Third League of Prizren

Last updated

The Third League of Prizren or the Third Prizren League [1] or the "League of Prizren" in Exile [2] [3] was an organisation founded by a group of nationalist Albanians in United States in 1946 and renewed by the initiative of the CIA in 1962 [4] [5] in order to organize and coordinate activities aimed to creation of the Greater Albania. [6] One of its members was Hisen Trpeza. [7] [8]

After Yugoslavia was confronted with Comintern in 1948, Albania was directly involved in combined propagandist and diversion fight against Yugoslavia. Armaments which were transported from Albania to Kosovo presented significant danger and was forcibly collected in period 1954–1957. One of the presidents of the league was Tahir Zaimi. [9]

In 1966 Xhafer Deva merged Kosovaret and Third League of Prizren and became its leader. [10] He remained its president until his death in 1978. [11] Sigurimi infiltrated its men into the Third League of Prizren because they shared the same objectives in case of Yugoslavia. [12] [13] The official magazine of the organization was published under the name "Lidhja e Prizrenit" (English: The League of Prizren). [14] Robert Elsie stated that organization of 1960's was a re-creation of the new Second League of Prizren. [15] [16] Yugoslav authorities imprisoned and trialed some members of the league and sentenced them to prison. One of declassified documents of CIA confirm that one of the imprisoned and trialed members of the league was agent of CIA. [17] The Third League of Prizren and the Free Kosovo National Committee agreed on a joint struggle in 1978. [18] [19]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Our Lady of Ljeviš</span> Church in Prizren, Kosovo

Our Lady of Ljeviš is a 14th-century Serbian Orthodox church in the town of Prizren, in southern Kosovo. Since 2006, the church is part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site named Medieval Monuments in Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drenica</span> Historical region of Kosovo

Drenica, also known as the Drenica Valley, is a hilly region in central Kosovo, covering roughly around 700 square kilometres (270 sq mi) of Kosovo's total area (6%). It consists of two municipalities, Drenas and Skenderaj, and several villages in Klina, Zubin Potok, Mitrovica and Vushtrri. It is located west of the capital, Pristina.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kosovo Serbs</span> Ethnic group in the Balkans

Kosovo Serbs are one of the ethnic groups of Kosovo and they form the largest ethnic minority community in Kosovo (5–6%). The precise number of Kosovo Serbs is difficult to determine as they have boycotted national censuses. However, it is estimated that there are about 95,000 of them, nearly half of whom live in North Kosovo. Other Kosovo Serb communities live in the Southern municipalities of Kosovo.

The League of Peja, also known as League of İpek or Besa-Besë between Albanians, was an Albanian political organization established in 1899 in the city of İpek, Kosovo Vilayet, Ottoman Empire. It was led by Haxhi Zeka, a former member of the League of Prizren, and shared the same aim of achieving an autonomous Albanian vilayet within the Ottoman Empire. This organization was encouraged and supported by Austria-Hungary and directed against Ottoman reforms and against Serbs from Kosovo Vilayet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idriz Seferi</span> Albanian rebel leader

Idriz Seferi was an Albanian nationalist, revolutionary leader and guerrilla fighter who played a prominent role in the Albanian uprisings against the Ottoman Empire, the Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Bulgaria during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During his 56-year military career, he fought in 35 battles.

Kaçandoll or Kačandol is a village in the municipality of Mitrovica in the District of Mitrovica, Kosovo. According to the 2011 census, it had 119 inhabitants, all of whom were Albanian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bedri Pejani</span> Albanian politician

Bedri Pejani was 20th century Albanian politician. During World War II, he was one of the founders of the Second League of Prizren.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xhafer Deva</span> Albanian politician (1904–1978)

Xhafer Deva was a fascist Kosovo Albanian politician during World War II. A notable local politician in Kosovo and in Axis-occupied Albania, he took charge of German-occupied Mitrovica and worked with the Germans to establish a pro-German Albanian government in Kosovo. Following the capitulation of Italy from the war, he helped form a provisional government under German occupation and set up the Second League of Prizren alongside other Albanian nationalists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eparchy of Raška and Prizren</span>

Eparchy of Raška and Prizren is one of the oldest eparchies of the Serbian Orthodox Church, featuring the seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Patriarchal Monastery of Peć, as well as Serbian Orthodox Monastery of Visoki Dečani, which together are part of the UNESCO World Heritage sites of Serbia. More than 100 of the Eparchy's churches and monasteries were targeted for vandalism and destruction by Albanian nationalists after the Kosovo War and during the 2004 unrest in Kosovo.

