Tahir Meha

Tahir Meha was born on 10 October 1943 in Prekaz, Drenica, in then German occupied Kosovo, a region known for its resistance. The Meha family played a prominent role in preserving Albanian national identity, particularly during periods of foreign occupation. Their home, the Kulla e Mehajve, was not only a residence but also came to represent a symbol of resilience and defiance amongst Kosovar Albanians.{{cite news|url=https://telegrafi.com/en/Today-is-35-years-since-the-death-of-Tahir-Meh/|title = Today, 35 years since the fall of Tahir Meha|work=Telegrafi| access-date = 22 November 2024}}

File:Kulla e Tahir Mehes ne Prekaz.jpg

Meha's grandfather, Emin Lati (1892–1974), was a member of the Albanian ethnic guerilla Kachaks during the early 20th century. He fought alongside Azem Bejta, who led the rebels in armed resistance against Serbian rule in the 1920s. After Bejta's death in 1924, Emin Lati preserved the leader's revolver, which came into possession of the family, passing from Emin Lati to his son Nebih and ultimately to Tahir Meha.

His father, Nebih Meha (1910–1981), had participated in the Second World War, fighting alongside collaborationist Shaban Polluzha and other Albanians against the Yugoslav Partisans and Chetniks.{{Cite book |last=Malcolm |first=Noel |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/39242574 |title=Kosovo : a short history |date=1998 |publisher=Macmillan |isbn=0-333-66612-7 |location=London |pages=312 |oclc=39242574}}

Following the Partisan victory in Yugoslavia, Kosovo's reincorporation into the country was violent. One notable example being the massacre of Albanians in Bar.{{cite web |url=http://www.hri.org/news/balkans/ata/1996/96-09-19.ata.html#03 |title=Massive Grave of Albanian Victims of Tivari Massacre uncovered |date=19 September 1996 |publisher=Albanian Telegraphic Agency |access-date=31 August 2012 |archive-date=16 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316004543/http://www.hri.org/news/balkans/ata/1996/96-09-19.ata.html#03 |url-status=live }}{{cite book|author=Miranda Vickers|title=The Albanians: A Modern History|date=28 January 2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vtQABAAAQBAJ&q=tivar|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=9780857736550}} The Drenica region held out, as ethnic Albanian fighters resisted for several months.{{cite book|last=Elsie|first=Robert|title=Historical Dictionary of Kosovo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pg-aeA-nUeAC&pg=PA219|year=2010|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7231-8|page=219}} After WWII, Kosovo Albanians faced strict restrictions on their political, cultural and civil rights under Yugoslavia, particularly during the oppressive regime of Aleksandar Ranković and the mass displacement of Albanians to Turkey in the 1950s and 1960s.{{cite book|last=Perica|first=Vjekoslav|title=Balkan idols: Religion and nationalism in Yugoslav states|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jIoKMGRHxn4C&pg=PA43|year=2002|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-517429-8|pages=43–44}}{{cite book|last=Clark|first=Howard|title=Civil resistance in Kosovo|year=2000|publisher=Pluto Press|isbn=9780745315690|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OTW9XKUmrxsC&pg=PA12|pages=16}}{{cite book|last=Mulaj|first=Klejda|title=Politics of ethnic cleansing: nation-state building and provision of in/security in twentieth-century Balkans|year=2008|publisher=Lexington Books|isbn=9780739146675|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sGQVdG63WPYC&pg=PA69|pages=45}}{{cite book|last=Petersen|first=Roger D.|title=Western intervention in the Balkans: The strategic use of emotion in conflict|year=2011|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9781139503303|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fKom-fspjGQC&pg=PA142|pages=142}}{{cite book|last=Qirezi|first=Arben|chapter=Settling the self-determination dispute in Kosovo|editor1-last=Mehmeti|editor1-first=Leandrit I.|editor2-last=Radeljić|editor2-first=Branislav|title=Kosovo and Serbia: Contested Options and Shared Consequences|year=2017|publisher=University of Pittsburgh Press|isbn=9780822981572|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IWMqDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT73|pages=50}}

Tahir Meha was deeply affected by this environment and began participating in underground resistance activities aimed at opposing the Yugoslav regime, as demonstrations and protests surged across Kosovo, particularly in the early 1980s.{{cite news|url=https://www.radiokosovaelire.com/beqir-nebih-meha-2-2-1936-25-3-1999/|language=sq|title=Beqir Nebih Meha (2.2.1936 – 25.3.1999)|work=Radio Kosova e Lirë|access-date=22 November 2024|archive-date=27 March 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240327102007/https://www.radiokosovaelire.com/beqir-nebih-meha-2-2-1936-25-3-1999/|url-status=live}} Rather than engaging in organized political movements, who would eventually unite to the People's Movement of Kosovo, Meha’s resistance was personal and nationalistic. His possession of Azem Bejta’s revolver was not just a practical matter, but also a statement of his family’s link to the Albanian national cause.

