Taken from Bislim Pireva from “Medvegjasite” in 2017.

Serbian invasion of 1912

In the middle of October 1912, the Serbian army managed to infiltrate Kosovo through Kapia e Sfirca. The men of Tygjec and the surrounding villages had gathered in the Tugjec mosque, who had sworn that they would never allow Serbian troops to penetrate Kosovo. They were preceded by Arif Ajet Kosumi from Tygjeci and Mullah Misin Doda from Sfirca, the imam of the Tygjeci mosque, who were killed and both of them were buried in Sfirca, where their remains still rest today. After the Albanians had broken the border at Kapia, the Serbian forces retreated asking for help from Lebanë and the contemporaries took them as hostages and put the Albanians of the villages of Medvegja and especially the Albanians of Sfica of the municipality of Medvegja to Kapia as a shield in front of them, where the war was taking place.

So Serbia has used the Albanians constantly, as the people say, as cannon fodder. Not knowing the Serbian fascist strategy, people have often dismissed them as traitors. I happened to read that Sahit Osmani from Llapashtica and Halil Islami from Sfirca, after the expulsion of the Albanians during December 1877 and January 1878, had collaborated with the Serbian state, which is not true at all. With the commitment of Sahi Osman and Halil Islam in the 90s in the 19th century, the school was built at the Siarina Mosque.

General Veli Dedi, Zenel Hajdini, the first Albanian academic in Kosovo, Idriz Ajeti, Zeqir Bajrami, who completed his studies at the Department of Geography at the University of Zagreb in 1942, was a student of that school. Hajdar Xhema, who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bologna in 1948 and managed to become the director of the Neuropsychiatric Clinic in New York, USA and many other positions. Another very banal example. Imer Fejza from Sfirca is called a collaborator of the Serbs. The deceased was employed by a Montenegrin in a village in Medvegja. The Serbs, as well as many other Albanians, mobilized it. In the Kika War on 26.07.1944, he was taken prisoner together with other Serbian soldiers and was shot in Gjilan. So he was not a collaborator of the Serbs, but an Albanian peasant who had fallen prey to Serbian terror.

Serbia enlisting Albanians to fight at the front in 1915

In 1915, during the First World War, Serbia had mobilized many Albanians and had sent them to the war front even from the Albanian villages of the Medvegja municipality. The following were mobilized from Tupalla: Arif Rexhë Ajeti, Osman Murat Ajeti, Xheladin Ajeti, Adem Luta, Rrahman Uka, Rexhë Ajeti, Sherif Rexhë Ajeti, Murat Ajeti, and Sylejman Demë Murati. From Sfirca: Halil Baftiu, Rrahman Baftiu and Avdil Baftiu. From Dediqi Jashar Jashari, from Ramabaja Avdullah Syla, from Llapa-shtica Bushat Hyseni and Halil Sahiti, from Gërbaci Latif Gërbaci and from Kapiti Zeqir Pajaziti.

They following were killed: Avdullah Syla from Ramabaja, Sheriff Rexhe Ajeti from Tupalla, Bushat Hyseni from Llapashtica, Halil Baftiu from Sfirca, Rrahman Baftiu from Sfirca, Mehmet Hajdar Ismajli from Vllasa-Gërbaci and Rexhe Ajeti from Tupalla had returned alive. But he was mobilized again and during the penetration of the Serbian army into Kosovo he was killed somewhere near the village of Keqekollë.

Albanians in the Serbo-Bulgarian war of 1917

In 1917, in the Serbo-Bulgarian war, Serbia had mobilized many Albanians in the vicinity of Medvegja. After the Serbian defeat, Bulgaria captured many soldiers, including 32 Albanians, whom it interned in Bulgarian trenches. From Tupalla it is known that the following were interned: Adem Rexhep Rafuna, Adem Radeci, Arif Rexhë Ajeti, Latif Rexhë Ajeti, Islam Isë Ferati, Rrah-man Uka, Shaban Aliu and Ramiz Shahin Emini. From Dediqi were: Avdil Dediqi, Sherif Jashari and Jashar Jashari and Hatem Jakupi. From Llapashtica were Hajrullah Fazliu, Hasan Fazliu and Sherif Osmani, from Kapiti Rrustem Krivaça and Hajdin Muzliu. Metë Ibrahimi and Ramë Vllasa were from Vllasa, while Avdil Hajdari was from Gërbaci. Hafiz Murtezi was from Sfirca.

