Page 656 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

From the 13th to the 20th century
noted for sure that there is a formal war waged to extermi- nation of the Serbian population. The authorities are doing absolutely nothing to prevent the terror, so no wonder al- banians already think that the Sultan is not in their way to finish the eradication of the Serbian population there.
The Mutesarif of Peć is but a coward who does not dare oppose the terror with his words, let alone prevent it with his authority and armed force. For, should he personally do anything about it, we would not have the situation in Peć where not a single day lapses without a Serb murdered or beaten up. it has even got thus far in Peć that Serbs have shut down all their stores and do not dare leave there houses.
These days, near the Patriarchate of Peć, a young man from the Vojvoda family (albanian) grabbed a Catholic alba- nian girl who loved him and did not resist going with him. [...]
(The Catholics) instead of revenge against Vojvoda, burnt down a nearby village Budisevci where grain and food worth 300 Lires got combusted.
Ten days ago, rumor had it in Priština that albanians at- tacked the monastery of Visoki Dečani, besieged it, the monks ran away and the abbot is hiding in Velika Hoča near Priz- ren. This was confirmed at the Consulate by a peasant from Velika Hoča. This information has not been confirmed, how- ever, but it is true that albanians nearby Dečani imposed a tax (1 mecidiye—white silver coin) to be paid by Serbs who want to enter the monastery and thus they force them to either get converted into islam or to shun their own religion, being prevented from church-going. This was all confirmed by the Monastery’s keeper and Father-Superior in front of the Rector of the Theological Seminary (in Prizren)...
aCTS OF TeRROR (ZULUM) iN THe ReGiON UNDeR THe jURiSDiCTiON OF THe CONSULaTe iN PRiŠTiNa
i. The Kaza (District) of Gilan
September 1st, 1894
Brother of Sulja ašković, an albanian, deathly wounded Di- mitrije Trajković from Vaganeš for the following reason: The albanian had kidnapped Dimitrije’s sister and held her cap- tive in the woods. She refused to convert to islam, so her brother released her and took her away from the woods. That
happened in September.
etem from Vrabac, a kaçak [bandit, outlaw] now in Kr-
menat, together with three other kaçaks from [. . .] found a couple of oxen belonging to File Savić from Kostadinci on a pasture, tied up the shepherd and stole three oxen. Then, etem and his accomplices blackmailed Fila as well as two other Serbs to pay them 50 liras as a ransom. When Fila com- plained to the Kaymakam of Gilan [district governor], the latter replied:
- So, what! You have enough oxen, it is no big deal for you to lose three oxen!
On the eve of the Holy Cross Day, four arnauts (ethnic albanians) attacked the home of Stojan Denić from Bratlo- vac. They tied him up and totally plundered the entire house and every chamber in it. They forced Stojan to carry for them all of the spoils and things they had robbed.
ali-aga, the son of Sajit-aga from Gilane, came to the village of Bušince and stayed there four days. He wanted to rape a little girl named Margita Stevanović. She was hidden in the cellar and thus saved. ali-aga, then, stormed the house of Stamena Filić, who was having a guest—her daughter Sta- mena Kita, the wife of Milović from Boca. aga broke into the house, together with the albanians, and offered two white mecidiyes [Turkish silver money] for Kita. When her moth- er refused the offer, they pulled Martin rifles on her. The vil- lagers ran to help and began to wrestle with the albanians grabbing each other by the throat. in that commotion, Kita managed to escape and hid in the stream in the woods above the village where she spent several nights and then, togeth- er with her mother, returned to her husband in Boca. as an act of revenge, ali-aga tried to kill Rade, Kita’s brother, but the latter escaped to Serbia. The house is now empty and deserted...
October 2nd, 1894
Mustafa Sulejman—an agin from Gilane came at night to Strezovce to the homes of jovan Trajković and Toma Milo- vanović demanding their wives. He fired at their houses 9 times with the rifle. The slaves hid into the woods while jo-
van and Toma fled to an unknown location.
in the villagde of Gogoljevac, jashar from Robovac tried
to kill Giga Stojiljković having fired at him, but the gunpow- der failed to ignite. Gigo fled to the woods.
On the Holy Theotokos’s Day, at the sabor (synaxis, gath- ering) at the Church in Božurci, a lot of local peasants were present. On the way back, the albanians attacked some 14 women and girls from Dajinovci, having chased away their escorts (three Serbs), took the females into the woods where they raped them and stripped off all of their clothes. The as- saulters were: Sherif from Busovat, his brother Malja, Sa- lim—a settler (muadzer) from Turkey etc.
On October 13th, albanian kaçaks killed Kosta arsić from Šipašnica, in a watermill near the village.
in Kmetovka, albanians murdered Sava Nikolić on Oc- tober 7th.
Fila Miličar from [...] the richest Serb in Kriva Reka was murdered in the village of Krmenat on October 20 while dis- tilling brandy at the home of his friend Maxim. He was killed by Ferat ašković, muhadzer [settler] from Krmenti, a kaçak. This summer, Ferat also killed Fila’s nephew. Because of this murder, a certain Sulja ašković was arrested, brother of Fe- rat, but was immediately released in Priština. Sulja is the ma- jor criminal in the District of Gilane. He is the abettor of all murders but so far has been condoned by the authorities.
On October 11th, etem, a muadzer [settler] and kaçak from from Krmenci, killed anta arsić from jasenovik. anta was Killed on the road to bazaar to Gilane. The authorities do not even try to catch etem even though he continues with blackmailing, stealing and killing.
Sulja Zeković and amet Okshin from Makreš waylaid Cvetko Cirko Savić from Grizina who was riding by on a horse. They stopped him and rebuked him for not having dismounted from the horse when he saw the Turks. Then they beat him up and pushed him, together with the horse, into a chasm with water. Had he not got caught on a tree in the chasm, he would have been broken to pieces and drowned
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