The Vullnetari were a volunteer militia of Albanians from Kosovo set up in 1941 by Italian forces after the successful invasion of Yugoslavia. They served as an auxiliary force for civilian control and protection of villages.

The Sanjak of Viçitrina, also known as the Pristina Pashaluk, was a sanjak of the Ottoman Empire in Rumelia, in present-day Kosovo. It was named after its administrative center Vushtrri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prek Cali</span> Albanian soldier (1872–1945) involved in the Albanian National Awakening

Prek Cali was an Albanian bajraktar ("standard-bearer") of Vermosh, part of the Kelmendi tribe of northern Albania. He was a veteran of the Albanian uprisings and the Balkan Wars. He was murdered in 1945 by the Partisans firing squad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ismet Bey Kryeziu</span> Albanian politician

Ismet Bey Kryeziu (1889–1952) was an Albanian political figure during the 1930s and 1940s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Serbian Orthodox Seminary (Prizren)</span> Public, provincial, spiritual school in Prizren, Kosovo

The Serbian Orthodox Seminary of Saints Cyril and Methodius, known as the Prizren Seminary, is a Serbian Orthodox theological school. The school has produced scholars and educators, though its main mission is to create clergymen. The seminary was the first cultural-educational and political center of the Serbs in Kosovo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rexhep Krasniqi</span> Albanian-American historian, teacher, nationalist, and anti-communist politician (1906-1999)

Rexhep Krasniqi was an Albanian-American historian, teacher, nationalist, and anti-communist politician and activist. A Kosovar Albanian, he is remembered for his role in the Second League of Prizren, and long time leadership of the "Free Albania" National Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dušan Mugoša</span>

Dušan Mugoša, nicknamed Duć (Дућ), was a Yugoslav communist and partisan leader during World War II who played a central role in the antifascist resistance during World War II in Yugoslavia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Miladin Popović</span> Yugoslav Partisan

Miladin Popović was a Yugoslav Partisan and secretary of the Regional Committee of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia of Kosmet (Kosovo). He was one of the organizers of the partisan fighting in Kosovo. He was posthumously given the Hero of Yugoslavia award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bislim Bajgora</span> Albanian military commander and Axis collaborator (1880–1947)

Bislim Kadri Bajgora was an Albanian nationalist and Axis collaborator, Adjutant for the Balli Kombëtar forces of Kosovo during World War II. He is known for killing Albanian communist Vasil Shanto.

The Kosovo Regiment was an Axis military unit created after Italian capitulation in November 1943 in Kosovska Mitrovica, Territory of the Military Commander in Serbia by Nazi Germany, consisting of local Albanians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cathedral of Saint George, Prizren</span> Church in Prizren, Kosovo

Cathedral of Saint George in Prizren is the Cathedral church of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Raška and Prizren, located in the town of Prizren, Kosovo. It was built from 1856 to 1887, near the Old Church of Saint George, previous cathedral church of the same eparchy. The cathedral was burned and severely damaged by Albanian mobs during the 2004 unrest, but was later renovated.

