THE ICRC PUBLISHES THE SECOND EDITION OF THE "BOOK OF MISSING"
KOMITETI NDËRKOMBËTAR I KRYQIT TË KUQ (KNKK) LËSHON BOTIMIN E DYTË TË "LIBRIT TË ZHDUKURVE"
Persons unaccounted for in connection with the Kosovo crisis
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THE ICRC PUBLISHES THE SECOND EDITION OF THE "BOOK OF MISSING"As part of the ongoing process to establish the fate of people who went missing during the events in Kosovo, the International Committee of the Red Cross launched today (Tuesday 10.04.2001) the second edition of the Book of Missing with the updated list of names it has received from the families from all communities, until 31.03.2001.
The 200-page document, lists 3'525 names both in chronological order of disappearance and alphabetically. It covers the period between January 1998 and March 2001.
The book will be widely available in Kosovo, Serbia proper, in the region and abroad. It may also be consulted on the ICRC website : www.familylinks.icrc.org.
The purpose of the Book is to continue to gather information about missing persons, from members of the public, the authorities as well as those who took part in hostilities. The identity of people who give information will not be revealed if they do not wish it.
It is also a reminder that thousands of families are still in anguish, waiting for news.
The ICRC has been collecting information on missing persons in Kosovo since 1998, and has been doing its utmost to clarify the fate of persons through active tracing on the field, visits to places of detention, submission of cases to the authorities, and providing support to the exhumation/identification process. The fate of hundreds of persons have been clarified through this work. However, 2 years after the end of the conflict the fate of more than 3500 persons is still not solved.
"As time goes by the anguish of the families only deepens. They are unable to plan their lives as long as they do not know if their relatives are dead or alive", says Elizabeth TWINCH, Head of ICRC Mission in Kosovo, "This tragedy that affects thousands of families in Kosovo is a lasting consequence of the conflict which must not be forgotten."
Whether in Belgrade or in Kosovo, the authorities of FRY, UNMIK and the Kosovo Albanian leaders, have the duty under international law and an urgent humanitarian obligation to ensure that all information they possess is made available for the families, and that all means are used to find answers.
The ICRC appeals to the authorities responsible and everyone who might have information on anyone missing, to come forward to make sure it is not lost and the plight of families can be addressed.
"The missing issue must be tackled now, explains Elizabeth TWINCH, It is still possible to find answers, but as months go by, it will become more difficult."Pristina 10.04.2001
Further info contact Caroline Douilliez, Vjosa Osmani, ICRC Mission, 044 115 036, 038 501 517 - 501 518 - 501 519
KOMITETI NDËRKOMBËTAR I KRYQIT TË KUQ (KNKK) LËSHON BOTIMIN E DYTË TË "LIBRIT TË ZHDUKURVE"
Si pjesë e procesit të vazhdueshëm për të zbuluar fatin e njerëzve që u zhdukën gjatë ngjarjeve në Kosovë, Komiteti Ndërkombëtar i Kryqit të Kuq sot (e martë 10.04.01) lëshon botimin e dytë të Librit të Zhdukurve me listën e emrave që i ka pranuar nga familjet e të gjitha bashkësive, deri më 31.03.01.
Dokumenti me 200 faqe është listë me 3'525 emra me renditje kronologjike të zhdukjes dhe me renditje alfabetike. Libri përfshin periudhën në mes të janarit 1998 dhe marsit 2001.
Libri do të jetë në dispozicion në Kosovë, Serbi, në rajon dhe më gjerë. Gjithashtu mund të konsultohet në websaitin e KNKK: www.familylinks.icrc.org.
Qëllimi i këtij Libri është që të vazhdohet me mbledhjen e informatave për persona të zhdukur, nga popullata, autoritetet si dhe atyre të cilët morrën pjesë në luftime.
Është gjithashtu përkujtues që mijëra familje ende janë në ankth, duke pritur lajme.
KNKK mbledh informata për persona të zhdukur në Kosovë që nga viti 1998, dhe është duke bërë çmos për të sqaruar fatin e personave përmes kërkimit aktiv në terren, vizitave në burgje, parashtrimin e rasteve tek autoritetet, dhe duke siguruar përkrahje në procesin e zhvarrimit/identifikimit. Fati i qindra personave është sqaruar përmes kësaj pune. Sidoqoftë, dy vit pas përfundimit të konfliktit fati i më shumë se 3,500 personave ende nuk është sqaruar.
