Sekula Drljevic
Encyclopedia
Sekula Drljević, also transcribed as Sekule Drljević (Montenegrin
: Секулa or Секуле Дрљевић), (1884–1945) was a WWII
Montenegrin
Nazi-fascist collaborator
.
His political views and ideological aims ranged wildly and changed frequently during his career in politics. Initially a proponent of Serb unification
, Drljević later founded the pro-Green
Montenegrin Federalist Party
that supported Montenegrin sovereignty during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, only to eventually end up as the figurehead of the Italian-run Montenegrin fascist puppet state created by the Axis forces in 1941. Later during World War II
, Drljević served for the fascist Croatian
Ustashi in hopes of forming a militia force that would influence matters on the ground in Montenegro where a chaotic battle was raging. After the war, Drljević was accused of war crimes and Nazi collaboration
, as well as being responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people.
His single most notable and enduring deed occurred in 1937 when he altered some of the lyrics of the popular Montenegrin folk song, "Oj, svijetla majska zoro
" ("Oh, the Bright Dawn of May"), stripping it of the references to the Serb identity of Montenegrins. He published his version in 1944 under the name "Vječna naša" (Eternal Our...). Sixty years later, Drljević's version of the song was adopted by the ruling DPS
-SDP
coalition of Milo Đukanović as the national anthem of modern Montenegro on 12 July 2004 as "Oh, the Bright Dawn of May", although a few of his lyrics where slightly altered due to popular demand.
village, Kolašin
Municipality near Morača
, Principality of Montenegro
in 1884. He completed elementary education in his village and then went to Sremski Karlovci
in Austria-Hungary
where he finished his secondary studies at the famous Serbian Karlovci Gymnasium
. He then moved on to Zagreb
, also within Austro-Hungary, where he enrolled at the University of Zagreb
Faculty of Law. After graduating, he continued with post-graduate studies and soon also earned a Ph.D.
, as well as the representative of Education & Church Ministry in the Government of Montenegro
. From 6 June 1912 to 25 April 1913 he was both a Minister of Finance and Construction in the national unity government.
After that, at the 1913 elections, he was elected into the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Montenegro as an independent. An outspoken enemy of the Ottoman Empire
and supporter of closer relations and union with the Kingdom of Serbia
, he was a chief proponent and planner of Serb unification after the kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro got a common border after the Balkan wars
since 10 February 1914. On the eve of the First World War, Drljević was the representative of the radical line demanding immediate and outright war with Austria-Hungary after it declared war on Serbia. He was a fierce opponent of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy ever since it annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina, which had a Serb majority. In his The Struggle for Monetary, Martial and Diplomatic Union of Montenegro and Serbia work from 1914, he unveild first detailed plans for a "peaceful unification of Montenegro with Serbia".
After Essad Pasha
surrendered the city of Shkodër
to Montenegrin and Serbian forces in April 1913 at the end of the First Balkan War
, Drljević paid a visit to Belgrade as part of an honorary diplomatic initiative. Holding a speech at the event, he reminded the gathering of "..the darkest Turkish tyranny over the Serb people, forcing them to celebrate Easter of its Serbian God and its Serbian birth while hiding in caves.." and "..the epic honour of Serb weaponry in the great war, the epic victories at Kumanovo
, Bitola
and Edirne
." "It need not be proven that this sweet new proof of the honour of Serb weaponry and Serb heroism...To Serb heroes and to the people its the foundations of its heroism, and let those foundations be the basis of a great union, the one so long wanted, which will be the groundwork of a greater Serbian state"
On 19 July 1914 in the Serbian National Assembly of the Kingdom of Montenegro MPs discussed the declaration of war of Austria-Hungary on the Kingdom of Serbia and decided that Montenegro should immediately stand by Serbia's side, all of which Drljević vehemently supported. His speech: "To only make a statement of solidarity with Serbia would be an insult to the unity of Serb Kingdoms, as well as to the united defense of Serb interests. The Monarchy is not only attacking Serbia, but also attacking the unification of Serb lands into a single Serb state. Both Serb kingdoms are now one and the Montenegrin people shall fulfill their duty, sacrificing everything for the fatherland and for the salvation and unification of Serbdom...I only regret that that Law has not yet created such article, which defines that the declaration of war on Serbia automatically draws upon a declaration of war from Montenegro. But, here the Serb kingdoms are now one, and the Montenegrin people shall fulfill their duty, sacrificing everything for the fatherland and Serbdom..."
After Montenegro fell to the Central Powers
in January 1916, he was arrested amongst all other politicians who did not flee or refused to collaborate. At the last parliamentary session he denounced King Nikola
who fled the country in secrecy, blaming him for leading the country into the horrible situation. Drljević was interned in the Karlstein
Austro-Hungarian internment camp. In prison he reportedly organized with other detainees from Montenegro plans to unify Montenegro and Serbia into a single Serb nation-state, electing a special Board for Unification that he presided over. It was supposed to prepare and act for expelled King Nilola's in case of his return to occupied Montenegro. Its work served as a basis for the Great People's Assembly of the Serb People in Montenegro
(also known as the Podgorica Assembly) that gathered in November 1918 and declared unification with Serbia.
's government. However, he resigned only three months after arriving. Furthermore, he left the party, disappointed by the position he got, since he considered that his role in the unification warranted a much higher post. In April 1919 Drljević opened a law
practice in Zemun
, on the Belgrade-Pančevo city territory. The cases that he worked on were mostly politically motivated trials. He was most famous for successfully defending brigadier Radomir Vešović in 1921.
