil|title=Bosanski pogledi: nezavisni list muslimana Bosne i Hercegovine u iseljeništvu, 1960-1967|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J3RpAAAAMAAJ|year=1984|publisher=Bosanski Inst.}}</ref> There are different estimates of the number of victims. Some sources estimate 600,<ref name="Vulliamy1994">{{cite book|last=Vulliamy|first=Ed|title=Seasons in Hell: Understanding Bosnia's War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BI9pAAAAMAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Simon & Schuster, Limited|isbn=978-0-671-71345-4|page=35|quote=A wave of violence was unleashed against Muslims in the early 1920s. Three thousand extrajudicial murders were chronicled in 1924 in eastern Herzegovina alone, 600 of them during the massacre of two villages, Sahovici and Pavino Polje.}}</ref> while some sources up to 900, all of them emphasizing that many women and children were among victims.<ref name="Hajdaparšić1996">{{cite book|last=Hajdaparšić|first=Raif|title=Kolašinska kapetanija i bošnjački narod|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OcIwAAAAMAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Udruženje Bošnjaka Porijeklom iz Sandžaka|page=112}}</ref> Some sources estimate the number of victims to be 3,000.<ref name="Omrčanin1957">{{cite book|last=Omrčanin|first=Ivo|title=Istina o Draži Mihailoviću|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p7cMAAAAIAAJ|year=1957|publisher=Logos|page=67}}</ref> According to the official report, the massacre was committed by villagers from Polja village in Kolašin, members of the brotherhood of the murdered Bošković, who killed 120 Muslims and burned and robbed 45 houses.<ref name="Rastoder2000">{{cite book|last=Rastoder|first=Šerbo|title=Političke stranke i Crnoj Gori 1918-1929|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I6gVAQAAIAAJ|year=2000|publisher=Conteco-Bar|page=554}}</ref> Zulfikarpašić concluded that the massacre was committed by armed men from Kolašin and Bijelo Polje who coordinated their attack on Šahovići and Pavino Polje on the 19 km wide frontline.<ref name="Zulfikarpašić1984">{{cite book|last=Zulfikarpašić|first=Adil|title=Bosanski pogledi: nezavisni list muslimana Bosne i Hercegovine u iseljeništvu, 1960-1967|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=J3RpAAAAMAAJ|year=1984|publisher=Bosanski Inst.}}</ref> There are different estimates of the number of victims. Some sources estimate 600,<ref name="Morrison" /><ref name="Vulliamy1994">{{cite book|last=Vulliamy|first=Ed|title=Seasons in Hell: Understanding Bosnia's War|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BI9pAAAAMAAJ|year=1994|publisher=Simon & Schuster, Limited|isbn=978-0-671-71345-4|page=35|quote=A wave of violence was unleashed against Muslims in the early 1920s. Three thousand extrajudicial murders were chronicled in 1924 in eastern Herzegovina alone, 600 of them during the massacre of two villages, Sahovici and Pavino Polje.}}</ref> while some sources up to 900, all of them emphasizing that many women and children were among victims.<ref name="Hajdaparšić1996">{{cite book|last=Hajdaparšić|first=Raif|title=Kolašinska kapetanija i bošnjački narod|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OcIwAAAAMAAJ|year=1996|publisher=Udruženje Bošnjaka Porijeklom iz Sandžaka|page=112}}</ref> According to the official report, the massacre was committed by villagers from Polja village in Kolašin, members of the brotherhood of the murdered Bošković, who killed 120 Muslims and burned and robbed 45 houses.<ref name="Rastoder2000">{{cite book|last=Rastoder|first=Šerbo|title=Političke stranke i Crnoj Gori 1918-1929|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I6gVAQAAIAAJ|year=2000|publisher=Conteco-Bar|page=554}}</ref>


The massacre was described by ] in the book ''Land without Justice'', based on the testimony of his father Nikola, who participated in the massacre.<ref>{{cite book|title=The South Slav Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRlXAAAAYAAJ|year=1983|publisher=Dositey Obradovich Circle|page=8}}</ref> The massacre was described by ] in the book ''Land without Justice'', based on the testimony of his father Nikola, who participated in the massacre:


