APPEAL ADDRESSED TO INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS - CDHRF, Kosova Red Cross, Health Care Committee 31 July 1998 - Kosovo Situation: Civilian Massacre in Rahovec; A potential Kosovo Srebrenica in Junik - Prishtina, Vienna - 31. July 1998: The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights - Human Rights Lawyer Arrested and Severely Beaten in Kosovo - Human Rights Watch, received 31 July 1998

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APPEAL ADDRESSED TO INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS

CDHRF, Kosova Red Cross, Health Care Committee 31 July 1998

Kosovo Situation: Civilian Massacre in Rahovec;

A potential Kosovo Srebrenica in Junik

Prishtina, Vienna - 31. July 1998: The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights

Human Rights Lawyer Arrested and Severely Beaten in Kosovo

Human Rights Watch, received 31 July 1998

Link to Detailed map of Kosova 81 KB
Link to detailed new map of Kosova 197 KB

Betreff:         Appeal from CDHRF
Datum:         Fri, 31 Jul 1998 14:32:05 -0700
    Von:         "Ibrahim Sh. Makolli" <ibro@EUnet.yu>

APPEAL

ADDRESSED TO INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN AND HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS

Dear Sir/Madam,

Please note that a large number of citizens from Malisheva and its surroundings, Skënderaj, Klina, Deçan, Junik and Rahovec were forced to flee their homes and to seek shelter in safer regions, which were not affected by state organized violence and terror. Tens of thousands of citizens were left with no food and water, in the open. Due to famine and thirst, fatigue and exhaustion many lose their consciousness. They desperately need our aid. Many have fallen in the hands of the police, military and paramilitary forces and were subjected to severe violence, were killed and massacred. The unprotected civilians and the numerous victims call for defence from violence, terror, famine and disease.
We appeal hereby to international humanitarian and human rights organizations to help with food, medicine and shelter. We also appeal to the international community and to all relevant factors to protect the lives, human and national dignity of Albanians.

Prishtina, July 31, 1998

CDHRF - Dr. Pajazit Nushi
Kosova Red Cross - Dr. Jusuf Dedushaj
Health Care Committee - Dr. Teuta Hadri

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Betreff:     [ALBANEWS] A Kosovo Srebrenica in Junik? Civilian Massacre in Rahovec.
Datum:     Fri, 31 Jul 1998 15:06:10 +0300
    Von:     Greek Helsinki Monitor <helsinki@COMPULINK.GR>

Kosovo Situation: Civilian Massacre in Rahovec;

A potential Kosovo Srebrenica in Junik

Prishtina, Vienna - 31. July 1998: The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Kosova Helsinki Committee (KHC) are gravely concerned with reports of victims and other casualties of the Serbian offensive and reported massacres of the Albanian civilian population in the town of Rahovec (Orahovac), the still fully unreported casualties during the Serbian take-over of the neighboring town of Malisheva (Malishevo), and the likely massive casualties in the besieged village of Junik, known to be a KLA stronghold and currently believed to harbor about a thousand Albanian guerilla fighters. The IHF and KHC fear that the Junik case could degenerate into a Srebrenica-like situation, with massive killings of besieged Albanian civilians, and call upon the international community to prevent such a tragedy. These concerns are especially enhanced after the reported massacres of Albanians in Rahovec, in what seems to have been not only a Serbian take-over of the town, but a reprisal and punitive action against Albanian civilians.

In the Rahovec offensive, Serbian forces, according to all available reports, indiscriminately used disproportionate armor and firepower force on civilians and housing premises. A reprisal wave against the Albanian civilian population of Rahovec has clearly and rudely taken place, with the basic message that whereever KLA guerilla fighters achieve a foothold, Albanian civilians will die.

According to confirmed reports, the Serbian offensive of 19. - 21 July in Rahovec has resulted in the killing of at least 51 Albanians and the wounding of at least 103 others. Unconfirmed reports state that casualties may be triple this number, but verification is impossible as Serbian forces have sealed the area from journalists and humanitarian and relief missions. Confirmed reports also detail burials of unidentified victims of the Rahovec violence, labeled solely with numbers, in Prizren graveyards.

During the Serb offensive, the religious leader of Rahovec, Sheh Muhedin, was killed by sniper fire on the Mosque premises, after being forced to expel some 500 believers who had sought shelter and refuge in the Mosque. The bishop of the Serbian Orthodox Church Artemije has expressed his regrets for the killing that did not spare civilians and religious objects. Some of the most prominent and wealthy Albanians of Rahovec have also reportedly been killed. Sakib Shehu and two brothers of the Haxhijaha family have been killed and their gas station destroyed. Over a dozen of women were killed, including 22 year old Fatime Bugari who was 8-months pregenant, and 37 year old Hatixhe Hundozi, who was also pregnant. Other women among the casualties included: the wife of Hysen Bugari (58), Myzaqete Haxhiymeri (60), Bule Ibra (22), R. A. Ibra (56), Myzafere Imeri, Emine Krasniqi (21), Zyrafete Krasniqi (27), the wife of N. Mullaabazi, Sabrie Mullabazi (90), Hamide Popaj (70), Ryve Popaj (42), Zize Popaj (70), the daughter of Beqir Rexha (18), Drita Rexha (24), Emsale Shala (27), the wife of A. Spahiu, Dane Vuciterna (48), Hamide Zeqiraj (65) and three children. According to eyewitness accounts made available by the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms in Prishtina, during street fighting, Albanians were tied to electric poles as human shields for Serb forces. Two people were reportedly seen hanging from electric poles, several others massacred with their throats cut and eyes removed, while others were reported to have been run over by APCs and tanks.

