Monatsbericht
Januar 1999 der
Menschenrechtsorganisation
KMDLNJ
/ CDHRF Prishtina
REPORT ON THE VIOLATION
OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND
FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS
IN KOSOVA
DURING JANUARY 1999
KËSHILLI PËR MBROJTJEN E TË DREJTAVE DHE TË LIRIVE TË NJERIUT
COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS
Rr. Vellusha 46, 38000 Prishtinë - Kosovë; tel&fax: 381 (0) 38 36 965 & 530 409
http//:www.albanian.com/kmdlnj e-mail: kmdlnj@albanian.comREPORT ON THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS IN KOSOVA DURING JANUARY 1999
If the morning revails the day, then January speaks for itself, as regard the human rights abuses in Kosova. The serial of massacres, extrajudicially executions, killings, violent deaths, disappearances and kidnapping of the Albanians perpetrated by the Serbian police, military and paramilitary forces continued during the month of January 1999. A number of Serbian citizens were killed, too. Serbian forces arrested many Albanians, whereas Serbian Run District Courts convicted tens of Albanians to long prison terms charges for alleged terrorism. Many houses were raided and looted, many villages were shelled, many citizens were subjected to severe ill-treatment.
Bomb explosions in the urban areas caused by unknown persons in different shops and other public places all over Kosova make the situation graver and more dangerous. Killings under unknown circumstances have become a daily phenomenon. There were three cases of extrajudicially executions of a large number of the Albanians perpetrated by the Serbian punitive units.
The massacre of Reçak, one of the gravest massacres in Kosova since the beginning of the war, was perpetrated on 15 January. Military, police and paramilitary units, as well as armed Serbian civilians undertook an attack on the village of Reçak from three directions. Later on, Serbian infantry forces entered the village and killed and massacred Albanian civilians, among whom women, children, elderly, who could not manage to break through the iron siege.
According to the witnesses that survived the massacre, the bare handed villagers were arrested by the police and taken to the direction of Shtime. Later on, they were massacred at the place called "Kodra e Bebushit". Among others, their limbs were cut, their eyes were torn off, their ears were cut, their inner organs were taken out, etc. The head of Banush Azemi (63) was cut off.
Two days later, Serbian forces took the corpses of the victims from the local mosque to the Prishtina Hospital for autopsy. The corpses are still in the hospital. The family members of the victims addressed the OSCE KVM several times in order to make it possible for them to take the corpses and hold the funeral. Serbian authorities did not allow this. Family members believe that some corpses are damaged very much, therefore Serbian authorities insist that the corpses should be buried one by one with no presence of the media. Some of the corpses were sent to Shtime, but family members refused to take them. So, they were sent back to Prishtina. Family members insisted on taking all corpses and bury them in a joint cemetery, but Serbian authorities are making it impossible.
On 24 January, at about 9.00 p.m., in the vicinity of Rakovina Bridge, district of Gjakova, Serbian police opened automatic gun fire and killed Shaban T. Kelmendi (45), his children Haxhi (11) and Besim (12) from Rakovina, Hysen and Sanije Kurti (30) from Cërmjan, who were travelling by tractor from Kramovik to Cërmjan.
The other massacre took place in the village of Rogova (Gjakova) on 29 January, when Serbian forces killed 26 Albanians, among whom 3 were wearing KLA uniforms. 8 persons were killed in a house yard, 8 persons were killed in a van, 4 persons were killed in a garage, 4 persons were killed at a place 800 m away. 1 corpse was found at about 9.00 p.m. Another corpse were identified at the funeral. According to the witnesses, at about 5.30 a.m., Serbian special police and military units sieged the village and attacked it. Then, they entered the village, raided and demolished the houses, whereas the population started to flee towards different directions.
CDHRF believes that these crimes present a gross violation of fundamental principals of the International and the Humanitarian Law.
During the very same period, Serbian military and police forces undertook a campaign on the Llapi region, from Lupç i Poshtëm to Peran. The villages of Podujeva were attacked with heavy artillery every day. In Lupç i Poshtëm, Serbian paramilitaries looted and demolished the Albanian houses. Serbian military, police and paramilitary forces were stationed in some Albanian houses in the villages of Teneshdoll, Lupç and Lluzhan.
As an aftermath of Serbian attacks on some villages in the Llapi region, over 45.000 persons fled their homes. Due to the difficult living conditions and lack of medical assistance, two persons died.
The situation in the affected regions is as bad as it can be. Therefore, the inhabitants of some villages in the district of Klina left their homes several times fearing an attack of these forces. Such a situation is prevailing in Drenica, Llapusha, Deçan, Reka e Keqe, Suhareka, Prizren, Rahovec, Ferizaj, Shtime, etc. Serbian forces are incessantly opening fire towards the Albanian villages, endangering the inhabitants that had returned to their homes. For several months now, the inhabitants of the villages of Shipitulla and Graboc in the District of Obiliq cannot return to their homes due to the presence of the Serbian forces.
During the month of January, large police, military and paramilitary forces arrived from Serbia in Kosova.
On 19 January, after an incident at the "Ura e Gjakut" quarter, Serbian forces started an attack on the quarters "Ura e Gjakut", "Bair", Shipol and the villages of Vaganica e Poshtme, Vaganica e Epërme. During this attack, two Albanians were killed, whereas hundreds of Albanians were arrested and ill-treated. Over 13.000 inhabitants of these parts of the town fled towards Mitrovica and the villages of Drenica region. Serbian forces looted and demolished the Albanian houses and left after 2-3 days. During the month of January, in the District of Mitrovica, 523 persons were ill-treated, 8 persons were killed, 416 houses were raided, 88 persons were arbitrarily detained, etc.
According to the available information, there are no information on the whereabouts of 78 kidnapped and missing persons.
The Serbian Run District Court in Prizren, Prishtina, Ferizaj, Peja, Mitrovica convicted 29 Albanians for "hostile activity".
During the month of January:
151 persons were killed:
100 Albanians were killed or mutilated by Serbian forces;
34 persons were killed under unknown circumstances, of whom 7 Serbs;
2 Albanians died due to police torture;
2 persons died due to the difficult living conditions;
4 Serbian policemen were killed;
9 killed persons were unidentified,
5 murder attempts;
32 persons were wounded by the Serbian forces;
1175 Albanians were subjected to ill-treatment;
78 persons were kidnapped, taken hostage or reported missing;
255 Albanians were arbitrarily arrested;
29 Albanians were convicted for penal acts;
181 Albanians were subjected to severe ill-treatment, majority of whom suffered heavy injuries;
600 Albanian families were raided under the pretext of searching for weapons or alleged Albanian "terrorists".Among those killed, wounded and ill-treated, there were 28 children, 28 women and 36 elderly.
Prishtina, 8 February 1999
Information Service
senden