On 13 May 1981, a date that coincided with Yugoslav Militia Day,{{cite news|url=https://www.koha.net/de/arberi/perkujtohen-tahir-e-nebih-meha-ne-38-vjetorin-e-renies|language=de|title=Tahir und Nebih Meha werden am 38. Jahrestag des Falls gefeiert|work=Kohavision|access-date=22 November 2024|archive-date=4 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204140416/https://www.koha.net/de/arberi/perkujtohen-tahir-e-nebih-meha-ne-38-vjetorin-e-renies|url-status=live}} Meha was at the local market in Prekaz when two Yugoslav police officers spotted the revolver at his waist and demanded him to surrender it.

Meha refused and the heated argument became a violent confrontation, during which Meha opened fire on the police officers, wounding several officers. Following the clash, Meha retreated to his family home, where he was joined by his father, Nebih Meha.

Yugoslav authorities mobilized a massive military response, deploying several battalions equipped with tanks, helicopters and heavy artillery. The order came directly from Franjo Herljević, Yugoslavia's Federal Secretary of Internal Affairs, who declared that Meha should be captured either dead or alive at any cost.{{cite news|url=https://www.radiokosovaelire.com/mehmet-bislimi-tahir-meha-dha-kushtrimin/|language=sq|title = Mehmet Bislimi: TAHIR MEHA DHA KUSHTRIMIN|work=Radio Kosova e Lirë| access-date = 22 November 2024}} The siege on the Meha residence began at 10:00 p.m. and lasted for nearly 22 hours.

The siege escalated as the authorities used tear gas and made four attempts to storm the Kulla.{{cite news|url=https://www.botasot.info/aktuale-lajme/1582346/ishte-brenda-me-dy-grate-e-tij-dhe-kater-vajzat-historia-si-u-vra-tahir-meha-flet-nipi-i-tij/|language=sq|title=“Ishte brenda me dy gratë e tij dhe katër vajzat”/ Historia si u vra Tahir Meha, flet nipi i tij|work=Bota Sot|access-date=22 November 2024|archive-date=4 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204134351/https://www.botasot.info/aktuale-lajme/1582346/ishte-brenda-me-dy-grate-e-tij-dhe-kater-vajzat-historia-si-u-vra-tahir-meha-flet-nipi-i-tij/|url-status=live}} Each attempt was repelled by Tahir and his father, who killed three special unit police officers—Salih Hasanović, Vojo Tubić, Milenko Pejović and local Albanian police officer, Muhamet Selmanaj and wounding five others.{{cite web|url = https://kryeministri.rks-gov.net/blog/perkujtim-ne-41-vjetorin-e-renies-se-tahir-mehes/|title = Përkujtim në 41-vjetorin e rënies së Tahir Mehës|work = Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo|date = 12 May 2022|access-date = 21 November 2024|archive-date = 4 December 2024|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20241204024217/https://kryeministri.rks-gov.net/blog/perkujtim-ne-41-vjetorin-e-renies-se-tahir-mehes/|url-status = live}}{{cite web|url=https://gazetademos.com/si-u-vra-tahir-meha-dhe-sa-zgjati-beteja-e-tij-me-policine/|title = Përkujtim në 41-vjetorin e rënies së Tahir Mehës|work=Office of the Prime Minister of Kosovo|date = 12 May 2022| access-date = 21 November 2024}}

Around 3:00 PM, the police were reinforced with tanks, which bombarded Tahir's kulla until the evening, but according to reports, Meha managed to damage a tank by throwing a grenade into its cabin. However, the overwhelming firepower of the combined police and military forces eventually caused the walls to collapse.

During the chaos, Meha was fatally shot as searchlights exposed his position. His body, riddled with eight bullets, was retrieved by local villagers the next morning.{{cite book|last1=John Oppenheim, Willem-Jan van der Wolf|first1=Global Law Association|title=Global War Crimes Collection|date=2003|publisher=Global Law Association|location=USA|page=140|edition=Volume 1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Zlk6AQAAIAAJ&q=Tahir+Meha|ref=War crimes|archive-date=2023-04-22|access-date=2017-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422143154/https://books.google.com/books?id=Zlk6AQAAIAAJ&q=Tahir+Meha|url-status=live}}{{cite book |last1=Dr Denis Kostovicova |first1=Denisa |title=Kosovo : the politics of identity and space |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |location=London |isbn=9780415348065 |page=155 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mtHSCXYFpYkC&q=tahir+meha&pg=PA155 |archive-date=2023-04-22 |access-date=2021-07-27 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422085038/https://books.google.com/books?id=mtHSCXYFpYkC&q=tahir%20meha&pg=PA155 |url-status=live }}

After six months, their kulla was demolished by the police after being constantly guarded, while Tahir's brother Beqir and his uncle Mehmet, were imprisoned for six months.

