Šahovići massacre

Šahovići massacre
Photo of the victims' bodies
LocationŠahovići, Kingdom of Yugoslavia (modern-day Tomaševo in Bijelo Polje Municipality in Montenegro)
Coordinates43°03′28″N 19°38′11″E / 43.0578°N 19.6364°E / 43.0578; 19.6364
Date9–10 November 1924
TargetMuslims of Yugoslavia
Attack type
Mass murder
Deaths600–900
PerpetratorsOrthodox Christian mob from Bijelo Polje and Kolašin
MotiveRevenge for murder of Boško Bošković
Anti-Muslim sentiment

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 by a mob of 2,000 Orthodox Christian men from Kolašin and Bijelo Polje that sought revenge for the earlier murder of Boško Bošković, governor of the area. The massacre was fueled by rumors which targeted local Muslims, anti-Yugoslav leader Jusuf Mehonjić (Albanian: Isuf Mehani) as the perpetrator. In time, it became known that Bošković was killed by members of a rival clan, the Rovčani. In the aftermath of the massacre many Muslims fled from the region.