Avdi Veli Jashari and Deli Jashari from Sfirca as well as Zenel Ajeti from Tupalla were also captured, but on the way the three managed to somehow escape. Liman Fetah Klaiqi has also been lost without a trace, whose family, after the expulsion of the Albanians from Klaiqi in January 1878, was settled in the Jasharajje Neighborhood in Sfircë, Medvegja. Limani had left no descendants. In the Bulgarian prisons and trenches, as far as is known, they were killed and disappeared without a trace: Hafiz Murtezi from Sfirca Zeqir Zejnullah Jaha, Halim Fazli Mustafa, Mehmet Voce Smajli, Musa Hysen Hyseni, Sylë Maliq Maliqi, Beqir Uke Aliu Rrustem Krivaça from Kapiti Ramiz Shahin Emini from Tupalla Avdil Hajdari from Gërbaci Liman Fetah Klaiqi from Sfirca In 1878, his family from Klaiqi settled in Sfircë in the neighborhood of Jasharjve. After Liman’s disappearance, his brothers Brahimi and Demiri had settled in Sfircë, Kamenica, and Tahiri and Rrahmani in Gmicë. Demiri had returned to Siaria where the parents of his sons Sefa and Hajdini lived in 1999.

Negosalë Massacre

In 1917, Ramizi, son of Shahin Emini from Tupalla and Avdili of Hajdar Gërbac, were among those captured by the Bulgarian army. Ramiz’s father Shahini and Avdil’s brother Hazir had gone to Lebanë to beg the Bulgarian administration not to deport them to Bulgaria. Returning from Lebanë, they spent the night in the village of Negosalë and because of the curfew, they could not continue their journey to Medvegja. They had stopped near an inn, had tied the horses to a pear tree trunk, had bedded them and fallen to sleep. The Serbs had investigated them for being Albanians and massacred them while they were asleep.

Yugoslav period of 1920s

In the fall of 1924, Shaban Dukati had gone to his mountain to cut oak for the cattle grazing season. He had his 14-year-old son Shahini with him. Radovani and Velimiri, the sons of Jovan Valić from Medvegja, threaten Shaban that the mountain was theirs. After Shabani protested, they arrested him and send him to their house where he was locked in a cellar. In the meantime, Radovan’s and Velimir’s father Jovan arrived found Shaban trapped in the basement. After Shabani told him how and why his sons had trapped him, Jovani released him, and said that they would handle the issue later. On his way home, Shabani saw that Radovani and Velimiri had also taken the women to water the oak tree. When Shabani had reached home, he had invited Rexhep and Mustafa Dukat, Xhema and Veli Ferat and Xhela Siarina to go and talk with Radovan and Velimir. As soon as they arrived, Radovani threatened Shaban. The conflict began and Radovani and Velimiri were killed, while Shabani was wounded, since the Serbian women had cut him with an axe.

The killings of the Çollak family in 1937

On August 2, 1937, a number of festivities were held in the Baja of Siarina. Various competitions were held there, such as throwing stones, running, singing songs, and dancing. This tradition had continued even after the arrival of the Serbian colonists, but the whole situation had been tense. In 1937, Hamiti and Qerimi, two young sons of the Çollak family, entered the dance, while the Serbo-Montenegrins attacked them out of anger that they entered the dance with their women. Hamiti tried to defend himself with a pistol while leaving, but the Serbian Chetnik from Siarina, Muja Angjeliqi, ambushed them and killed Hamiti, while Qerimin was wounded, who was sent to Leskoc to be cured and then poisoned.

Killings of Stracin in World War 2

Since the beginning of the Second World War, there had been a secret plan among the Serbian military leadership regarding Albanians who were seen as an unreliable element. The plan was to send them to the front line, but also to be killed by the army itself. So in Stracin, Macedonia, out of six Albanians, only Ajet Deli Bajrami managed to return home, while the following were killed: Zenel Ramë Munishi from Sfirca Ibish Mehmeti from Kapiti Ajet Rushiti from Llapashtica Selman Uka from Tupalla Zenel Baftiu from Sfirca had disappeared somewhere in Bulgaria.

Lebanë Massacre

Imer Ruhan Avdili from Gërbaci, Adem Osmani and Demë Beqir Sahiti from Llapashtica before the war had been mobilized as border guards on the border with Bulgaria. In September 1941, someone had told them that in Belgrade they would be paid the salaries they had not received. Without thinking about the consequences of not leaving for Belgrade. After passing Lebanë, they stop at an inn of an acquaintance to spend the night and the next day continue their journey to Leskoc and from there by train to Belgrade. The Chetniks investigated them and found out that they were Albanians. They were caught and sent back to Lebanë where they were handed over to Kërta Mihajlović from Retkoceri, voivode of the Chetniks, who cut them with a spade and slaughtered them and covered the corpses with tiles by the river Jabllanicë in the place called Guri i Lebanës. Since they had not returned after a few days, despite the great danger, Bajram Muharremi and Sherif Salihu from Tupalla and Ahmet Osmani from Llapashtica set off towards Leskoc in search of them. After many vicissitudes, they manage to find their corpses and bring them to their families.