{{quotation|In Shahovichi the authorities informed the vigilantes that a group of Moslems, taken under protective custody on the pretext that their lives were in danger, were being moved to Bjelo Polje. The Montenegrins lay in wait for them in a likely spot, and massacred them near the cemetery of Shahovichi. Some fifty prominent Moslems were killed. . . .What especially upset the established mores was not so much the murders themselves, but the way in which they were carried out. After those prisoners in Sahovici were mowed down, one of our villagers, Sekula, went from corpse to corpse and severed the ligaments at their heels. This is what is done in the village with oxen after they are struck down by a blow of the axe, to keep them from getting up again if they should revive. . . . Babes were taken from the arms of mothers and sisters and slaughtered before their eyes. . . . The beards of the Moslem religious leaders were torn out and crosses were carved into their foreheads. . . .|Milovan Đilas, ''Land without Justice''}} {{quotation|In Shahovichi the authorities informed the vigilantes that a group of Moslems, taken under protective custody on the pretext that their lives were in danger, were being moved to Bjelo Polje. The Montenegrins lay in wait for them in a likely spot, and massacred them near the cemetery of Shahovichi. Some fifty prominent Moslems were killed... What especially upset the established mores was not so much the murders themselves, but the way in which they were carried out. After those prisoners in Sahovici were mowed down, one of our villagers, Sekula, went from corpse to corpse and severed the ligaments at their heels. This is what is done in the village with oxen after they are struck down by a blow of the axe, to keep them from getting up again if they should revive... Babies were taken from the arms of mothers and sisters and slaughtered before their eyes... The beards of the Moslem religious leaders were torn out and crosses were carved into their foreheads...<ref>{{cite book|title=The South Slav Journal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vRlXAAAAYAAJ|year=1983|publisher=Dositey Obradovich Circle|page=8}}</ref> |Milovan Đilas, ''Land without Justice''}}


== Aftermath == == Aftermath ==
Muslim notables and leaders from Šahovići who survived the massacre wrote a memorandum to Yugoslav king. In the absence of appropriate reaction from Yugoslav government, all Muslims from Šahovići emigrated from their village, most of them to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Muslim notables and leaders from Šahovići who survived the massacre wrote a memorandum to King ]. In the absence of appropriate reaction from Yugoslav government, all Muslims from Šahovići emigrated from their village, most of them to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many Muslims from the area of Bijelo Polje fled the region and emigrated to ].<ref name="Morrison"/>

== References == == References ==
{{Reflist|30em}} {{Reflist|30em}}
Line 61: Line 58:
== Further reading == == Further reading ==
* {{cite book|last=Rastoder|first=Šerbo|title=Kad su vakat kaljali insani: Šahovići 1924|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QLIdlAEACAAJ|year=2011|publisher=Almanah|isbn=978-86-85575-27-3}} * {{cite book|last=Rastoder|first=Šerbo|title=Kad su vakat kaljali insani: Šahovići 1924|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QLIdlAEACAAJ|year=2011|publisher=Almanah|isbn=978-86-85575-27-3}}
* Alamanah, 45-46, ISSN 0354-5342, pages: 299-365, Podgorica, 2009 * Alamanah, 45–46, ISSN 0354-5342, pages: 299–365, Podgorica, 2009


{{DEFAULTSORT:Sahovici massacre}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Sahovici massacre}}


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Latest revision as of 09:15, 13 September 2024

Orthodox Christians massacred Muslims in Šahovići, Montenegro, in 1924
Šahovići massacre
Photo of the victim's bodies
LocationŠahovići, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (modern-day Tomaševo in Bijelo Polje Municipality in Montenegro)
Coordinates43°03′28″N 19°38′11″E / 43.0578°N 19.6364°E / 43.0578; 19.6364
DateNovember 9 - November 10, 1924
TargetMuslims of Yugoslavia
Attack typeMass murder
Deaths600-900
PerpetratorsOrthodox Christian mob from Bijelo Polje and Kolašin, Montenegrin Greens
MotiveRevenge for murder of Boško Bošković
Anti-Muslim sentiment

The Šahovići massacre was a massacre of the Muslim population of the Yugoslav village of Šahovići (modern-day Tomaševo in Montenegro) and neighbouring villages in the region of the Lower Kolašin. It was committed on 9 and 10 November 1924 by a mob of 2,000 Orthodox Christian men from Kolašin and Bijelo Polje that sought revenge for the earlier murder of Boško Bošković, governor of the area, it was also committed by Montenegrin Greens. The massacre was fueled by rumors which targeted local Muslims, anti-Yugoslav leader Jusuf Mehonjić (Albanian: Isuf Mehani) as the perpetrator. In time, it became known that Bošković was killed by members of a rival clan, the Rovčani. In the aftermath of the massacre many Muslims fled from the region.