Disappointed in the centrist
policies coming from Belgrade, especially the newly established subdivisons
of the Kingdom, Drljević founded the Montenegrin Federalist Party
in 1922, whose main aims were decentralization and preservation of the historical entities abolished in favor of unification. His party did not achieve much support at the 1923 election, but he managed to get enough votes to get elected into the Serb-Croat-Slovene parliament in 1925. Still an outspoken Serb nationalist, he covertly supported the Montenegrin Army in Exile and the aggressive Montenegrin extremist Greens
that favored guerrilla resistance in Montenegro against the royal centralist regime as well open independence. He opposed what he considered to be Serbia
's hegemony after the unification, specifically complaining about the printing of books in Serbian ekavian and not Serbian ijekavian. He furthermore complained about lack of investments into Montenegro, and that retributions by the government needs to be repaid for the damages done in the civil fights that occurred in Montenegro between the Whites and the Greens after the unification.
Sekule's speech in the royal parliament on 16 February 1926, during the discussion on the army:"This tradition in our army, is given by none other than one army, until the unification of the independent states Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Montenegro, that is the two independent Serb states, and that army is the army of the Serb people ... By the understanding of our people there were only heroic Montenegrins and heroic Šumadians
, that is only the heroic Serb people..." and on 26 March the same year on the Montenegrin question: "The Serb people was in one historical momentum entirely united, but united in slavery under the Turks. Montenegro repulsed that unification and separated from the Serb people by keeping in its firm haiduk hand the Kosovo
Cross-Banner of Boško Jugović and the statist thought on that chain of the karst mountains hanging under Lovćen like a closter on a stalk..."
The conceiver of the idea to unite the other historical entities to stand opposed to Serbia, he worked with Croat Federalists doctors Ivan Lorković
and Ante Trumbić
for some time. He cemented his ideas when he allied with Stjepan Radić
and his Croatian Republican People's Party, being elected as their MP in Županja
. Joining too with the Independent Democratic Party
, he was reelected into the parliament as a member of the Peasant-Democratic Coalition in 1927.
In 1929 King Alexander Karageorgevich introduced dictatorship. His party like all were originally banned, but it wasn't excessed so Sekula continued his political activity. In 1930 he went to Zagreb to take part in the process against Vlatko Maček, with whom he continued cooperating after Radić's death, but as many major political opponents, he was arrested for act of treason against the state and interned in Sokobanja
. He was released shortly after an appeal, promising to give up on a policy of secession. In the 1930s Drljevic cooperated with the underground banned Montenegrin Communists.
After Alexander was assassinated in Marseilles in 1934, former imprisoned rebel Novica Radović
joined Drljevic's "Montenegrin Peasants' Federalist Movement" and shaped its ideological beliefs that turned extremely Serbian and Montenegrin nationalistic and the two returned into politics, ever more determined to create an independent Montenegro, pointing out that Serbia in a most cruel way annexed and betrayed Montenegro thanks to the Allies and that Montenegrins are superior and "true, pure Serbs", and not the Serbians and distancing from cooperation with the Serbian opposition, closing by to the Croatian Party of Rights. Since most of the population were peasants, it reshaped its electoral aims to achieve support.
In 1937, Sekula came into contact with the pro-Croatian Montenegrin activist Savić Marković Štedimlija
and rewrote the lyrics for a Montenegrin folk song, removing references to Serb identity as a mark of protest against Serbia and designated it to be the national anthem of all Montenegrins, "Our Eternal..." (Vječna naša...). The song celebrated cleansing of Muslims from Montenegro and centered on Montenegrin patriotism, calling forth for his plans of a Greater Montenegro. Though a member of the 1938 Unified Opposition, Sekula eternally stayed in opposition even after the Cvetković-Maček Agreement of 1939 that put a temporary end to most Yugoslavian problems because of his demands for an independent Montenegro, losing all support and disappearing from the political scene.
. Drljević quickly gathered his separatists and formed the "Interim Administrative Committee of Montenegro" on April 17, 1941, the very same day the Royal Yugoslav Army capitulated, elected its President. He was preparing to organize an independent Montenegro that would collaborate with the Kingdom of Italy. Up to some time in May, the Committee had formed a "Kingdom of Montenegro" inviting successor Michael Petrović-Njegoš
to take the throne. He refused however, on the argument that the "Black Latins" (Црнолатинаши, Crnolatinaši) as Sekula's men were called, are traitors of the Serb people. Subsequently the Nazis interned Petrović-Njegoš. The plans for Greater Montenegrin state proved fruitless as most of Herzegovina
was taken by the Nazi-puppet Independent State of Croatia
(NDH), the Bay of Kotor
was annexed to Italy and a fascist Greater Albania
took not only Metohija
, but also even eastern parts of Montenegro. The only achieved expansion was towards the northern Serbian part of Sandžak
.
On 12 July 1941, Drljević came to Cetinje
, the Montenegrin capital, and held a speech at the "Saint Peter's Council" that proclaimed the "Independent State of Montenegro" under Italian protectorate. The very next day, 13 July, as a reward Conte Serafino Mazzolini nominated him to be the first Prime Minister of the collaborationist government. However, Sekula's governance lasted less than 24 hours, as the recently-formed Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland (Chetniks) raised a national rebellion along with Partisan
assistance opposing the "Saint Peter's Council" separatist decisions. By October 1941 Italians realized that Sekula enjoyed no popular support in Montenegro and saw that they have no use of him, so they imprisoned him in Sanremo
through a decree by Alessandro "Pirzio" Birolli, Fascist Italy's main representative in Montenegro. Drljević was soon released, but got banned from leaving Italy, which was imprinted in his passport.
