Behar Topilla, the sole survivor of the Shavarinat Massacre in Çikatovë e Vjetër, Drenas, has passed away at the age of 45 in Sweden, where he lived. His death has drawn a public reaction from Kosovo’s acting Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, who described it as a great loss for the nation’s historical memory, reports Gazeta Sinjali.
Topilla survived one of the most brutal massacres committed by Serbian forces during the spring of 1999, when dozens of villages in Drenas and Skenderaj were attacked, forcing thousands of residents to flee toward the mountains and remote areas.
Kurti called Topilla’s death “deeply heartbreaking,” noting that despite surviving Serbian gunfire 26 years ago, he has now passed away due to illness.
A Survivor of Unimaginable Atrocities
In his message, Kurti recalled the events of 30 April 1999, when Serbian forces shelled numerous villages, displacing thousands. After expelling civilians from their homes, Serbian military units began tracking and hunting down the displaced population, wherever they were hiding.
On 1 April 1999, Serbian units took 176 civilians sheltering in the Qirez village mosque. Among them was Behar Topilla. He and dozens of others endured torture, beatings, and brutal mistreatment, before being lined up for execution near a pit in Shavarinat, close to the Feronikeli mine.
Topilla was wounded on the way—stabbed in his arms and shoulders—yet remained alive as Serbian soldiers opened fire and threw explosives at the victims.
A Living Testimony of Massacre and Survival
Hidden beneath the bodies of more than 40 victims, Topilla survived gunfire, shrapnel, and the execution attempt itself. His testimony — recorded and retold many times — remains one of the most powerful and direct accounts of the massacres committed by Serbian forces during the ethnic cleansing and genocide against Albanians in Kosovo.
Kurti expressed condolences to the Topilla family, friends of the deceased, and all who knew him.
“Behar Topilla will always be remembered among us, together with his story and his testimony,” Kurti concluded.
