Fred Abrahams
     Human Rights Watch/Helsinki
     November 6, 1997

   Distinguished Congressmen, thank you for organizing a hearing on the important issue
of Kosovo.  And, as always, thank you for including Human Rights Watch in your
discussions.
   Regrettably, I am not able to say anything about the human rights situation in Kosovo
that is new to you or anybody else in this room.  Since the revocation of Kosovo's
autonomy, the human rights abuses against ethnic Albanians by the Serbian and
Yugoslav governments has been constant.  The names of the victims change, but the
frequency and manner of the beatings, harassment and political trials remain the same.
It is a status-quo of repression.
   Some had hope when President Milosevic signed an agreement to allow Albanian
instruction in the state schools last year.  But we all know that, like many times before,
Milosevic has broken his word.  Ethnic Albanian pupils and student are still discriminated
against simply because they wish to learn in their mother tongue.
   Last week seventeen ethnic Albanians went on trial in Prishtina, accused of
committing terrorist acts.  We know such trials from the past.  While the Yugoslav state
has a right to prosecute those suspected of engaging in terrorism, it is also obliged to
conduct a fair trial in which the accused may defend themselves before an objective
tribunal.  Like the numerous show trials in the past, there is ample evidence to prove that
the new round of defendants were subjected to physical abuse and torture while in
detention.  Some submitted confessions under such duress.
   Meanwhile, the brutality of the police continues against the population.  Random
harassment and beatings is a daily reality for ethnic Albanians in Kosovo, especially
those in the villages and smaller towns.  No policemen are ever held accountable for
their actions, even when their brutality results in the death of an innocent person.  On the
contrary, the authorities encourage such criminal acts by those who are hired to defend
the law.
   Knowing these facts -- what it is like to be an ethnic Albanian in Kosovo -- we can
understand why the political landscape has begun to change.  In short, Albanians are
fed up with the ongoing abuse.  And they are frustrated that their elected political leaders
and the international community has not done anything to alleviate their suffering.
   As a result, two new political movements have emerged in recent times.  One is the
pupils and students of Kosovo, who have begun a series of peaceful demonstrations in
defense of Albanian-language education.  The other is the infamous Kosova Liberation
Army, which has taken credit for a number of attacks over the past year against Serb
officials and ethnic Albanian "collaborators."  The two movements are complete
opposites in their methods -- one peaceful, the other violent -- but they are linked by a
common frustration with the status-quo of repression.
   Here human rights and politics meet face to face.  The longer the human rights abuses
in Kosovo continue, the more Albanians' frustration with grow.  As frustration rises, so
does the likelihood of violence, which everyone agrees would be catastrophic for the
region.  Already, moderate politicians are having difficulty in defending the benefits of a
peaceful approach.  Even the students have indicated that their methods are peaceful,
but only for the time being.
   Now is the time for a concerted effort by the international community, led by the United
States, to improve the human rights conditions in Kosovo, as well as the other parts of
Yugoslavia under Milosevic's abuse rule.  The outer wall of sanctions is apparently not
enough.  Targeted sanctions against the ruling Serbian elite would put the squeeze on
those who can enact change.  Coordinated action with our European allies -- who,
unfortunately, have been much more willing to bring Yugoslavia back into the
international community -- is needed to force an end to the abusive behavior of this
chauvinistic regime.  In the meantime, the peaceful student demonstrators of Kosovo
should be given our full support.
   A continuation of the human rights abuses in Kosovo is not only a tragedy for those
who are victims.  It is also a death blow to those people in Kosovo, Serbia, the United
States and elsewhere who are trying to solve this conflict in a moderate and peaceful
manner.  Thank you.