Hasan Rıza Pasha

Hasan Rıza Pasha (1871 – 30 January 1913) was a general in the Ottoman Army.

Life
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 (1899–1900). After serving in Iraq (1901–-1911) 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 assasinated 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" ("Trimëri e Klasit të Parë) in August 1996, by Albanian President Sali Berisha. and a monument was erected in his honor in 2007.