REPORT NO. 474
ON THE SITUATION OF
THE HUMAN RIGHTS
AND FREEDOMS IN KOSOVA
FROM DECEMBER 1
UNTIL DECEMBER 5, 1999
Report 474
on the situation of the human
rights and freedoms in Kosova
from December 1 until December
5, 1999
During the first five days of the month of December, 9 citizens were killed, of whom 5 were Serbs, 3 Albanians (one from mines), and one whose identity could not be confirmed; 3 Albanians were wounded (2 from mines); an Albanian lawyer was kidnapped (Teki Vokshi) and 5 cases of attempted kidnappings of Albanian girls were reported in Podujeva. The corpses of 25 KLA soldiers and of 6 Albanian civilians (who were killed by the Serbian forces) were re-buried. The corpses of 5 Albanian citizens were exhumed.
According to the UNMIK police, during the previous
week (November 29-December 5), 22 citizens were killed, of whom 10 were
Albanians, 6 Serbs, 1 Bosniac and 5 persons whose identity could not be
confirmed. 28 houses were burned. 79 cases of robbery and 69 arrests were
reported.
Killings
December 2 – According to the KFOR spokesperson the corpse of an unidentified male was found 8 km to the West of Prishtina.
December
3 – 2 Serbs were killed in the vicinity of Hoça e Madhe (a village
inhabited by Serbs near Rahovec).
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A Serb woman was killed in an explosion in Kamenica. The house was destroyed
in the explosion. Her husband and her son were wounded.
December
5 – at 10 a.m., the corpses of two Albanian youngsters (who were killed
by fire arms) were found in Prishtina. Later on, the two were identified
as Xhevat Jashari (1976) and Isuf Halimi (1980), from the village of Breca
near Podujeva, former soldiers of the “Shaban Shala” 152 Brigade of the
Llapi operational zone.
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The corpse of an unidentified Serb was found in the vicinity of the hotel
in the village of Zhegovc near Gjilan. Unidentified persons had kidnapped
the victim, two days before.
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A Serb (56) was found killed in front of his house in the vicinity of Ferizaj.
The victim was shot 4 times on his chest.
Mass graves, reburials-the identification of the killed
December 2 – The following 19 KLA soldiers (who were killed by Serb forces) were re-buried at the cemetery in the “Lagja e Muhaxherëve” quarter in Prishtina: brothers Albert (1983) and Agron Ismet Rama (1969) as well as Faruk Izet Rama (1976) – from the village of Shkabaj; Dalip Hajrullah Alshiqi (1950), Behxhet Musli Brajshori (1961) and Besim Ragip Berisha (1976) – from Sharban; Isuf Zeqir Ferizi (1951) and Sylejman Nazmi Jashari (1980) – from Prapashtica; Januz Zeneli (1955) – from Ballaban, Enver Shahin Berisha (1970) – from Siçeva, Florim Shaip Imeri (1976) – from Zllatar, Selim Bislimi (1976) – from Keqekolla, Sokol Mustafë Sopi (1977) – from Prishtina and Fadil Mehmet Balaj (1979) – from Rimanishta (Prishtina), Isa Sabit Kastrati (1947) – from Kamenica and Hajrullah Sylejman Abdullahu (1941) – from Krilevë (Kamenicë) as well as Ziaver Ali Vllasaliu (1972) – from Vllasalia (Novobërdë), Ferid Curri (1978) – from Mazgit (Obiliq) and Naser Zeqir Sekiraça (1978) – from Fushë-Kosova.
December
3 - 3 KLA soldiers were reburied in the village of Shipol near Mitrovica
- Bajram Xhafer Musa (1980) from Bajgora, Asllan Ramadan Cimili (1972)
from Melenica and Ahmet Ibish Haxha (1971) from Magjera.
