Jusuf Mehonjić ( sq, Jusuf Mehonja) (1883-1926) was an Albanian leader of the

Kachak Kachaks ( sq, kaçak, sr, качаци / ''kačaci'') is a term used for the Albanian bandits active in the late 19th and early 20th century in northern Albania, Montenegro, Kosovo and Macedonia, and later as a term for the militias of Albania ...

movement and member of the Committee of Kosovo from Šahovici. He fought in the Ottoman army until 1912. During occupation of Serbia in World War One Mehonjić committed a few crimes, so he became an outlaw in 1918. In 1922 Yugoslav authorities sent Chetniks under command of Kosta Pećanac to hunt down Mehonjić after failed assassination attempt of prominent member of

People's Radical Party The People's Radical Party ( sr, Народна радикална странка, Narodna radikalna stranka, abbr. НРС or NRS) was the dominant ruling party of Kingdom of Serbia and later Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes from the l ...

. Chetniks killed 28 Muslim villagers in Starčevići near

Tutin Tutin may refer to: Places *Tutin, Serbia, town in Serbia Surname *Arthur Tutin (1907–1961), English footballer *Dorothy Tutin (1930–2001), English actress *Mary Tutin, maiden name of Mary Gillick (1881–1965), English sculptor *Tom Tutin (1 ...

. Later they were defeated by Mehonjić's men near

Sjenica Sjenica ( sr-cyr, Сјеница, ) is a town and municipality located in the Zlatibor District of southwestern Serbia. The population of the town, according to 2011 census, is 14,060 inhabitants, while the municipality has 26,392. Sjenica is si ...

, which gave him heroic status among the populous. In the period of 1924-1928, he was as an anti-Yugoslav rebel leader of the

movements chetas (armed bands) (''çetë'') in the lower

Sandžak Sandžak (; sh, / , ; sq, Sanxhaku; ota, سنجاق, Sancak), also known as Sanjak, is a historical geo-political region in Serbia and Montenegro. The name Sandžak derives from the Sanjak of Novi Pazar, a former Ottoman administrative dis ...

area, including

Novi Pazar Novi Pazar ( sr-cyr, Нови Пазар, lit. "New Bazaar"; ) is a city located in the Raška District of southwestern Serbia. As of the 2011 census, the urban area has 66,527 inhabitants, while the city administrative area has 100,410 inhabit ...

Rožaje Rožaje ( cnr, Рожаје, bs, Rožaje), ; sq, Rozhajë) is a town in northeastern Montenegro. As of 2011, the city has a population of 9,567 inhabitants. Surrounded by hills to its west and mountains to its east (notably Mount Hajla), the ...

Kolašin Kolašin (Montenegrin Cyrillic: Колашин, ) is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 2,989 (2003 census). Kolašin is the centre of Kolašin Municipality (population 9,949) and an unofficial centre of Morača region, named af ...

and Bihor. Other leaders included Husein Boshko, Feriz Sallku and Rek Bisheva. His units mostly attacked Serbs, both soldiers and gendarmes, as well as civilians, traders and peasants. In 1924, Mehonjić/Mehonja was framed for organizing the murder of Boško Bošković, the chief of Kolašin county, despite him being in

Albania Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...

at the time. This was used as a pretext for the 1924

Šahovići massacre 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 b ...

, in which around 600-900 local Muslims were massacred by Montenegrin peasants. Afterwards, it emerged that the murderers of Bošković were clan members from Rovca, a rival tribe to his own. He was a member of the

Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo The Committee for the National Defence of Kosovo ( sq, Komiteti "Mbrojtja Kombëtare e Kosovës" abbrev. KMKK) was an Albanian organization founded in Shkodër on 1 May 1918. It was mainly consisted of the political exiles from Kosovo and was le ...

, and according to Professor Matija Murko of Prague, Mehonjic was also a writer of poetry, writing and singing about the battles and skirmishes he had fought. These songs were confiscated by Yugoslav authorities. Mehonja died in 1926. He is buried in Albania next to his wife Naze. According to one source he was betrayed and killed by his concealer and that Yugoslav Intelligence Service was involved in his death.

References

1883 births 1926 deaths Albanian nationalists Albanians in Montenegro History of Sandžak Ottoman military personnel of the Balkan Wars {{Albania-bio-stub