Page 669 - Kosovo Metohija Heritage

ViOLeNCe CONTiNUeS (1898)
Murders
1. On May 15th, an albanian named elijas, the son of Sa- lih Dzungula from the village of Bresije, murdered with his gun jovan Simić, from the same village, in his home because the aforementioned jovan could not compensate elijas for a Turkish Lira which he was sentenced to pay, some time ago, as indemnity to jovan for having beaten him up in the most brutal way.
2. On May 17th, Ramiz Sadiković [Sadiku] from Dobro- tin (the Kaza of Gilan) broke Djordje ivanović’s arm; ivano- vić is from Ranilug (in the same Kaza). Ramiz’s uncles killed Čevo Ristić from Petrovac two years ago.
3. at the beginning of May, Nuh Mehmedoviq, from Bu- sovat, shot dead Senta Ljubić from ajnovac (the Kaza of Gi- lan) with his rifle.
This self-same Nuh, is now demanding 12 Turkish Liras from the victim’s father-in-law, threatening to kill his son this time unless he pays the blackmail.
as he was also repeating death threats to anta Miljković, for having arranged the marriage of one peasant girl, the above-mentioned anta was forced to leave his village and settle elsewhere.
4. On May 9th, Musli Selimović, an albanian from Rakit- nica (the Kaza of Vučitrn), shot dead Milovan Spasojević with his rifle while Milovan was working in front of his home.
This self-same Musli went to the village of Chechovo (in the District of Kolašin) blackmailing every Serbian home into paying him one Turkish lira each, uttering death threats.
Stojan Novaković, Serbian Minister to Constantinople
Sources and Testimonies
On May 19th, this very man, Musli, accompanied by his friend adzaj, forcefully took two horses from Cvetko Simić and Nestor Filipović from the village of Razal.
5. a military fugitive named Shulic, an albanian, who killed Muktar Riga from Gogolevac (the Kaza of Gilan) last year, is threatening with death to arsa Mirković unless the latter pays a certain amount of money which he previously demanded.
6. a group of albanians murdered arsa Petrović, head of several families who lived in zadruga [agricultural com- munity, cooperative whose members are usually consangui- neals] in the village of Tomajić (in the Kaza of Peć). The mur- der was perpetrated for the purpose of overtaking their lands and estates; nevertheless Maksa–jovan Petrović, arsa’s heir, continued with agricultural works and cultivation of land, hence the albanians, extremely infuriated, started threaten- ing him and Maksa was forced to abandon the estate and move, together with his family, to Djurakovac (the Kaza of Peć), to a certain Catholic’s home. However, unfortunately, Maksa and his family could not find peace and safety not even in their new shelter with the arbanasi Halil, Bajram and Nuh, from the same village, constantly disturbing them with black- mails demanding 6,000 Groschen and forcing them to turn Turk and convert to islam if they want their lives to be spared. as there were 7 men in that zadruga who were capable of carrying a rifle, the wretched men had to keep guard every night in front of the house fearing that they might be sud- denly attacked.
7. On May 13th, ilija Novaković from Gručarevo (the Kaza of Novi Pazar) who went to Sjenica for the purpose of sell- ing cattle, was killed on his way back by a group of ethnic albanians who also robbed him of all the money.
8. On May 14th. an albanians murdered Djoka Virtunić from Vičnjevo (Novi-Pazar) in Djoka’s watermill.
Plundering of churches
9. On May 28th, a certain number of arbanasi attacked and plundered the church in Lapljan (in Kosovo).
Abductions and rapes
10. Bajram Zekirović, a railroad guard, has been terror- izing the entire population of the village of Skulanovo, per- petrating all kinds of evil deeds, taking away by force wives and daughters and detaining them for more than 15 days in his guardhouse. Thus he took away by force Neda, the wife of Trajko Krstić from the same village. He is now lusting for the wife of Stojan Milić and it is highly probable that he will soon abduct her as well. He often uses death threats as a means to coerce wives and girls into converting to islam.
11. Nail Nimunović from Bamcha (the District of Roža- je), accompanied by his accomplices, attacked the home of janicije from the same village. Not finding him there, they beat his wife and son so brutally that the two will hardly stay alive and took away by force his daughter jelena who was engaged to marry. Nail ran away taking away the girl with him to the village of Sušica where they are still staying in the house of Redzep Husejin.
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