REPORT ON THE VIOLATION
         OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND
         FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS
           IN KOSOVA
           DURING NOVEMBER 1998
           
 

            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.com

REPORT ON THE VIOLATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS IN KOSOVA DURING NOVEMBER 1998

In the course of November 1998, another 43 fatalities were added to the list of the killed and mutilated by the Serbian police and military forces. Herewith below are only few of the gravest cases:
On November 10, police went into the villages of the Llapushniku Gorge. In Negroc, they killed Abedin Bujupi from the village of Arllat near Gllogoc. The policemen took the corpse of the deceased. Many villagers were physically ill-treated. Many houses were raided including the house of Jakup Krasniqi, The KLA spokesman. Jakup's father was threatened to be executed.
On November 12, Serb forces launched an deliberate attack against the villages of Kijeva, Mleçan and Llazica. Xhafer Sefë Gashi (50), a disabled, was killed in his house yard in Mleçan. Tens of Albanians, who had returned to their houses, were subject of ill-treatment.
On November 12, the corpse of Driton Nasuf Hysenaj (14) was found in Likoc. Driton was among the 22 Albanians from the Hysenaj quarter in Abria e Epërme who were arrested on September 22 and taken to Likoc. According to eye-witnesses, on September 27, a Serb soldier cut his throat with a knife.
On November 11, it was confirmed that 3 out of the 10 Albanians from the village of Rudica near Klina, who were kidnapped on July 7 by Serb paramilitaries in Dobërdol near Peja, were executed. The killed are: Niman Shaban Bajraktaraj (1947), Bashkim Xhafer Mehmetaj (1976) and Haki Abaz Ahmetxhekaj (1975). The others, who are still in detention, and faced charges for "hostile activity" and "terrorism", were sentenced by the Serbian run District Court in Peja to prison terms ranging between 2 and 4 and a half years of imprisonment each.
On November 25, it was confirmed that Emine Zeneli (9) was killed on August 13, due to the Serb shelling of the village of Mirena near Lipjan.
Day after day, the field associates of the CDHRF in cooperation with the local population are finding the corpses of those who were killed during the offensives of the Serb forces since the beginning of March. Many Albanians were reported missing and there whereabouts are still pending. As people started returning to their houses, some of those whose names have figured in the list of the missing were found killed and mutilated. Many are assumed to be in the Serb prisons. CDHRF has got the available list with the names of 781 Albanians who were reported missing or kidnapped.
Despite of the reached Agreement for the unconditional withdrawal of the Serbian forces from Kosova, on contrary, these forces were reinforced with fresh units and heavy weaponry. Serbian police and military forces are once again returning to the places of crimes, in which they killed, mutilated and executed many Albanians, shelled, looted and burned many houses. Fresh police and military forces, equipped with heavy weaponry, are brought from Serbia and are stationed on the strategic points all over Kosova. The heavy weaponry is camouflaged. Serb forces open fire in order to provoke the locals and to cause insecurity among them. Check-points were set-up in several locations. Many Albanians are arrested and physically ill-treated.
 
The number of those that remained in the open under the plastic sheet shelters was not very low. The attempts of some of the displaced people to return to their ruins were impeded by the police. On November 4, 27 Albanian families, who had returned to their homes in Gremnik, were forced to flee again due to the fact that 100 policemen entered the village, opened fire and threatened the locals with execution. People keep reporting time and again on their cases of threats, beatings, arrests and ill-treatments to the CDHRF office. Serbian policemen stop the passers-by, buses and other vehicles travelling to different directions and ill-treat Albanians without any given pretext. The Albanian youngsters are on the target of the Serbian police and are subjected to torture under the pretext of being a KLA member or helping it.
The situation of those who have returned to their burned, looted and destroyed houses continues to be very grave. More than 80% of the houses in the regions affected with war were completely destroyed and are not suitable for living in them. The returnees face great difficulties due to the lack of food and medicine. In the majority of the villages, the returnees make efforts to rebuild a room to shelter. There are cases when over 20 members live in a 16 square meters' room.
Many new-born-babies have died due to the cold, lack of food and medicine as well as due to the lack of basic necessities.
On November 19, Diturie Y. Deliu, a 3-month-old baby from Abria e Epërme near Gllogoc, died due to insufficient care. She was the only member of the Deliu family to survive the massacre in which 21 members of her family (including her mother) were killed.
On November 5, Egzon Xhema, a 3-month-old baby from Açareva near Skënderaj died in the Prishtina Hospital as an aftermath of living in the open.
During the very same period, the Serbian Run Courts in Peja, Prizren, Prishtina convicted 50 Albanians for "hostile activity" and "terrorism". Among them are even the activists with the Sub-CDHRF in Prizren, Enver Berisha (2,6 years of imprisonment) and Ferit Tafallari (2 years of imprisonment).
More than 70 Albanian workers of the "Saloniti" Plant in Hani i Elezit, who were dismissed from work on November 12, went to talk with the compulsive authorities on the reasons for their dismissal. Police ordered them to leave the Plant within 5 minutes or they will face the consequences.
 
It speaks for itself the violence during the month of November 1998:

     23 Albanians were killed and mutilated;
     corpses of 20 Albanians killed and mutilated before were found;
     11 Albanians were wounded;
     6 cases of murder attempt;
     821 people were subjected to ill-treatment, among whom 27 female, 21 children, 23 elderly;
     76 people were taken hostage, kidnapped or reported missing;
     134 people were arrested;
     148 people were subjected to physical ill-treatment;
     38 Albanian families were raided;
     26 people were summoned for "informative talks" and were beaten;
     20 people suffered heavy injuries;
     30 Albanians are under investigation proceedings or will face charges for "terrorism";
     50 Albanians were convicted for criminal acts;
     75 Albanian employees were dismissed from their jobs;
     3 Albanian families were evicted from their flats.

Prishtina, December 4, 1998 Information Service