Background

Boško Bošković, chief of Kolašin county

The motive for the massacre was the murder of Boško Bošković, the chief of the Kolašin county. Bošković was murdered in an ambush by unknown assailants on 7 November 1924, while he travelled from Mojkovac to Šahovići. In this period, in much of Lower Kolašin a group of anti-Yugoslav rebels were active. Their leader was Jusuf Mehonjić (also known as Isuf Mehani), a Kachak and member of the Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo from Šahovići. The local Montenegrin authorities singled out Jusuf Mejonjić, despite him being in Albania at the time of the murder, and the population of Šahovići as having been active in Bošković's murder and an order was issued on the same day to confiscate all weapons in possession of the population of Šahovići and Pavino Polje. Bošković was buried on 9 November 1924. In the speeches held during his funeral, the Orthodox population of Šahovići accused the Muslim population of Šahovići for his death. Adil Zulfikarpašić emphasizes that Šahovići and Pavino Polje had been disarmed two days before the massacre. Local authorities arrested 31 men from Šahovići on 7 November 1924. After the events of the massacre, it emerged that the murderers of Bošković were clan members from Rovca, a rival tribe to his own.

Massacre

Jusuf Mehonjić/Isuf Mehani, local rebel

Zulfikarpašić concluded that the massacre was committed by armed men from Kolašin and Bijelo Polje who coordinated their attack on Šahovići and Pavino Polje on the 19 km wide frontline. There are different estimates of the number of victims. Some sources estimate 600, while some sources up to 900, all of them emphasizing that many women and children were among victims. According to the official report, the massacre was committed by villagers from Polja village in Kolašin, members of the brotherhood of the murdered Bošković, who killed 120 Muslims and burned and robbed 45 houses.

The massacre was described by Milovan Đilas in the book Land without Justice, based on the testimony of his father Nikola, who participated in the massacre:

In Shahovichi the authorities informed the vigilantes that a group of Moslems, taken under protective custody on the pretext that their lives were in danger, were being moved to Bjelo Polje. The Montenegrins lay in wait for them in a likely spot, and massacred them near the cemetery of Shahovichi. Some fifty prominent Moslems were killed... What especially upset the established mores was not so much the murders themselves, but the way in which they were carried out. After those prisoners in Sahovici were mowed down, one of our villagers, Sekula, went from corpse to corpse and severed the ligaments at their heels. This is what is done in the village with oxen after they are struck down by a blow of the axe, to keep them from getting up again if they should revive... Babies were taken from the arms of mothers and sisters and slaughtered before their eyes... The beards of the Moslem religious leaders were torn out and crosses were carved into their foreheads...

— Milovan Đilas, Land without Justice

Aftermath

Muslim notables and leaders from Šahovići who survived the massacre wrote a memorandum to King Alexander I. In the absence of appropriate reaction from Yugoslav government, all Muslims from Šahovići emigrated from their village, most of them to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many Muslims from the area of Bijelo Polje fled the region and emigrated to Turkey.

References

  1. Verli, Marenglen (2006). Nga Kosova për Kosovën: profile biografike personalitetesh dhe luftëtarësh të shquar : studime, skica, publicistikë, dokumente, ilustrime. Botimpex. ISBN 9994380117.
  2. Neziri, Zymer Ujkan (2020). Lahutarët e Sanxhakut të Pazarit të R. Instituti Albanologjik, Prishtinë. p. 69.
  3. ^ Morrison, Kenneth (2018). Nationalism, Identity and Statehood in Post-Yugoslav Montenegro. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 56. ISBN 1474235190.
  4. Komnenić-Džaković, Jelisavka; Đurović, Žarko (1994). U spomen Vukomanu Džakoviću. Stručna knjiga. p. 21.
  5. Neziri, Zymer Ujkan (2020). Lahutarët e Sanxhakut të Pazarit të R. Instituti Albanologjik, Prishtinë. p. 71.
  6. Историјски записи. с.н. 1986. p. 150.
  7. Zulfikarpašić, Adil (1984). Bosanski pogledi: nezavisni list muslimana Bosne i Hercegovine u iseljeništvu, 1960-1967. Bosanski Inst.
  8. Vulliamy, Ed (1994). Seasons in Hell: Understanding Bosnia's War. Simon & Schuster, Limited. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-671-71345-4. A wave of violence was unleashed against Muslims in the early 1920s. Three thousand extrajudicial murders were chronicled in 1924 in eastern Herzegovina alone, 600 of them during the massacre of two villages, Sahovici and Pavino Polje.
  9. Hajdaparšić, Raif (1996). Kolašinska kapetanija i bošnjački narod. Udruženje Bošnjaka Porijeklom iz Sandžaka. p. 112.
  10. Rastoder, Šerbo (2000). Političke stranke i Crnoj Gori 1918-1929. Conteco-Bar. p. 554.
  11. The South Slav Journal. Dositey Obradovich Circle. 1983. p. 8.

Further reading

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