" Me kalimin e kohës ankthi i familjeve vetëm thellohet. Ata nuk mund të planifikojnë jetën e tyre deri sa ata nuk dinë nëse të afërmit e tyre janë të vdekur apo gjallë", thotë Elizabeth Tvinq, shefja e Misionit në Kosovë. "Kjo tragjedi që prek mijëra familje në Kosovë është pasojë e gjatë e konfliktit që nuk duhet të harrohet."
Si në Beograd ose në Kosovë, autoritetet e RFJ, UNMIK-ut dhe liderët shqiptar të Kosovës, kanë për detyrë me ligjin ndërkombëtar dhe obligim urgjent humanitar të sigurojnë që të gjitha informatat që i kanë të jenë të përdorshme për familje, dhe që të gjitha mjetet të shfrytëzohen për të siguruar përgjigjje.
KNKK apelon te autoritetet përgjegjëse dhe te secili që mund të ketë përgjigjje për cilindo të zhdukur, të na ofrohet për t'u siguruar që informata të mos humbet dhe gjendja e rëndë e familjeve të lehtësohet. "Cështja e të zhdukurve duhet të trajtohet tani, thotë Elizabeth TVINQ. Ende është e mundur të gjinden përgjigjjet, por me kalimin e muajve, do të bëhet më vështirë."Prishtinë 10.04.2001
Informata të mëtejme kontaktoni Caroline Douilliez, Vjosa Osmani, Misioni i KNKK, 044 115 036, 038 501 517/518/519
10 April 2001Persons unaccounted for in connection with the Kosovo crisis
The fighting may have stopped in Kosovo, but thousands of people cannot find real peace whilst the fate of their family members remains unknown. For the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), tackling the humanitarian issue of missing persons is one of its most important operational priorities in Kosovo and elsewhere in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) today.
Regrettably, neither the plight of detainees nor of missing persons was specifically addressed in the agreement signed in Kumanovo between NATO and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or the subsequent UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of June 1999. Nevertheless, the ICRC, on the basis of its internationally-recognised mandate, assumed a lead role on the issue of missing persons.
At the time of writing, more than 5380 names of missing persons had been collected directly from families; over 1780 of whose fate the ICRC has been able to clarify, mainly through its detention visits (see table below for detailed breakdown). The remaining 3525 still reported as missing are Kosovo Albanians, Serbs, Romas, Bosniaks, Montenegrians, Egyptians and others.
As time goes by the anguish of the families only deepens. They are unable to plan their lives as long as they do not know if their relatives are dead or alive. This tragedy that affects thousands of families is a lasting consequence of the conflict which must not be forgotten.
The ICRC's commitment is aimed exclusively at trying to help families in their quest to know the truth. It is and will remain active in using all the means available to provide answers; through dialogue with the concerned authorities, whether in Belgrade or in Pristina, the FRY authorities, UNMIK, the Kosovo Albanian leaders, through following up credible and reliable information on-the-ground and cooperating with other organisations active on the issue.
The ICRC officially submitted to the authorities in Belgrade and Pristina the names of all the missing people it had so far gathered with the urgent request that they provide any information they may have which would shed light on the fate of individuals as quickly as possible for the sake of the families. Unfortunately, up to date, no information has been obtained through these submissions.
These steps were part of an ongoing operational process which began in January 1998. Together with the the National Societies of the Red Cross and Red Crescent, the ICRC brought thousands of people who had temporarily lost contact with their relatives back in touch and was able to begin to establish how many people remained unaccounted for.
Measures taken by the ICRC
Visits to detainees :
The ICRC is regularly visiting the persons detained in relation with the events. It concerns persons held in prisons in Serbia and Montenegro as well as detained under the responsibility of the UNMIK in Kosovo itself. All these persons have been allowed to have contact with their families, notably through the Red Cross and Red Crescent Network.
Approaches to the authorities concerned :
All cases of disapearance reported by the families have been submitted to the concerned Authorities in Belgrade and in Pristina, including to the Albanian Leaders. Regrettably, no information has been obtained so far through this process.
Tracing in the field :
-240Extensive efforts have been made by ICRC field teams in towns and villages throughout Kosovo to urge the population to come forward with information. A system of "tracing by event" was introduced, in which details were gathered of people who disappeared or were allegedly detained/abducted at the same time.
-240Based on the ICRC's experience in Bosnia & Herzegovina, this could help provide additional information leading to the clarification of cases. Families were also invited to notify their missing relatives to the ICRC or the Yugoslav Red Cross in FRY. Various National Societies are also playing a key role by actively following various information concerning the possible whereabout of missing persons in their respective country.Co-ordination with other agencies :
On the basis of its independence and impartiality, as well as its long experience and expertise, the ICRC's specific role is acknowledged by the authorities in Belgrade as in Pristina, where the ICRC is recognised by the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General as the lead agency on the issue. It has established a co-ordination group with other organisations to share information.
