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The massacre in Lushnje committed by Dushan Mugosha and Mehmet Shehu

The massacre in Lushnje committed by Dushan Mugosha and Mehmet Shehu

By: Kastriot Dervishi

After tearing up the Mukje agreement, as well as after the end of the Labinot conference in September 1943, the communists officially started the civil war. Under the leadership of the Yugoslavs Miladin Popovic and Dushan Mugosha, they caused the country one of the worst tragedies ever seen, with serious consequences for national unity.

After Labinot, murders became a common occurrence. The organizational secretary of the PKS, Koçi Xoxe, wrote on October 3, 1943, to the general secretary of the party, Enver Hoxha, among other things: "In addition to the blows we gave them (ballistas - note), we are following them closely for extermination . As for the war with the Germans, almost nothing."


The war against the non-communists became the real purpose of what was supposed to be a war against the occupier. On October 21, 1943, the first communist brigade, under the leadership of Dushan Mugosha, in Golem of Lushnja, attacked the ballistic forces of Isa Manastirli, Hami Matjani, Tefik Sfiri and Hajdar Cakran. It is said that the ballistic force had 400 people and 10-15 of them were killed. Many villagers were taken prisoner. By the order of Dushan Mugosha and Mehmet Shehu, about 80 prisoners were shot (Mehmet Shehu says 60). These snipers were from the villages: Remas, Kryekuq, Grabian, Shënkollas, Kalush, Gur, Shënpremte, Sulzotaj, Biçak (less than 50 were shot from this village).

Based on this event, through a tract dated October 26, 1943, the National Front announced that "fratricide had begun". Regarding the Lushnja massacre, the commander of the first brigade, Mehmet Shehu, informs with a special letter, the following.

Mehmet Shehu's letter:
General Staff of the National Liberation Army

When we were in Dumre, I set out with two brigade battalions and three mortars to face the bashibozuks of Isa Manastirlli, Hami Matjani, Tefik Cfiri and Hajdar Cakran. When I went near Lushnja, the ballistas were in Myzeqe, so we made preparations to attack Lushnja. However, before we fell to Lushnja with the forces of the Brigade and Lushnja, Isa Manastirlliu suddenly came out from our right wing to take our arms, while Hamit Matjani was thinking of taking our left wing from Kosovo. We were forced to answer them immediately. We fell suddenly and routed all 400 ballistic bashibozuks: 172 prisoners, 10-15 killed. We judged the captives. The trial consisted of me, the deputy commissioner of the Lushnja country command, and a partisan of the first battalion of the brigade. We (the court) decided to execute 65 ballisticians. The others, 29 volunteers for the country's Brigades and battalions, were disarmed.

It is true that Balli was dealt a strong blow with the execution of 65 of his soldiers (Hami Matjani's nurseries and fighters against us, with weapons, pirates, criminals and robbers of the people), but it seems to me that I was wrong, we executed, we were very strict. It would be enough to shoot 15-20 ballisticians from the most responsible. However, this time, the mistake, the main fault is mine personally, because the trial was chaired by me and, to some extent, the other two members were influenced by me. I, relatively intoxicated with hatred against the traitorous Ballistas, revolted by their crimes and betrayals, carried away by the micro-bourgeois temper of the moment, laugh at the thought of this immense measure! This also resulted from the fact that I was alone and the other comrades of the brigade headquarters were away; I could not consult with them because the time did not promise. If the brigade headquarters were all near the trial, they certainly would not have reached those conclusions. The traces of this terror must be eradicated and we hope that we will eradicate it in the future. This will also be of great value to me personally, so that I don't get carried away next time, to be more prudent and not to let myself be drawn by the sentiments and whims of the moments that still appear in me as a consequence of a micro-bourgeois, patriarchal, backward origin, medieval.

social greetings,
The commander of the I Brigade
VFLP
30.X.1943