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6 Albanians were reburied in the village of Mazhiq near Mitrovica: Shahin
Muharrem Ademi (1949) and his twin sons Fadil and Shkëlqim (1980)
from Rashan; brothers Veton (1977) and Elmaz Mustafë Peci (1964) from
Rahova and Xhevdet Mexhit Ahmeti (1982) from Mazhiq. Until a few days ago,
the above mentioned were considered missing.
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The following were reburied in the village of Stanoc near Vushtrria: Shemsi
Xhafer Istrefi - Shemi (1977) from Vushtrria, Rrustem Nezir Hyseni - Rrusta
(1972) from Gumnishta and Enver Istref Musa - Divi (1971) – soldiers of
the “Mehë Uka” 141 Brigade of the Shala operational zone. The above
mentioned were killed in Melenica, on April 27.
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The corpse of Xheladin Salih Idrizi (74) from Fushë-Kosova (who was
killed by Serb paramilitaries in his house in Fushë Kosova, on April
13) was exhumed from a grave in the village of Vragolia. It is believed
that there is another mass grave in the vicinity of the bridge over the
Sitnica river, between the villages of Vragolia and Kuzmin.
December 5 – On December 2, 4 corpses (3 males and a female) were exhumed from a mass grave in the vicinity of the village of Bresje near Fushë Kosova. The corpses were taken to the Forensic Institute of the Prishtina Hospital. The other corpses buried in this mass grave will be exhumed during the next 4 days.
Killings and woundings
DEÇAN: On December 2, at about 10 a.m., Isuf Smajl Lokaj (51) from the village of Lumbardh, stepped on a land mine and was killed.
GJAKOVA: On December 3, at about 9.30 a.m., 2 persons were heavily wounded when their tractor hit an unexploded bomb.
Woundings
GJAKOVA: On December 5, at about 5 p.m., Jeton Gola opened fire towards Vëllaznim Arif Podrima. The latter was heavily wounded and in a deteriorated health condition was taken to the Prishtina Hospital.
Disappearances and kidnappings
PRISHTINA: On December 3, at about 4.30 p.m., Teki Bokshi from Gjakova, a lawyer of the Humanitarian Law Fund, was kidnapped 20 km from Belgrade. Mr. Bokshi was returning from the prison in Sremska Mitrovica, where he had visited the Albanian prisoners from Kosova. Mustafë Radoniqi and Ibish Hoti, lawyers from Peja, were stopped for several hours and then allowed to continue their way to Kosova.
PODUJEVA: On December 3, in the vicinity of the Technical Secondary School in Podujeva, a group of men tried to kidnap 4 girls. The next day, on December 4, at about 9 p.m., in the vicinity of the Podujeva Hospital, unidentified persons, who came out of a car, tried to kidnap a girl.
Ill-treatments, attacks, provocations
PRIZREN: On December 1, in the evening hours, some 30 graves were damaged in the Catholic Cemetery in Prizren, including that of bishop Nikë Prela and Dom Nikollë Mini.
KAMENICA:
On December 2, Serb locals from the village of Graçanica near Prishtina
threw stones on the “Alp-Comerci” bus from the village of Hodonoc, traveling
between Prishtina and Gjilan. 2 Swedish soldiers, who happened to be in
the bus, caught two of the assaulters. At 2 p.m., the very same happened
to the “Kosovatransi” bus from Gjilan. At 4.30 p.m., the “Kosovatransi”
bus from Kamenica was attacked at the very same place. Its windows were
broken.
On
December 3, Serb locals from Graçanica (carrying axes, hammers and
metal bars) tried to stop an Albanian from Bujanoc, while driving through
the village. The car was badly damaged. At 12.40 p.m., some 200 Serbs threw
stones on the bus of the “Përparimi” Travel Agency (owned by Ramadan
Morina). The bus was badly damaged.
PRISHTINA: On December 2, at 7 p.m., fire was opened on the car driven by Musa Hoxha, a physician. Musa was attacked while driving through the village of Graçanica (inhabited by Serbs). Musa stated that he had reported the case to KFOR soldiers. Yet, no measures were undertaken.
