Hasan Rıza Pasha


Hasan Rıza Pasha was a Turkish general in the Ottoman Army.

Life

He was the son of the distinguished Ottoman statesman Mehmed Namık Pasha, who was the Governor of Baghdad, where Hasan Riza was born. He was of Turkish origin, as Mehmed Namık's grandfather migrated from Konya to Constantinople. He entered the Ottoman Military Academy in 1892 and graduated on March 13, 1895. He continued his studies in Germany. After serving in Iraq he was promoted to the rank of General and assigned as wali of Shkodër.
He was the main commander during the Siege of Shkodër and became the symbol of resistance against the Serbian and Montenegrin invasion. He did his utmost to defend the town, stating "Shkodra is our fate or our grave, but not our shame". He was assassinated by Osman Bali and Mehmed Kavaja, both servants of Essad Pasha.

Legacy

A Turkish-Albanian college in Shkodër bears his name. He was decorated for "First Class Bravery" in August 1996, by Albanian President Sali Berisha. and a monument was erected in his honor in 2007.