However, he managed to acquire the NDH passport through his Ustaša connections and thus successfully reached his home base in Zemun
, now occupied by the NDH. Sekula's Black Latins collapsed into two groups, the more extremist one that attempted to raise rebellions with the Partisans in the Bay of Kotor and the more moderate one that together with certain Greens collaborated with the Italians and, after the defeat of Italy in 1943, the Germans.
and Sajmište was closed. That spring, as Tito's Partisans were about to liberate Belgrade
, Sekula moved further into the country for security to Zagreb
, capital of the NDH. The Ustašas provided him residence and introduced him into the political life of the Independent State of Croatia, so he joined the Ustaši and became an associate of their "Poglavnik" (chief) Ante Pavelić
. Believing in Adolf Hitler
's promises of a renewed offensive against the Allies, he formed from prominent remaining Black Latins the "Montenegrin State Council", which roughly acted as a Montenegrin Government in Exile dedicated to the restoration and preservation of Montenegrin sovereignty. Among other prominent figures, Štedimlija was appointed to Drljević's cabinet. Sekula proclaimed "Eternal our..." as the national anthem of Montenegro. The anthem would, with slight changes, be adopted as the modern Montenegrin anthem in 2004.
Adopting Štedimlija's research of Montenegrin individuality as a "nation separate from the Serbs and that by origin stems from Red Croats", he propagated an anti-Serbian state union of Montenegrins with Croats and Albanians. In 1944 in Zagreb he published a pamphlet, Who are the Serbs? (Tko su Srbi?), in which he presents the Serbs as a degenerate race, blaming all of Balkan's modern and past problems on the Serbian nation and its aggressive policies, as well as referring to their similarity to the Jews
, whom Axis world's ideology blamed for most of world's problems. Drljević was also active in religious issues. He attempted to form a Montenegrin Orthodox Church
, but found no support for it and had to make do with Štedimlija's Ustaša-styled Croatian Orthodox Church
.
that broke off from the main course of Draža Mihailović
retreating in Bosnia worn out from the fights with the Partisans in the civil war and negotiated with their leader Pavle Đurišić, who recognized the switch from the Allies to the Axis. The Montenegrin State Council as its own sovereign became leader of the self-styled "Montenegrin People's Army". On 22 March 1945, a deal was struck in Doboj
and Sekula became the Supreme Commander of the 8000 strong Chetnik Force. He promised safe passage across the German border in a planned massive evacuation to Nazi Germany
as a result of growing Allied successes at the Eastern Front.
However only weeks later, on 8 April 1945, Đurišić tried to move his troops northwestwards without Sekula, so they were assaulted by the Ustašas and heavily defeated at the Battle on Lijevča field
. The three remaining Chetnik units were reorganized into the Montenegrin Army and instructed under direct Croatian Home Defender forces control to act around Karlovac
. Đurišić was now in an even weaker position than before; on the run in Banja Luka
vicinity where he got tracked down by Ustaša colonel Vladimir Metikoš
whom he knew well from their time together in Royal Yugoslav Army. Metikoš relayed another offer from Drljević of negotiations in Stara Gradiška
, which Đurišić and his remaining officers fatally accepted. Upon arriving to Gradiška, their weapons were taken away and they were sent to Jasenovac concentration camp
and killed. Sekula knowingly never even showed up for the supposed negotiation meeting.
. On 10 November 1945, members of the Montenegrin People's Army who up to that point had safeguarded them, killed the couple by slitting their throats.
During World War II, his book Balkanski sukobi 1905-1941 was published. In 1944 in Zagreb he published the pamphlet, Who are Serbs? (Tko su Srbi?).
Montenegrin language
Montenegrin is a name used for the Serbo-Croatian language as spoken by Montenegrins; it also refers to an incipient standardized form of the Shtokavian dialect of Serbo-Croatian used as the official language of Montenegro...
: Секулa or Секуле Дрљевић), (1884–1945) was a WWII
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Montenegrin
Montenegro
Montenegro Montenegrin: Crna Gora Црна Гора , meaning "Black Mountain") is a country located in Southeastern Europe. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea to the south-west and is bordered by Croatia to the west, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the northwest, Serbia to the northeast and Albania to the...
Nazi-fascist collaborator
Quisling
Quisling is a term used in reference to fascist and collaborationist political parties and military and paramilitary forces in occupied Allied countries which collaborated with Axis occupiers in World War II, as well as for their members and other collaborators.- Etymology :The term was coined by...
.
His political views and ideological aims ranged wildly and changed frequently during his career in politics. Initially a proponent of Serb unification
Greater Serbia
The term Greater Serbia or Great Serbia applies to the Serbian nationalist and irredentist ideology directed towards the creation of a Serbian land which would incorporate all regions of traditional significance to the Serbian nation...
, Drljević later founded the pro-Green
Zelenaši
The Zelenaši were a group of Montenegrin dissidents, most notable for instigating the 1919 Christmas rebellion and later for supporting the existence of the fascist Kingdom of Montenegro during World War II....
Montenegrin Federalist Party
Montenegrin Federalist Party
The Montenegrin Federalist Party or Montenegrin Peasants' Federalist Movement was a Montenegrin political party in the Kingdom of Serbs,...
that supported Montenegrin sovereignty during the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, only to eventually end up as the figurehead of the Italian-run Montenegrin fascist puppet state created by the Axis forces in 1941. Later during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, Drljević served for the fascist Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
Ustashi in hopes of forming a militia force that would influence matters on the ground in Montenegro where a chaotic battle was raging. After the war, Drljević was accused of war crimes and Nazi collaboration
Collaboration during World War II
Within nations occupied by the Axis Powers, some citizens, driven by nationalism, ethnic hatred, anti-communism, anti-Semitism or opportunism, knowingly engaged in collaboration with the Axis Powers during World War II...
, as well as being responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of people.
His single most notable and enduring deed occurred in 1937 when he altered some of the lyrics of the popular Montenegrin folk song, "Oj, svijetla majska zoro
Oj, svijetla majska zoro
"Oj, svijetla majska zoro" is the official state anthem of Montenegro. Before becoming the anthem, it was a popular folk song of the Montenegrins, with many variations of its text...
