Written by Petrit Latifi

Savo Lazarevic Batara, Sav Batara or Sav Batarja (Sayo Lazarević or Saya Batara) was a Montenegrin terrrorist, murderer, war criminal and commander known for having committed many war crimes, atrocities and massacres of Albanians, Bosniaks and Catholic civilians during the Balkan wars of 1912 and 1913.

Savo Batara and Blazhe Buzhović “enjoy shedding human blood”

“In the old Kosovo, the envoys to the Congress of Podgorica and a delegate without the will of the people” etc. are evidence of their wild behavior “To direct the bloody tragedy, the Serbs and Montenegrins have put (people like) Savo Batara and Blazhe Buzhović at the head of the Albanians, people who enjoy shedding human blood. In 1912, shortly after the War, this Savo Batara , in Peja, Plav and Guci, killed thousands of innocent people, both Albanian Muslims and Catholics…”¹

Sava Lazarević Batara as the “terrorist”²

“Sava Lazarević Batara and Blaže Božević , known as terrorists with special activities against the Albanian population…”

Savo Lazarevics crimes in Carabreg

“As the report states, this Montenegrin criminal (Savo Batarja) during 1912, for no reason had gathered over a thousand people in the village of Carabreg, beating them in the most brutal way. To this violence and intimidation, the following had the courage to react: Isa Qorri, Ali Shabani, Hasan Mula, Hysen Teta, Mal Loshi, Zyber Loshi, Elez Hasani, Ibish Halili, Dak Arifi and Zek Hyseni, who were later not only killed, but were previously forced to dig their graves. In addition to them, Dik Zeka, Sadik Mehmeti and Azem Beqiri, as well as Him Ahmeti and Nek Dobruna from Deçan were also killed from this village.”³

The report of 1944

“On February 5, 1944, the municipality of Deçan reported in detail to the Tirana Ministry of Internal Affairs the Serbian and Montenegrin atrocities and barbarism that had been taking place in the settlements of this municipality since 1912. “The report states that the barbarities committed by the Slavic element in the region of this municipality during the period when oppression prevailed in this country are unknown and so unique that it is impossible to describe them. The robberies and murders of the Slavic beasts have common characteristics. At the head of the robberies is the Deçan Church, whose riches the Albanians set their eyes on and seized, so its action has always been in the hands of the Albanians. ……”. The report also mentioned numerous murders and atrocities committed by the Deccan Church, as well as by the communes and voivodes led by the Montenegrin captain called “Savo Batarja” for crimes and atrocities committed against the Albanian people.”⁴

Safet Bandžović writes about Savo Lazarevics crimes:

“… mentioned, because of great cruelty, as Sav Batarja (Plotun). In Đakovica (Gjakova) hundreds of Muslims were forced to convert to Orthodoxy, and many imams were executed. Catholic priest Palić had two fingers cut off on both hands, so that he could not be baptized with five, but only with three fingers, according to the principles of the Orthodox faith… “⁵

Lieutenant Colonel Milovanovićs war report

“… Anyone who opposed this was shot on the spot. Lieutenant Colonel Milovanović wrote in his war report that this nation had never experienced such terror in its history until now. On that occasion, the commander of the Montenegrin jandarmerie (wingman) officer Sayo Lazarević aka Saya Batara… “⁶

Save Batarjas atrocities in Baran in Pejë

“Save Batarja got up, went to Haut Baran fourteen people he collected on the hill of Baran sent them he had them dig ditches to then shoot them” Then the event is described as follows: the caravan of carts full of women, children old people and others who followed them on foot, walked in the rain, on the mud towards Peje where machine gun bullets and holy water awaited them.”⁷

Forced baptizism

“the famous Sava Lazarevic, nicknamed: Batara, when he forcibly baptized Šiptar, called my brother, Asim, and told him that he wanted to baptize him and asked him to choose a godfather. And that same Batara knew that my Asim, until 1912, was the commander of the Turkish garrison…”⁸

Savo Batarjas atrocities were so despicable and appalling that they became part of Albanian folklore songs.⁹

References

1. https://www.google.se/books/edition/Shqip%C3%ABria_dhe_Kosova/q1ctAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Savo+Batara&dq=Savo+Batara&printsec=frontcover ↩︎
2. https://books.google.se/books?id=q1ctAQAAIAAJ&q=Sava+Batara&dq=Sava+Batara&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=1&printsec=frontcover&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiF5uzmzdaLAxW6FxAIHfQBC1IQ6AF6BAgKEAM ↩︎
3. https://www.mesazhi.com/masakrat-dhe-mizorite-serbe-malazeze-ndaj-shqiptareve-1912-1941-sipas-burimeve-shqiptare/ ↩︎
4. https://koha.mk/tr/kur-shqiptaret-vriteshin-si-minj-burimet-shqiptare-mbi-krimet-dhe-mizorite-serbe-ndaj-shqiptareve-1912-1915/ ↩︎
5. https://www.google.se/books/edition/Iseljavanje_Bo%C5%A1njaka_u_Tursku/YGEtAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Sav+Batarja&dq=Sav+Batarja&printsec=frontcover ↩︎
6. https://www.google.se/books/edition/Srbi_i_Albanci_kroz_vekove/UagtAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Savo+Lazarevic&dq=Savo+Lazarevic&printsec=frontcover ↩︎
7. https://www.google.se/books/edition/Lugu_i_Baranit/8xYUAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Sav+Batarja&dq=Sav+Batarja&printsec=frontcover ↩︎
8. https://www.google.se/books/edition/Vekovi_%C5%BEivota/HggMAAAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE+%D0%9B%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%9B+%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0&dq=%D0%A1%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BE+%D0%9B%D0%B0%D0%B7%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B2%D0%B8%D1%9B+%D0%91%D0%B0%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%B0&printsec=frontcover ↩︎
9. https://www.ceeol.com/search/article-detail?id=275234 ↩︎