Data collecting and the Book of Missing :
The ICRC started registering the persons who had been reported missing in 1998 and has been continuously updating its lists until now. In order to widen the search and provide a tool for all the organisations involved in establishing the fate of the Missing in Kosovo, the ICRC published in June 2000 then in March 2001 the Book of Missing Persons on the basis of the information transmitted by the families.
It contains the list of all the persons reported to have gone missing from January 1998 until the date of the publication :
Widely distributed in Kosovo and elsewhere in FRY as well as in countries around the world through the National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, to all relevant authorities and promoted among local communities, the Book of Missing Persons is a tool to obtain more information and updated versions will regularly be reedited.
The publication is also accessible on the ICRC public server at the following address :
www.familylinks.icrc.org
An ongoing process
Support for families :
The ICRC will continue its support to the existing Family Associations, in particular through psycho-social support and by referrals to legal or other practical advice, as well as fostering the creation of new Associations.
Contacts with the authorities :
Having submitted to the authorities the information it has gathered so far, the ICRC will continue to maintain dialogue with them on the issue and urge them to take all steps to establish the fate of persons who disappeared in areas under their authority. The ICRC considers that it is the responsibility of the concerned authorities to spare no effort in seeking to provide answers.
Continued field work :
Aware that other families might not yet have come forward with information on their missing relatives, the ICRC will continue to register new information and will follow up on allegations of arrest or abduction.
Visits to detainees :
Visits to detainees in FRY in connection with the conflict will continue for as long as prisoners are held. Similarly, ICRC will continue to provide transport back to families for those who are released (the great majority of the around 1600 detainees released have been escorted home in this way). In Kosovo ICRC has access to persons detained by KFOR and the UNMIK police. In all cases the purpose of the visits is the same: to try to ensure that the prisoners have decent material and psychological conditions of detention, that they are treated humanely, and to enable them to keep in contact with their families through Red Cross messages. Over the past year, the ICRC has organised family visits in places of detention in Serbia proper and in Kosovo for the families of the persons detained.
Support to the exhumation and identification process.
The ICRC strongly encourages the continuation of the exhumation and identification process which has to be further developped.
In 2000, the ICRC has facilitated the contact between the OSCE in charge of the identification process and the families so that these can assist to photo displays of personal belongings found on bodies exhumed by the ICTY.
In February 2001, the OSCE published the Book of Belongings containing 750 photographs of clothing and personal effects found with about 200 bodies recovered during 2000.
Due to its extended presence in the field and ongoing contacts with the families of the Missing, the ICRC was asked to make the Book available for consultation by the families in all its field offices in Kosovo, Serbia, Montenegro, Skopje and Tirana ; and to take it to isolated communities thanks to its mobile teams.
The scale of the problem
So far the ICRC has gathered and recorded the following information on missing persons :
Persons still reported as unaccounted for during the Kosovo crisis : 3525
Between 01.01.98 to 05.03.2001 :
Total number of requests made by families : 5313
Total number of persons whose fate has been clarified: 1788- confirmed dead and buried by the family 490
- confirmed alive (family informed) 288
- visited in prison (family informed) 942
- case closed (not related to the conflict) 68
In the second edition of the Book of missing :
Total number of identities : 3525
Persons who went missing before 12.06.1999 : 2987
Persons who went missing after 12.06.1999 : 538Number of cases reported after the first edition (published in May 2000) :
646 among them :
- 18 cases of disappearance occured after May 2000
- 628 cases of disappearance occurred before May 2000Number of cases closed since the first edition (not in second edition) : 484
- 294 were found dead and buried by their families
- 156 persons were located alive
- 34 cases were closed because they were not related to the conflictVisits to people currently detained in relation to the Kosovo crisis:
up to 08.04.2001- Kovovo
Persons visited in KFOR/UNMIK places of detention: 102- FRY
Persons visited in places of detention in FRY (Serbia and Montenegro): 422Persons released by the authorities since June 1999 : 1608
among them 1457 were transported by the ICRC back to Kosovo.The ICRC in the Balkans
http://www.icrc.org/icrceng.nsf/7c55953d3e871161412563cb004dc3f8/b70ae9c2a7548d274125675a005280d8?OpenDocumentWar and family links
http://www.icrc.org/eng/family_linksLast update : 10/04/2001
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