MITROVICA: On December 3, at about 4.30 p.m., a car was stopped by a group of Serbs in the vicinity of the place called Polet. Two Albanian women, who were in the car, were threatened. The women were saved by a KFOR patrol and by the UNMIK police who escorted them home. Among the policemen, there was a Serb cadet of the Kosova Police Service. The policeman tried to help the attacked women but was beaten by a group of Serbs. The policeman was saved by an UNMIK police officer who fired his gun in the air. The very same day, three Serbs beat an Albanian. Another group of Serbs beat an Albanian woman.On December 5, at 2 p.m., a group of Serb hooligans aged between 13-14 physically ill treated Francika Palush Kelaj (38) and Monika Zef Gjoka (16), from the “Kodra e Minatorëve” quarter. The attack occurred in the vicinity of the Ibri bridge and in the presence of French soldiers. At the very same place, a group of Serb hooligans, led by paramilitaries Dushko Shilikoviq and Slavko Mandiq, severely ill treated and threatened Habib Imer Hetemi (70), Hajrullah Ajet Azemi (65) and Shaip Aziz Zhilivoda (58), from the “Ibri’ quarter. The incident happened at about 3.30 p.m. The very same day, a shop in the southern part of Mitrovica caught fire. Later on, the fire spread to two neighboring shops (owned by Albanians).
DEÇAN: According to KFOR sources, on December 3, at about 11.30 p.m., unidentified armed persons through a hand grenade on the offices of the LDK branch in Deçan. The offices were badly damaged. According to local LDK officials, first, automatic fire was opened and then two bombs were thrown. Inventory as well as computers was damaged.
LIPJAN: On December 4, at about 6 p.m., two local Serbs from Lipjan (man and wife) attacked Isuf Kelmendi, a teacher. The attack occurred between the old bus station building and the “Ulpiana” Secondary School in Lipjan. Isuf was saved by a group of pupils who caught the assaulters and handed them to the Finnish soldiers.
GJAKOVA: Between December 4-5, an explosive device was thrown at the shop owned by Agron Vula in the Mulla Jusufi quarter in Gjakova. Windows were broken and extensive material damage was caused. Family members were distressed.
MALISHEVA: Tahir Javori from the village of Llazica, stated to the sub-CDHRF in Malisheva, that Russian soldiers stationed at the check-point in the vicinity of his house, went into his house and damaged his property. The soldiers looted firewood and opened automatic fire causing panic among the children.
Prisoners
FERIZAJ: According to a lawyer from Mitrovica, who paid a visit to the Albanian prisoners in Kraleva (Serbia), Murat Idriz Zeqiri from Ferizaj, who was believed to be dead, is alive and in this prison.
KLINA: Xhevat Adem Desku (1970) from Klina was released from the prison in Sremska Mitrovica. On May 22, he had been heavily wounded during the massacre of the Serbian military and paramilitary forces over those imprisoned in the prison of Dubrava. Xhevat stated that the following were among those killed in the prison of Dubrava: Tefik Salihu (54) from Ferizaj, Arsim Krasniqi from Prishtina, Januz Krasniqi from Prizren, Sejdi Spahiu from the village of Kastriot near Skënderaj and Valentin Nikollë Bibaj from Gjakova; Bedri Kokola from the village of Prejlep near Deçan and Sali Kajtazi from Slivova near Gjilan, died due to being tortured in the prison in Lipjan. Xhevat stated that the following are still being kept in detention in Sremska Mitrovica: Sinan Tafilaj, Martin Zefi, Alban Shala and Ndue Malota.
PEJA: Metë Isuf Ademaj (53) from the village of Raushiq, who was arrested several months ago, was released from the prison in Pozharevac.
KFOR interventions
MALISHEVA:
Nasuf Rexhep Morina (1974) from the village of Krojmir near Lipjan, member
of the local police in Malisheva, was arrested by the UNMIK police. A youngster
had accused him of confiscating his firecrackers (with which he disrupted
public order).
Prishtina, December 5, 1999 Information Service