" ("Oh, the Bright Dawn of May"), stripping it of the references to the Serb identity of Montenegrins. He published his version in 1944 under the name "Vječna naša" (Eternal Our...). Sixty years later, Drljević's version of the song was adopted by the ruling DPS
Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro
The Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegro is the ruling social-democratic political party in Montenegro....
-SDP
Social Democratic Party of Montenegro
The Social Democratic Party of Montenegro is a political party in Montenegro....
coalition of Milo Đukanović as the national anthem of modern Montenegro on 12 July 2004 as "Oh, the Bright Dawn of May", although a few of his lyrics where slightly altered due to popular demand.
Early life
Drljević was born in RavniRavni
Ravni may refer to:*Ravni , a village in the Brus municipality, Serbia*Ravni , a village in the Užice municipality, Serbia*Ravni, Slovenia, a settlement in the Krško municipality in eastern Slovenia...
village, Kolašin
Kolašin
Kolašin , is a town in northern Montenegro. It has a population of 2,989 .Kolašin is the centre of the municipality and unofficial centre of Morača region, named after Morača River....
Municipality near Morača
Morača
Morača is a river in Montenegro. It originates in northern Montenegro, under Rzača mountain. It generally flows southwards for some , before emptying into Lake Skadar....
, Principality of Montenegro
Principality of Montenegro
The Principality of Montenegro was a former realm in Southeastern Europe. It existed from 13 March 1852 to 28 August 1910. It was then proclaimed a kingdom by Knjaz Nikola, who then became king....
in 1884. He completed elementary education in his village and then went to Sremski Karlovci
Sremski Karlovci
Sremski Karlovci is a town and municipality in Serbia, in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, situated on the bank of the river Danube, 8 km from Novi Sad...
in Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
where he finished his secondary studies at the famous Serbian Karlovci Gymnasium
Gymnasium of Karlovci
The Gymnasium of Karlovci or the High School of Karlovci, located in the town of Sremski Karlovci in Serbia, is the oldest Serbian secondary school on the slopes of Fruška Gora. This type of school is comparable to U.S...
. He then moved on to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, also within Austro-Hungary, where he enrolled at the University of Zagreb
University of Zagreb
The University of Zagreb is the biggest Croatian university and the oldest continuously operating university in the area covering Central Europe south of Vienna and all of Southeastern Europe...
Faculty of Law. After graduating, he continued with post-graduate studies and soon also earned a Ph.D.
Principality/Kingdom of Montenegro
After getting appointed to the post of justice minister of the Principality of Montenegro on 2 April 1907, 25-year-old Drljević moved back to Montenegro in 1909, thus starting a political career and becoming one of youngest Montenegro's political leaders. He held the post until 24 January 1910. In 1909 named the Minister of Justice by the cabinet of the True People's PartyTrue People's Party
The True People's Party was a political party in Montenegro.Also known locally as pravaši, its members were supporters of the absolute rule of King Nikola I of Montenegro. Members included: Jovan S. Plamenac, Lazar Mijušković, Mitar Radulović, Niko Tatar and priest Krsto Popović...
, as well as the representative of Education & Church Ministry in the Government of Montenegro
Government of Montenegro
The Government of Montenegro is the executive branch of state authority in Montenegro. It is headed by the prime minister. It comprises the prime minister, the deputy prime ministers as well as ministers....
. From 6 June 1912 to 25 April 1913 he was both a Minister of Finance and Construction in the national unity government.
After that, at the 1913 elections, he was elected into the National Assembly of the Kingdom of Montenegro as an independent. An outspoken enemy of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
and supporter of closer relations and union with the Kingdom of Serbia
Kingdom of Serbia
The Kingdom of Serbia was created when Prince Milan Obrenović, ruler of the Principality of Serbia, was crowned King in 1882. The Principality of Serbia was ruled by the Karađorđevic dynasty from 1817 onwards . The Principality, suzerain to the Porte, had expelled all Ottoman troops by 1867, de...
, he was a chief proponent and planner of Serb unification after the kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro got a common border after the Balkan wars
Balkan Wars
The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans in south-eastern Europe in 1912 and 1913.By the early 20th century, Montenegro, Bulgaria, Greece and Serbia, the countries of the Balkan League, had achieved their independence from the Ottoman Empire, but large parts of their ethnic...
since 10 February 1914. On the eve of the First World War, Drljević was the representative of the radical line demanding immediate and outright war with Austria-Hungary after it declared war on Serbia. He was a fierce opponent of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy ever since it annexed Bosnia-Herzegovina, which had a Serb majority. In his The Struggle for Monetary, Martial and Diplomatic Union of Montenegro and Serbia work from 1914, he unveild first detailed plans for a "peaceful unification of Montenegro with Serbia".
After Essad Pasha
Essad Pasha
Essad Pasha Toptani or Esad Pasha Toptani , primarily known as Essad Pasha, was Ottoman army officer, Albanian deputy in Ottoman parliament and politician in the early twentieth century in Albania...
surrendered the city of Shkodër
Shkodër
Shkodër , is a city located on Lake of Shkoder in northwestern Albania in the District of Shkodër, of which it is the capital. It is one of the oldest and most historic towns in Albania, as well as an important cultural and economic centre. Shkodër's estimated population is 90,000; if the...
to Montenegrin and Serbian forces in April 1913 at the end of the First Balkan War
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War, which lasted from October 1912 to May 1913, pitted the Balkan League against the Ottoman Empire. The combined armies of the Balkan states overcame the numerically inferior and strategically disadvantaged Ottoman armies and achieved rapid success...