The siege underscored the lengths to which Yugoslav authorities were willing to go to suppress nationalistic movements. For ethnic Albanians, it also highlighted the symbolic significance of Meha’s stand, as an entire military and police force were required to crush the resistance of just two individuals. His father, Nebih Meha, was also killed during the siege and his 15-year-old daughter, Zadja, was heavily injured.{{cite news|url=https://www.zemrashqiptare.net/news/64156/sabile-basha-tahir-meha-pushteti-jugosllav-nuk-eshte-i-imi-dhe-nuk-e-pranoj-kurre-si-te-tille.html|language=sq|title=Sabile Basha: Tahir Meha - Pushteti jugosllav nuk është i imi dhe nuk e pranoj kurrë si të tillë|work=Zemra Shqiptare|access-date=22 November 2024|archive-date=4 December 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241204023114/https://www.zemrashqiptare.net/news/64156/sabile-basha-tahir-meha-pushteti-jugosllav-nuk-eshte-i-imi-dhe-nuk-e-pranoj-kurre-si-te-tille.html|url-status=live}}{{cite book|last1=Nazmi|first1=Berisha Dyzi|title=20 vjet në burgjet e Enver Hoxhës (20 years in the jail of Enver Hoxha)|date=1995|publisher=Enti Botues Berat|location=Albania|pages=89|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oZ-4AAAAIAAJ&q=Tahir+Meha|archive-date=2023-04-22|access-date=2017-09-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230422085036/https://books.google.com/books?id=oZ-4AAAAIAAJ&q=Tahir+Meha|url-status=live}}

Tahir Meha’s legacy is celebrated in Albanian folklore and his story is often recounted as an example of patriotism and defiance in the face of overwhelming odds. The date of his death, 13 May, has since been commemorated as a day of remembrance for those who fought for Kosovo's independence.{{cite web|url=https://kuvendikosoves.org/?pageId=8&language=3&articleId=21132|title = Održana je Memorijalna akademija povodom 35-godišnjice pogibije Tahir Meha|language= sr|work=Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo|date = 13 May 2016| access-date = 21 November 2024}}{{cite news |url=https://www.koha.net/de/arberi/sot-37-vjet-nga-vdekja-e-nebih-e-tahir-mehes-thaci-kujton-rezistencen-e-tyre|language= de|title = Heute, 37 Jahre nach dem Tod von Nebih und Tahir Meha, erinnert sich Thaçi an ihren Widerstand|work=Kohavision| access-date = 22 November 2024}}

On the 35th anniversary of Meha’s death in 2016, Hashim Thaçi, then President of the Republic of Kosovo, paid tribute to his grave in Prekaz. Speaking at the site, Thaçi described the resistance of Tahir and Nebih Meha as a turning point in the struggle against the Yugoslav regime.{{cite web|url = https://president-ksgov.net/en/president-thaci-pays-tribute-at-the-grave-of-tahir-meha-on-the-35th-anniversary-of-his-fall/|title = President Thaçi pays tribute at the grave of Tahir Meha on the 35th anniversary of his fall|work = Office of the President of the Republic of Kosovo|date = 12 May 2016|access-date = 21 November 2024|archive-date = 28 May 2024|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20240528142947/https://president-ksgov.net/en/president-thaci-pays-tribute-at-the-grave-of-tahir-meha-on-the-35th-anniversary-of-his-fall/|url-status = live}} Thaçi further emphasized the connection between Meha’s resistance and the later efforts of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which ultimately achieved Kosovo’s independence. Beqir Meha, his brother, was later killed in Action, on March 25, 1999 while fighting for the KLA during the Kosovo War.

• {{cite book|last=Elsie|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Elsie|title=Historical Dictionary of Kosovo|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pg-aeA-nUeAC&pg=PA219|year=2010|publisher=Scarecrow Press|isbn=978-0-8108-7231-8|page=219}}
• Malcolm, Noel. "Kosovo." A short history, London (1998).

{{Reflist}}

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Category:1943 births

Category:1981 deaths

Category:Kosovo Albanians

Category:Albanian nationalists in Kosovo

Category:Albanian activists

Category:Political activists

Category:Political repression in Communist Yugoslavia

Category:People killed in Yugoslav intelligence operations