Llapashticë Massacre

At the end of 1942, settlers from Buca, Rafuna, from Llapashtica e Poshtme, Rukoci, Cërnovërri and other villages set off towards Lagja e Sahitajve in Upper Llapashtica to loot and kill Albanians. First they went to the Beqiraj family and arrested Ramiz. Then they went to the family of Ali and Shaban Guti and after looting everything they arrested Ali’s brother Hasan, then Ali’s son Salihu 16 years old, Selim Hasan’s son 14 years old and Kecë 12 years old. From there they go to the house of old man Zenun, where Shaqir Ali from Kapiti had been a guest, who had gone to send the wedding clothes for Zenun’s daughter, who was engaged to Shaqir’s son.

The Chetniks killed the old men Zenu and Shaqiri, and Zenun’s son Beka, who was 18 years old, was taken to the yard and shot. At the moment when they aimed to fire, the sister who was betrothed to Shaqiri’s son appeared in front of Beka’s brother, so she was killed, while Beka was wounded, but somehow managed to escape. After the killings, the three Chetniks took the rest of the Albanians hostage and headed towards Llapashtica e Poshtme, and settled in the Kostovice neighborhood. There they partied all night long, drinking and dancing, even forcing the Albanians to dance with the Chetniks. After getting very drunk, the next day they took them to a stream and shot them. Three of the victims were under the age of 18. They victims were: Zenuni, the master of the house Shaqir Aliu from Kapiti, guest Zenun’s daughter, betrothed to Shaqi’s son from Kapiti Hasani Guti Salih Ali Guti, 16 years old Selim Hasan Guti, 14 years old Keqë who was 12 years old.

Munishevë Massacre

In the fall of 1943, Minushi with his two sons Avdullah and Hajrullah and their young wives had gone to the mountains to cut oak for cattle for the winter season. The sons had climbed into the oak trees to cut the oak branches, while the women and young women folded the oak branches. At that moment, a group of Chetniks from Gjylekreshta approached and threatened them. Munishi told his wife to bring them pears for the Chetniks to eat. The criminals ate the pears and killed the two sons of Minish as they were in the oak tree cutting oak, and they killed Munish as well. The Chetniks headed for Cërravër. A year later, in Kapit, Bogosllav of Llapashtica killed Sadik Sadiku while he was working on his own land.

The dissappearing of Gjurma

The following Albanians dissappeared in this time period: Behram Beka from Siarina, Rexhep Beka from Siarina, Emin Halit Salihu from Gërbaci, Ramë Hazir Shahini from Siarina.

More killings by the Serb colonists

The brothers Behram and Rexhep Beka from Siarina and Emin Halit Salihu from Gërbaci had been in Medvegja. Returning home between Medvegja and Petrila, they were caught by the Batakovics of Retkoceri and massacred in the most inhuman way. After tying their hands and feet, they drag them and take them to an object of the Mariqs and cut off their body parts, and from there they take them to the place called Pörroni i Manastir and cover them with oak branches and oak. After a few days, their corpses are investigated by the shepherds of Dukat.

After they had massacred those three, the next day somewhere near Medvegja they also massacred Malë Murat from Sfirca. Mala had been a man of authority and that Albanian leaders on both sides of the border met in his room. After some time Osmani Hoxha of the village and Mala’s son had gone to visit Tupalla. Returning home to Siaria, the Chetniks had in the ambush, they had caught him and told him, I heard that you are looking for your father’s grave, and we have decided to send you to your father’s grave.

Thanks to luck and dexterity, Mullah Osmani had managed to get out of their hands to get into the mountain and, fleeing through a barrage of bullets, he had managed to get into the yard of a house in Bebajve neighborhood in Siaria. At home, only one girl had shot while working the bride’s dowry, who had given her father’s rifle to protect herself. The village and the surroundings were alerted for the capture of the master, so the frightened Chetniks retreated. Elder Fetah Siarina had been guarding his cattle. A group of Chetniks had gone and told him to open his mouth to see if he has teeth, and if he doesn’t, we’ll stuff them. They open his mouth, put the barrel of the gun in his mouth and kill him. Mehmet Fazli Ibrahimi from Vllasa was also killed in Siaria by a colonist named Marko. It was simply a campaign for the expulsion of Albanians from those lands.

Reference

Medvegja duhet të ringjallet se nuk bënë ndryshe. Mr. Bislim Pireva. https://medvegjasite.wordpress.com/2017/10/22/medvegja-duhet-te-ringjallet-se-nuk-bene-ndryshe/