, Drljević paid a visit to Belgrade as part of an honorary diplomatic initiative. Holding a speech at the event, he reminded the gathering of "..the darkest Turkish tyranny over the Serb people, forcing them to celebrate Easter of its Serbian God and its Serbian birth while hiding in caves.." and "..the epic honour of Serb weaponry in the great war, the epic victories at Kumanovo
Battle of Kumanovo
The Battle of Kumanovo or Battle of Kumanova on 23 – 24 October 1912 was a major battle of the First Balkan War. It was an important Serbian victory over the Ottoman army in Vardar Macedonia, shortly after the outbreak of the war...
, Bitola
Battle of Bitola
The Battle of Monastir took place near the town of Bitola, Macedonia during the First Balkan War, from 16 to 19 November 1912. As an ongoing part of the Balkan Wars, the Ottoman Vardar Army retreated from the defeat at Kumanovo and regrouped around Bitola...
and Edirne
Battle of Adrianople (1913)
The Battle or Siege of Adrianople or Siege of Edirne was fought during the First Balkan War, beginning in mid-November 1912 and ending on 26 March 1913 with the capture of Edirne by the Bulgarian 2nd Army....
." "It need not be proven that this sweet new proof of the honour of Serb weaponry and Serb heroism...To Serb heroes and to the people its the foundations of its heroism, and let those foundations be the basis of a great union, the one so long wanted, which will be the groundwork of a greater Serbian state"
On 19 July 1914 in the Serbian National Assembly of the Kingdom of Montenegro MPs discussed the declaration of war of Austria-Hungary on the Kingdom of Serbia and decided that Montenegro should immediately stand by Serbia's side, all of which Drljević vehemently supported. His speech: "To only make a statement of solidarity with Serbia would be an insult to the unity of Serb Kingdoms, as well as to the united defense of Serb interests. The Monarchy is not only attacking Serbia, but also attacking the unification of Serb lands into a single Serb state. Both Serb kingdoms are now one and the Montenegrin people shall fulfill their duty, sacrificing everything for the fatherland and for the salvation and unification of Serbdom...I only regret that that Law has not yet created such article, which defines that the declaration of war on Serbia automatically draws upon a declaration of war from Montenegro. But, here the Serb kingdoms are now one, and the Montenegrin people shall fulfill their duty, sacrificing everything for the fatherland and Serbdom..."
After Montenegro fell to the Central Powers
Central Powers
The Central Powers were one of the two warring factions in World War I , composed of the German Empire, the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulgaria...
in January 1916, he was arrested amongst all other politicians who did not flee or refused to collaborate. At the last parliamentary session he denounced King Nikola
Nicholas I of Montenegro
Nikola I Mirkov Petrović-Njegoš was the only king of Montenegro, reigning as king from 1910 to 1918 and as prince from 1860 to 1910. He was also a poet, notably penning "Onamo, 'namo!", a popular song from Montenegro.-Early life:Nikola was born in the village of Njeguši, the ancient home of the...
who fled the country in secrecy, blaming him for leading the country into the horrible situation. Drljević was interned in the Karlstein
Karlstein
Karlstein may refer to places in:Germany:* Karlstein am Main, a municipality in Landkreis Aschaffenburg, Bavaria* part of Bad Reichenhall, Bavaria** a rock with a ruin there* Karlstein bei Hornberg, a rock in Hornberg, Baden-Württemberg...
Austro-Hungarian internment camp. In prison he reportedly organized with other detainees from Montenegro plans to unify Montenegro and Serbia into a single Serb nation-state, electing a special Board for Unification that he presided over. It was supposed to prepare and act for expelled King Nilola's in case of his return to occupied Montenegro. Its work served as a basis for the Great People's Assembly of the Serb People in Montenegro
Podgorica Assembly
The Podgorica Assembly , in full the Great National Assembly of the Serb People in Montenegro , was an assembly held in Podgorica that served as the representative body of the Montenegrin people during the...
(also known as the Podgorica Assembly) that gathered in November 1918 and declared unification with Serbia.
Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes / Yugoslavia
After the end of war, the royal government secured Drljević's release. He joined the Serbian Radical People's Party and moved to Belgrade where he was assigned to the Ministry of Justice in Stojan ProtićStojan Protic
Stojan Protić was a Yugoslavian political figure. He served as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes between 1918 and 1919, and again in 1920....
's government. However, he resigned only three months after arriving. Furthermore, he left the party, disappointed by the position he got, since he considered that his role in the unification warranted a much higher post. In April 1919 Drljević opened a law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
practice in Zemun
Zemun
Zemun is a historical town and one of the 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
, on the Belgrade-Pančevo city territory. The cases that he worked on were mostly politically motivated trials. He was most famous for successfully defending brigadier Radomir Vešović in 1921.
Disappointed in the centrist
Centrism
In politics, centrism is the ideal or the practice of promoting policies that lie different from the standard political left and political right. Most commonly, this is visualized as part of the one-dimensional political spectrum of left-right politics, with centrism landing in the middle between...
policies coming from Belgrade, especially the newly established subdivisons
Subdivisions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The subdivisions of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia existed successively in three different forms. From 1918 to 1922, the kingdom maintained the pre-World War I subdivisions of Yugoslavia's predecessor states...
of the Kingdom, Drljević founded the Montenegrin Federalist Party
Montenegrin Federalist Party
The Montenegrin Federalist Party or Montenegrin Peasants' Federalist Movement was a Montenegrin political party in the Kingdom of Serbs,...
in 1922, whose main aims were decentralization and preservation of the historical entities abolished in favor of unification. His party did not achieve much support at the 1923 election, but he managed to get enough votes to get elected into the Serb-Croat-Slovene parliament in 1925. Still an outspoken Serb nationalist, he covertly supported the Montenegrin Army in Exile and the aggressive Montenegrin extremist Greens
Zelenaši
The Zelenaši were a group of Montenegrin dissidents, most notable for instigating the 1919 Christmas rebellion and later for supporting the existence of the fascist Kingdom of Montenegro during World War II....
that favored guerrilla resistance in Montenegro against the royal centralist regime as well open independence. He opposed what he considered to be Serbia
Serbia
Serbia , officially the Republic of Serbia , is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeast Europe, covering the southern part of the Carpathian basin and the central part of the Balkans...
