Dragiša Kašiković ( sr-cyr, Драгиша Кашиковић; 9 August 1932 – 19 June 1977) was a Bosnian writer who came to international renown after he and his nine-year-old stepdaughter were murdered by the State Security Administration (UDBA) of the

Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yug ...

Biography

Kašiković was born on 9 August 1932, in

Hadžići Hadžići ( sr-cyrl, Хаџићи) is a town and municipality located in Sarajevo Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is located south west of the city of Sarajevo. According to the 2013 ...

near

Sarajevo Sarajevo ( ; cyrl, Сарајево, ; ''see Names of European cities in different languages (Q–T)#S, names in other languages'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a population of 275,524 in its a ...

in an upper-middle class Bosnian Serb family originally from

Trebinje Trebinje ( sr-Cyrl, Требиње, ) is a city and municipality located in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the southernmost city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and is situated on the banks of Trebišnjica river in the re ...

East Herzegovina East Herzegovina ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Istočna Hercegovina, Источна Херцеговина) is the eastern part of the historical Herzegovina region in Bosnia and Herzegovina, east of the Neretva river, part of the Republika Srpska entity. Major ...

. His father's name was Branko and his mother's Nevenka (née Rakić). Dragiša's grandfather was

Nikola Kašiković Nikola () is a given name which, like Nicholas, is a version of the Greek ''Nikolaos'' (Νικόλαος). It is common as a masculine given name in the South Slavic countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, North Macedonia, Montene ...

, the editor of '' Bosanska vila'' which was one of the most well-known Serbian newspapers of that time. After graduating high school, Kašiković enrolled in the University of Belgrade's

Faculty of Law A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject areas, possibly also delimited by level (e.g. undergraduate). In American usage such divisions are generally referred to as colleges ...

but was expelled due to his anti-communist and anti-regime beliefs. He managed to continue his studies in

Ljubljana Ljubljana (also known by other historical names) is the capital and largest city of Slovenia. It is the country's cultural, educational, economic, political and administrative center. During antiquity, a Roman city called Emona stood in the ar ...

afterwards. In the meantime he wrote books for children and published his first two books. As a law school student in 1952, the District Court of

Dubrovnik Dubrovnik (), historically known as Ragusa (; see notes on naming), is a city on the Adriatic Sea in the region of Dalmatia, in the southeastern semi-exclave of Croatia. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations in the Mediterran ...

sentenced Kašiković to eight months of strict jail for attempting to illegally leave the country. Kašiković managed to cross the Yugoslav border in 1955 and move to

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

where he lived for two years. After struggling to survive, he moved to the United States with seven dollars in his pocket where he would continue his pro-monarchist activism. Upon arriving in Chicago, he became the editor-in-chief of the emigrant newspaper ''Sloboda'' which was the official newspaper of the

Serbian National Defense Council The Serbian National Defense Council (SND) ( sr-Cyrl, Српска Народна Одбрана) is a Serb diaspora community organization whose goal is to protect Serbs, the Serbian Orthodox Church and Serbian interests abroad. It is based in Chi ...

. Upon becoming editor, the newspaper was about to go defunct but Kašiković managed to renew interest in it. In 1963, Kašiković initiated the literary newspaper ''Danas'' and the satirical newspaper ''Čičak'' and began leading the Serbian National Defense Council's radio program. He also began translating works from the

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the is ...

for the

Serbian Orthodox Church The Serbian Orthodox Church ( sr-Cyrl, Српска православна црква, Srpska pravoslavna crkva) is one of the autocephalous (ecclesiastically independent) Eastern Orthodox Christian denomination, Christian churches. The majori ...

in the United States. Kašiković graduated from university in the United States and was fluent in English,

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

and

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along with his native Serbian.

Death

In the early morning hours of 19 June 1977, Kašiković and his nine-year-old stepdaughter Ivanka Milosevich were brutally murdered in the headquarters of the ''Sloboda'' newspaper by agents of the

UDBA The State Security Service ( hr, Služba državne sigurnosti, sr, Служба државне безбедности; mk, Служба за државна безбедност; sl, Služba državne varnosti), also known by its original name ...

. Kašiković, sitting at his typewriter, was stabbed with a sharp knife 64 times. Hearing the commotion, his stepdaughter ran out and was stabbed 54 times. The murder case remains unsolved.Who killed little Ivanka?
/ref> He is interred in the cemetery of the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery in

Libertyville, Illinois Libertyville is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a northern suburb of Chicago. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2020 census population was 20,579. It is part of Libertyville Township, Lake ...

Notable books

* ''Genocid u Hrvatskoj 1941–1945'' * ''Spomenica Draži'' * ''Poručnik Kavaja'' * ''Dupljaci'' * ''Partija te tuži, Partija ti sudi''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kasikovic, Dragisa 1932 births 1977 deaths 1977 murders in the United States 20th-century journalists 20th-century translators 20th-century Bosnia and Herzegovina writers Journalists from Sarajevo Serbs of Bosnia and Herzegovina Magazine publishers (people) Members of the Serbian Orthodox Church Serbian monarchists Serbian nationalists Serbian anti-communists Serbian satirists English–Serbian translators Aphorists University of Belgrade Faculty of Law alumni Prisoners and detainees of Yugoslavia Assassinated Yugoslav people Assassinated Serbian journalists Assassinated dissidents Serbian people murdered abroad Deaths by stabbing in Illinois People murdered in Illinois Male murder victims Unsolved murders in the United States Yugoslav emigrants to Austria Yugoslav emigrants to the United States Yugoslav dissidents Burials at the Saint Sava Serbian Orthodox Monastery in Libertyville, Illinois

Biography

Death

See also

Notable books

References

External links