References

  1. ↑ Sociologija. 1995. p. 501. ..of mass demonstrations of Serbs against the separatism of the adherents of the Third Prizren League in the last quarter of
  2. ↑ Lange, Klaus (1981). Die Agrarfrage in der Politik der Partei der Arbeit Albaniens. O. Harrassowitz. ISBN   978-3-87828-120-7.
  3. ↑ "DECLASSIFIED AND RELEASES SY CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE. AGENCY". CIA. Retrieved 18 February 2014. congress of the "League of Prizren"in Exile was..
  4. ↑ NIN.: Nedeljne informativne novine. Politika. April 1989. Retrieved 4 May 2013.
  5. ↑ Roman Leljak (1990). Sam protiv njih. Založba za alternativno teorijo. p. 34. Retrieved 4 May 2013. III liga je formirana 1962 u New Yorku, iz redova mladih albanskih emigranata, na inicijativu CIA.
  6. ↑ Mihailo Marković; Ljubomir Tadić (1994). Osporavanja i angažovanja. BIGZ. p. 373. ISBN   9788670300088 . Retrieved 4 May 2013. Трећа призренска лига, формирана у САД 1946. године. [Third Prizren League was established in USA in 1946]
  7. ↑ The Macedonian Times. MI-AN, d.o.o. 1998. Retrieved 4 May 2013. ... Hissen Trpeza appearing in the emigrant organization Third Prizren League in USA
  8. ↑ Univerzitet "Kiril i Metodij"--Skopje. Filozofski fakultet. Istorisko-filološki oddel (1983). Godišen zbornik - Skopje, Univerzitet, Istorisko-filoški oddel (in Macedonian). s.n. p. 235. Retrieved 4 May 2013. Така наречената III призренска лига е формирана во 1962 година по инициатива и под покровителство на американ- ската разузнавачка служба. Цел и е: борба против комунизмот и пршкууванте на Косово кон велика Албанща.[The Third Prizren League was established in 1962, based on initiative and under patronage of intelligence service of USA. Its aim was struggle against communism and annexing Kosovo to Greater Albania]
  9. ↑ Vlado Strugar (1997). Drugi svjetski rat--50 godina kasnije: radovi sa naučnog skupa, Podgorica, 20-22. septembar 1996. Crnogorska akademija nauka i umjetnosti. p. 572. ISBN   9788672150896 . Retrieved 5 May 2013. Тахир Заими (касније у емиграцији председник Треће призренске лиге),[ Tahir Zaimi (later in emigration president of the Third League of Prizren...)]
  10. ↑ Đorđe Ličina; Milorad Vavić; Jovan Pavlovski (1985). Andrija Artuković, Vjekoslav Luburić, Xhafer Deva, Vančo Mihailov. Centar za informacije i publicitet. p. 256. Retrieved 4 May 2013. U studenome 1966. godine Xhafer Deva pripojio je »Kosovaret« Trećoj prizrenskoj ligi, postavši njenim glavnim vođom.[In November 1966 Xhafer Deva merged Kosovaret with Third League of Prizren and became its supreme leader]
  11. ↑ Đorđe Borozan (1995). Velika Albanija: poreklo - ideje - praksa. Vojnoizdavački institut Vojske. p. 369. Retrieved 9 May 2013. Цафер Дева формирао је у Њујорку 1962. године ТреЬу призренску лигу и био њен предсуедник до смрти - 1978. године [Xhafer Deva established in New York the Third League of Prizren in 1962 and was its president until his death in 1978]
  12. ↑ Đorđe Ličina; Milorad Vavić; Jovan Pavlovski (1985). Andrija Artuković, Vjekoslav Luburić, Xhafer Deva, Vančo Mihailov. Centar za informacije i publicitet. p. 257. Retrieved 5 May 2013. U Treću prizrensku ligu, osobito u njene evropske ogranke, ubacila je svoje ljude i sadašnja albanska obavještajna služba, s obzirom da su im ciljevi, kada je u pitanju Jugoslavija, potpuno jednaki.[In the Third League of Prizren, particularly in its European branches, Albanian intelligence infiltrated its men, having in consideration that they shared the same aims regarding Yugoslavia.]
  13. ↑ Mitrović, Andrej (1991). Srbi i Albanci u XX veku: ciklus predavanja 7-10. maj 1990. Srpska akademija nauka i umetnosti. p. 303. ISBN   9788670251410. When it failed in that respect, its leader moved to the United States, where he set up the Third Prizren League in 1962. Besides the emigration, the Albanian intelligence Sigurimi also infiltrated its men into this organization, since, when the ...
  14. ↑ Prifti, Peter R. (1978). Socialist Albania since 1944: domestic and foreign developments . MIT Press. p.  297. ISBN   978-0-262-16070-4. Lidhja e Prizrenit [The League of Prizren], organ of the League of Prizren in exile, Apr.-May–June 1972.
  15. ↑ Elsie, Robert (15 November 2010). Historical Dictionary of Kosovo. Scarecrow Press. p. 81. ISBN   978-0-8108-7483-1.
  16. ↑ Elsie, Robert (24 December 2012). A Biographical Dictionary of Albanian History. I.B.Tauris. p. 109. ISBN   978-1-78076-431-3. In the 1960s, he headed a new Second League of Prizren, founded in New York,...
  17. ↑ Acting Chief. "Espionage Charges Against Destan BERISHA" (PDF). CIA. Retrieved 18 February 2014. SB/YA has recently received a transcript of the indictment against former CIA agent and U.S. citizen, Destan BERISHA
  18. ↑ Đorđe Borozan (1995). Velika Albanija: poreklo - ideje - praksa. Vojnoizdavački institut Vojske. p. 369. Retrieved 9 May 2013. Призренска лига и Национални комитет „Слободно Косово" од 1978. године делује на заједничкој платформи...[Prizren League and National Committee "Free Kosovo" are working on joint platform since 1978...]
  19. ↑ JPRS Report: East Europe. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 1990. p. 22.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.