's hegemony after the unification, specifically complaining about the printing of books in Serbian ekavian and not Serbian ijekavian. He furthermore complained about lack of investments into Montenegro, and that retributions by the government needs to be repaid for the damages done in the civil fights that occurred in Montenegro between the Whites and the Greens after the unification.
Sekule's speech in the royal parliament on 16 February 1926, during the discussion on the army:"This tradition in our army, is given by none other than one army, until the unification of the independent states Kingdom of Serbia and Kingdom of Montenegro, that is the two independent Serb states, and that army is the army of the Serb people ... By the understanding of our people there were only heroic Montenegrins and heroic Šumadians
Šumadija
Šumadija is a geographical region in Serbia. The area is heavily covered with forests, hence the name...
, that is only the heroic Serb people..." and on 26 March the same year on the Montenegrin question: "The Serb people was in one historical momentum entirely united, but united in slavery under the Turks. Montenegro repulsed that unification and separated from the Serb people by keeping in its firm haiduk hand the Kosovo
Battle of Kosovo
The Battle of Kosovo took place on St. Vitus' Day, June 15, 1389, between the army led by Serbian Prince Lazar Hrebeljanović, and the invading army of the Ottoman Empire under the leadership of Sultan Murad I...
Cross-Banner of Boško Jugović and the statist thought on that chain of the karst mountains hanging under Lovćen like a closter on a stalk..."
The conceiver of the idea to unite the other historical entities to stand opposed to Serbia, he worked with Croat Federalists doctors Ivan Lorković
Ivan Lorković
Dr. Ivan Lorković was a Croatian politician and one of the co-founders of the National Progressive Party . He was a prominent member of the Croat-Serb coalition, a supporter of the Republican organization and member of the United Croatian and Serbian academic youth organization...
and Ante Trumbić
Ante Trumbic
Ante Trumbić was a Croatian politician in the early 20th century. He was one of the key politicians in the creation of a Yugoslav state....
for some time. He cemented his ideas when he allied with Stjepan Radić
Stjepan Radic
Stjepan Radić was a Croatian politician and the founder of the Croatian Peasant Party in 1905. Radić is credited with galvanizing the peasantry of Croatia into a viable political force...
and his Croatian Republican People's Party, being elected as their MP in Županja
Županja
Županja is a city in eastern Slavonia, Croatia, located 254 km east of Zagreb. It is administratively part of the Vukovar-Syrmia county. It is inhabited by 12,185 people ....
. Joining too with the Independent Democratic Party
Independent Democratic Party
Independent Democratic Party may refer to:*Democratic Party *Independent Democratic Party of Russia*Independent Democratic Party...
, he was reelected into the parliament as a member of the Peasant-Democratic Coalition in 1927.
In 1929 King Alexander Karageorgevich introduced dictatorship. His party like all were originally banned, but it wasn't excessed so Sekula continued his political activity. In 1930 he went to Zagreb to take part in the process against Vlatko Maček, with whom he continued cooperating after Radić's death, but as many major political opponents, he was arrested for act of treason against the state and interned in Sokobanja
Sokobanja
Sokobanja is a well-known spa town and municipality situated in eastern Serbia.-Population:In 2011 the population of the Sokobanja town is 7,972, while population of the whole municipality is 15,981...
. He was released shortly after an appeal, promising to give up on a policy of secession. In the 1930s Drljevic cooperated with the underground banned Montenegrin Communists.
After Alexander was assassinated in Marseilles in 1934, former imprisoned rebel Novica Radović
Novica Radovic
Novica Radović was a Montenegrin politician.Radović took part in 1919's Christmas Uprising with the Zelenaši, an armed rebellion opposed to Montenegro's unification with Serbia in 1918...
joined Drljevic's "Montenegrin Peasants' Federalist Movement" and shaped its ideological beliefs that turned extremely Serbian and Montenegrin nationalistic and the two returned into politics, ever more determined to create an independent Montenegro, pointing out that Serbia in a most cruel way annexed and betrayed Montenegro thanks to the Allies and that Montenegrins are superior and "true, pure Serbs", and not the Serbians and distancing from cooperation with the Serbian opposition, closing by to the Croatian Party of Rights. Since most of the population were peasants, it reshaped its electoral aims to achieve support.
In 1937, Sekula came into contact with the pro-Croatian Montenegrin activist Savić Marković Štedimlija
Savic Markovic Štedimlija
Savić Marković Štedimlija was a Montenegrin-Croatian nationalist publicist and writer, best known for his revisionist theories on the origins of the Montenegrin people...
and rewrote the lyrics for a Montenegrin folk song, removing references to Serb identity as a mark of protest against Serbia and designated it to be the national anthem of all Montenegrins, "Our Eternal..." (Vječna naša...). The song celebrated cleansing of Muslims from Montenegro and centered on Montenegrin patriotism, calling forth for his plans of a Greater Montenegro. Though a member of the 1938 Unified Opposition, Sekula eternally stayed in opposition even after the Cvetković-Maček Agreement of 1939 that put a temporary end to most Yugoslavian problems because of his demands for an independent Montenegro, losing all support and disappearing from the political scene.
