(1904-02-21)21 February 1904 Mitrovica, Kosovo Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died
25 May 1978(1978-05-25) (aged 74) San Francisco, California
Nationality
Albanian
Political party
Balli Kombëtar
Occupation
Merchant Entrepreneur Politician
Signature
Military service
Allegiance
Albanian Kingdom (1943–44) Central Intelligence Agency
Xhafer Deva (21 February 1904 – 25 May 1978) was a fascist Kosovo Albanian politician during World War II. A notable local politician in Kosovo and in Axis-occupied Albania, he took charge of German-occupied Mitrovica and worked with the Germans to establish a pro-German Albanian government in Kosovo. Following the capitulation of Italy from the war, he helped form a provisional government under German occupation and set up the Second League of Prizren alongside other Albanian nationalists.
In November 1943, he was appointed Minister of the Interior and was effectively given direct command of the forces of the newly formed Albanian government. On 4 February 1944, police units subordinate to him massacred 86 residents of Tirana suspected of being anti-fascists. Deva was later involved in recruiting Kosovo Albanians to join the 21st Waffen Mountain Division of the SS Skanderbeg (1st Albanian). He lost his position as Minister of the Interior with the dissolution of the Albanian government on 16 June, and subsequently became leader of the Second League of Prizren and led anti-Partisan operations around Prizren in September. Soon after, he fled to Croatia and then to Austria with the help of the Germans, where he joined other anti-Communist Albanians.
After the war, he moved via Italy to Damascus, where he helped publish an exile newspaper entitled Bashkimi i Kombit (Albanian: Unity of the Nation). In 1956, he immigrated to the United States and briefly lived in New York and Boston before moving to Calaveras County, California in 1960. He worked as an assistant supervisor at the mailing department of Stanford University in Palo Alto until his retirement in 1972. During this time, he led the Third League of Prizren and played an active role in organizing anti-Communist resistance until his death on 25 May 1978. Files released after his death showed that he had been recruited by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) while living in the United States.
XhaferDeva (21 February 1904 – 25 May 1978) was a fascist Kosovo Albanian politician during World War II. A notable local politician in Kosovo and in...
Xhafer is an Albanian masculine given name that may refer to Xhafer bej Ypi (1880–1940), Albanian politician XhaferDeva (1904–1978), Kosovo Albanian politician...
choreographer XhaferDeva (1904–1978), Albanian politician Deva (Hinduism), a divine being or god in Hinduism Deva (Buddhism), a higher being in Buddhism Deva (Jainism)...
up under Ibrahim Biçaku of Elbasan, Cafo Beg Ulqini Bedri Pejani and XhaferDeva of Kosovo. The national assembly, composed of 243 members, began to function...
established) Albanian language school in Prishtina. There he became close to XhaferDeva and Rexhep Mitrovica. Krasniqi became part of the leadership of the Second...
of local Albanians. Following the capitulation of Italy from the war, XhaferDeva helped form a provisional government under German occupation and set...
up under Cafo Beg Ulqini, Ibrahim Biçaku of Elbasan, Bedri Pejani and XhaferDeva of Kosovo. The national assembly, composed of 243 members, began to function...
architects and workers. It is a beautiful building. It was owned by XhaferDeva, the Albanian Minister of Internal Affairs in 1943 and 1944. The building...
propaganda. On 4 February 1944, the Gestapo, supported by the forces of XhaferDeva, executed 86 anti-fascists in Tirana. On 17 November 1944, the town was...
Global Information
Albanian
Albanian Kingdom (1943–44) 
Central Intelligence Agency