Nurija Pozderac | |
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| Vice President of the Executive Board of theAnti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia | |
| In office 26 November 1942 – 12 June 1943 | |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | vacant |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1892-01-15)15 January 1892 |
| Died | 12 June 1943(1943-06-12) (aged 51) |
| Spouse | Devleta Pozderac |
| Relatives |
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Nurija Pozderac (15 January 1892 – 12 June 1943) was aBosnian teacher, politician, member of theYugoslav Muslim Organization, and local liberation leader duringWorld War II, participating in the National Yugoslav Liberation Struggle. He served as Vice President of the Executive Board of theAnti-Fascist Council for the National Liberation of Yugoslavia. His nephewsHakija andHamdija were influentialcommunist politicians during the era ofYugoslavia.
| Righteous Among the Nations |
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| By country |
Pozderac was one of 11 children—seven sons and four daughters—born toBashi-bazoukAgha Murat Pozderac (1862–1930), the last leader ofCazin,Bosnia and Herzegovina duringOttoman rule.[1] His father had three wives, a common practice in 19th century Bosnia.[2]
His six brothers were Mujaga, Mehmed, Muhamed, Smail, Ahmet, Hasan; his four sisters were Semka, Derviša, Šefika, and Zulejha.
Nurija was a teacher before moving into politics in the 1930s. His first serious political engagement came as a minister in the local legislative and administrative body of Cazin. He was a member of theYugoslav Muslim Organization.
After the 1941 occupation of theKingdom of Yugoslavia and the creation of theIndependent State of Croatia, Pozderac was angry at theUstasha policy of killing and expelling Jews and Serbs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He rejectedDžafer Kulenović's offer to become a minister in the Government of the fascist Independent State of Croatia.
Later in 1941, Pozderac teamed up with theYugoslav Partisans and became a member of the Yugoslav National Liberation Movement. As an influential and well-known figure among the people of Cazin and theKrajina, in 1942 he was elected president of the National Liberation Committee in Cazin. He participated in the first session of theAnti-Fascist Council of National Liberation of Yugoslavia (AVNOJ) on 26—27 November 1942 inBihać.[3] At this meeting he was elected vice-president of the Executive Board of AVNOJ.
In June 1943, during theFifth Enemy Offensive (also known as the Battle of Sutjeska) and one of theAxis forces attack onPartisans' High Command, which was in retreat across theSutjeska river and over the ridge ofMaglić, attempting to reachVučevo plateau, Pozderac was mortally wounded, while his group tried to take cover from heavy areal bombardment on the edges ofPerućica. Four days later, while in the presence of his son Sead, Nurija Pozderac died from his wounds.[4]
In March 2013, Nurija and his wife Devleta receivedIsrael'sRighteous Among the Nations medal for rescuing and sheltering Jewish people during the Holocaust.[5] His great-grandson, Serbian politicianVuk Jeremić, spoke at the ceremony saying that he was, "...immensely proud of his origin and ancestors who rose up against the crimes against their Jewish and Serbian citizens during World War II."[6]
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