World War II
During April 1941, Axis forces occupied the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Montenegro fell under the control of fascist Italian regime led by Benito MussoliniBenito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
. Drljević quickly gathered his separatists and formed the "Interim Administrative Committee of Montenegro" on April 17, 1941, the very same day the Royal Yugoslav Army capitulated, elected its President. He was preparing to organize an independent Montenegro that would collaborate with the Kingdom of Italy. Up to some time in May, the Committee had formed a "Kingdom of Montenegro" inviting successor Michael Petrović-Njegoš
Prince Michael of Montenegro
Prince Michael Petrović-Njegoš of Montenegro was the third son of Prince Mirko Petrović-Njegoš, Grand Voivode of Grahovo and Zeta , and Natalija Konstantinovic, a cousin of Aleksandar Obrenović of Serbia...
to take the throne. He refused however, on the argument that the "Black Latins" (Црнолатинаши, Crnolatinaši) as Sekula's men were called, are traitors of the Serb people. Subsequently the Nazis interned Petrović-Njegoš. The plans for Greater Montenegrin state proved fruitless as most of Herzegovina
Herzegovina
Herzegovina is the southern region of Bosnia and Herzegovina. While there is no official border distinguishing it from the Bosnian region, it is generally accepted that the borders of the region are Croatia to the west, Montenegro to the south, the canton boundaries of the Herzegovina-Neretva...
was taken by the Nazi-puppet Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
(NDH), the Bay of Kotor
Bay of Kotor
The Bay of Kotor in south-western Montenegro is a winding bay on the Adriatic Sea. The bay, sometimes called Europe's southernmost fjord, is in fact a submerged river canyon of the disintegrated Bokelj River which used to run from the high mountain plateaus of Mount Orjen...
was annexed to Italy and a fascist Greater Albania
Greater Albania
Greater Albania or Ethnic Albania is an irredentist concept of lands outside the borders of the Republic of Albania that are considered part of a greater national homeland by most Albanians, based on the present-day or historical presence of Albanian populations in those areas...
took not only Metohija
Metohija
Metohija , is a large basin and the name of the region covering the southwestern part of Kosovo.It encompasses three of the seven districts of Kosovo, namely the historical :* District of Peć * District of Đakovica * District of Prizren...
, but also even eastern parts of Montenegro. The only achieved expansion was towards the northern Serbian part of Sandžak
Sandžak
Sandžak also known as Raška is a historical region lying along the border between Serbia and Montenegro...
.
On 12 July 1941, Drljević came to Cetinje
Cetinje
Cetinje , Цетиње / Cetinje , Italian: Cettigne, Greek: Κετίγνη, Ketígni) is a town and Old Royal Capital of Montenegro. It is also a historical and the secondary capital of Montenegro , with the official residence of the President of Montenegro...
, the Montenegrin capital, and held a speech at the "Saint Peter's Council" that proclaimed the "Independent State of Montenegro" under Italian protectorate. The very next day, 13 July, as a reward Conte Serafino Mazzolini nominated him to be the first Prime Minister of the collaborationist government. However, Sekula's governance lasted less than 24 hours, as the recently-formed Yugoslav Army in the Fatherland (Chetniks) raised a national rebellion along with Partisan
Partisans (Yugoslavia)
The Yugoslav Partisans, or simply the Partisans were a Communist-led World War II anti-fascist resistance movement in Yugoslavia...
assistance opposing the "Saint Peter's Council" separatist decisions. By October 1941 Italians realized that Sekula enjoyed no popular support in Montenegro and saw that they have no use of him, so they imprisoned him in Sanremo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
through a decree by Alessandro "Pirzio" Birolli, Fascist Italy's main representative in Montenegro. Drljević was soon released, but got banned from leaving Italy, which was imprinted in his passport.
However, he managed to acquire the NDH passport through his Ustaša connections and thus successfully reached his home base in Zemun
Zemun
Zemun is a historical town and one of the 17 municipalities which constitute the City of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia...
, now occupied by the NDH. Sekula's Black Latins collapsed into two groups, the more extremist one that attempted to raise rebellions with the Partisans in the Bay of Kotor and the more moderate one that together with certain Greens collaborated with the Italians and, after the defeat of Italy in 1943, the Germans.
Relocation to Independent State of Croatia
In 1944 the Axis started losing the war rapidly to the AlliesAllies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
and Sajmište was closed. That spring, as Tito's Partisans were about to liberate Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
, Sekula moved further into the country for security to Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
, capital of the NDH. The Ustašas provided him residence and introduced him into the political life of the Independent State of Croatia, so he joined the Ustaši and became an associate of their "Poglavnik" (chief) Ante Pavelić
Ante Pavelic
Ante Pavelić was a Croatian fascist leader, revolutionary, and politician. He ruled as Poglavnik or head, of the Independent State of Croatia , a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany in Axis-occupied Yugoslavia...
. Believing in Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
's promises of a renewed offensive against the Allies, he formed from prominent remaining Black Latins the "Montenegrin State Council", which roughly acted as a Montenegrin Government in Exile dedicated to the restoration and preservation of Montenegrin sovereignty. Among other prominent figures, Štedimlija was appointed to Drljević's cabinet. Sekula proclaimed "Eternal our..." as the national anthem of Montenegro. The anthem would, with slight changes, be adopted as the modern Montenegrin anthem in 2004.
Adopting Štedimlija's research of Montenegrin individuality as a "nation separate from the Serbs and that by origin stems from Red Croats", he propagated an anti-Serbian state union of Montenegrins with Croats and Albanians. In 1944 in Zagreb he published a pamphlet, Who are the Serbs? (Tko su Srbi?), in which he presents the Serbs as a degenerate race, blaming all of Balkan's modern and past problems on the Serbian nation and its aggressive policies, as well as referring to their similarity to the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
, whom Axis world's ideology blamed for most of world's problems. Drljević was also active in religious issues. He attempted to form a Montenegrin Orthodox Church
Montenegrin Orthodox Church
The Montenegrin Orthodox Church is an Orthodox Christian organization acting in Montenegro and Montenegrin emigration circles - e.g. the village of Lovćenac and the Montenegrin emigration colony in Argentina...
, but found no support for it and had to make do with Štedimlija's Ustaša-styled Croatian Orthodox Church
Croatian Orthodox Church
The Croatian Orthodox Church was a religious body created during World War II by the Ustasha regime in the Independent State of Croatia .The reason for formation of this church was that Orthodox Christian Churches are state-based...
.
Condemned as a war criminal
On 15 February 1945 the Yugoslav Partisan Military court sentenced Sekula Drljevic to death penalty for the crimes committed in Sajmište and for propaganda against People's Liberation struggle, after the State Commission for Establishing the Crimes of the Occupiers and Their Helpers finalized its research on him. On 24 February 1945 the Croatian Federal State Commission established his crimes and collaboration in NDH further and confirmed the sentence.Actions in closing months of the war
Seeking a personal army, he met with the embattled divisions of ChetniksChetniks
Chetniks, or the Chetnik movement , were Serbian nationalist and royalist paramilitary organizations from the first half of the 20th century. The Chetniks were formed as a Serbian resistance against the Ottoman Empire in 1904, and participated in the Balkan Wars, World War I, and World War II...
that broke off from the main course of Draža Mihailović
Draža Mihailovic
Dragoljub "Draža" Mihailović was a Yugoslav Serbian general during World War II...
retreating in Bosnia worn out from the fights with the Partisans in the civil war and negotiated with their leader Pavle Đurišić, who recognized the switch from the Allies to the Axis. The Montenegrin State Council as its own sovereign became leader of the self-styled "Montenegrin People's Army". On 22 March 1945, a deal was struck in Doboj
Doboj
Doboj is a city and a municipality in northern Bosnia and Herzegovina, situated in the northern part of the Republika Srpska entity on the river Bosna. Doboj is the largest national railway junction; as such, the seats of the Republika Srpska Railways, and the Railways Corporation of Bosnia and...
and Sekula became the Supreme Commander of the 8000 strong Chetnik Force. He promised safe passage across the German border in a planned massive evacuation to Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
as a result of growing Allied successes at the Eastern Front.
However only weeks later, on 8 April 1945, Đurišić tried to move his troops northwestwards without Sekula, so they were assaulted by the Ustašas and heavily defeated at the Battle on Lijevča field
Battle on Lijevca field
The Battle on Lijevče field was a battle fought between March 30 and April 8 1945 between the Croatian Armed Forces and the runoff Chetnik forces of Pavle Đurišić, near Banja Luka in what was then the Independent State of Croatia .The Croatian Armed Forces were led by General Vladimir Metikoš,...
. The three remaining Chetnik units were reorganized into the Montenegrin Army and instructed under direct Croatian Home Defender forces control to act around Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
. Đurišić was now in an even weaker position than before; on the run in Banja Luka
Banja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
vicinity where he got tracked down by Ustaša colonel Vladimir Metikoš
Vladimir Metikoš
Vladimir Metikoš was a Croatian general in the then Independent State of Croatia .Metikoš was born in Banja Luka. During World War I, he was posted on the Italian front as a lieutenant of the Austro-Hungarian Army...
whom he knew well from their time together in Royal Yugoslav Army. Metikoš relayed another offer from Drljević of negotiations in Stara Gradiška
Stara Gradiška
Stara Gradiška is a village and a municipality in the Brod-Posavina county of Croatia. It has 542 residents, while the municipality has 1,717 , in six other smaller villages...
, which Đurišić and his remaining officers fatally accepted. Upon arriving to Gradiška, their weapons were taken away and they were sent to Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac concentration camp
Jasenovac concentration camp was the largest extermination camp in the Independent State of Croatia and occupied Yugoslavia during World War II...
and killed. Sekula knowingly never even showed up for the supposed negotiation meeting.
Retreat, flight and murder
On 6 May 1945, the Ustaše started a massive evacuation and a northwest retreat. Sekula was fleeing into Nazi Germany (itself in its last throes) and his rearguard was protected by the remaining fringes of the Chetnik Montenegrin People's Army against the attacking Partisans. After the chaotic retreat, Drljević and his wife stayed in a hotel in Judenburg, AustriaJudenburg
- People :* Renate Götschl* Egon Haar * Herbert Hufnagl, journalist * Gernot Jurtin* Christian Muthspiel, jazz musician, painter* Kurt Muthspiel, composer * Wolfgang Muthspiel* Christian Pfannberger* Walter Pfrimer* Georg Pichler...
. On 10 November 1945, members of the Montenegrin People's Army who up to that point had safeguarded them, killed the couple by slitting their throats.
Political author
In 1914 Sekula explained how Serbia and Montenegro should be unified in his "The Struggle for Monetary, Military and Diplomatic Union of Montenegro and Serbia" (Borba za carinsku, vojnu i diplomatsku uniju izmeðu Crne Gore i Srbije). Several of Drljević's books were published. He gathered his Yugoslav parliament speeches and published them as Centralizam ili federalizam (Централизам или федерализам) in 1926.During World War II, his book Balkanski sukobi 1905-1941 was published. In 1944 in Zagreb he published the pamphlet, Who are Serbs? (Tko su Srbi?).
Sources
- Montenegrins on Themselves (Crnogorci o sebi), Batrić Jovanović
- Sekula Drljevic, All His Faces - Facts and Interpretations (Sekula Drljević, sva njegova lica - fakti i interpretacije), Veseljko Koprivica