For days, Albanian civilians have stayed in basements and cellars to avoid being killed by Serb shelling and street fighting. The KHC has interviewed several people who spent three days in a private basement along with over 200 others, primarily women and children. Over 260 Albanian males were arrested by Serb police and held in detention centers in the nearby town of Prizren.

It should be noted that KLA groups are reported to have taken and detained some 52 civilians as prisoners-of-war or hostages, including medical personnel from a Rahovec ambulance, and some monks of the nearby Zoqishte monastery. Two days later, 35 Serbian detainees were turned over to the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The IHF and the KHC appeal to both sides of the conflict to abide by international humanitarian law in order to spare the civilian population. The IHF and the KHC fear that otherwise the vicious circle of uncontrolled violence against civilians will be fueled further. According to the UNHCR Belgrade office, there are currently over 400 Albanian hostages detained by Serb authorities and 122 Serbian hostages detained by the KLA.

The IHF and the KHC also express grave concern over the massive wave of refugees from Rahovec, in which an estimated 20.000 people originally fled, to the already overcrowded commune of Malisheva, where humanitarian circumstances are already extremely difficult. Many who fled earlier fighting in the Drenica region have already sought refuge in Malisheva, tripling the normal population even before the hostilities of 29 July. Electricity and the water supplies have been cut for over 40 days, there are no telephone connections, and humanitarian relief organizations are barely allowed to enter the town to deliver basic relief. The IHF and the KHC urge the Serbian authorities to open of a humanitarian relief corridor to Malisheva and the surrounding area, where Albanian civilians fled and remain in hiding, and allow the delivery of necessary humanitarian aid. In addition the IHF and KHC call for Serbian authorities to make possible the return of all refugees to their homes, under the guidance of the UNHCR or other international monitoring and supervision to overcome the fear of the Albanian civilian population of additional retributions upon their return.

The IHF and KHC urge the Serbian authorities to immediately halt on-going offensives in Kosovo, and Junik specifically, where the seige by Serbian forces threatens a Kosovo Srebrenica. An immediate cease-fire must be implemented.

The IHF and the KHC deplore the lack of clear international condemnation of the Serbian violations of humanitarian law in Rahovec and other operations in Kosova.

The IHF and the KHC express their disappointment vis á vis the lack of unity of Albanian political forces, who so far have failed to speak with one voice, forming a credible and uncontested representation for the resumption of negotiations with Belgrade. Albanian disunity postpones the resumption of negotiations, and consequently causes additional and unnecessary civilian casualties and suffering. Albanian disunity has thus become a serious obstacle to the urgently needed and necessary resumption of Yugoslav-Albanian negotiations that should bring about a peaceful and negotiated settlement to the crisis. The IHF and the KHC are of the opinion that such a settlement of the Kosova issue could be reached only in a Dayton-like conference, which is currently being recommended and called for by some Contact Group countries.

The IHF and KHC fear that otherwise the Kosovar crisis will deteriorate further, to possible full and open war that might engulf Kosovar urban centers, including Prishtina. The already emptied towns of Glogovac, Deqan, Skenderaj, Rahovec, and Malisheva, whose Albanian population has fled, clearly constitute a Bosnian-pattern of ethnic cleansing likely to spread further and lead to dark scenarios of the partitioning of Kosova.

_______________________________________

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) is a non-governmental organization which monitors compliance with the human rights provisions of the Helsinki Final Act and its follow-up documents. In addition to supporting and providing liaison among 34 Helsinki committees, the IHF has direct links with human rights activists where no Helsinki committee exists. It criticizes human rights abuses regardless of the political system of the state where these abuses occur.

_______________________________________

Greek Helsinki Monitor & Minority Rights Group - Greece
P.O. Box 51393     GR-14510 Kifisia     Greece
Tel. +30-1-620.01.20     Fax +30-1-807.57.67
e-mail: office@greekhelsinki.gr    http://www.greekhelsinki.gr

_______________________________________________________________________
Betreff:         [ALBANEWS] HRW: lawyer beaten in Kosovo
Datum:         Fri, 31 Jul 1998 14:04:07 -0500
    Von:         abrahaf@HRW.ORG

Human Rights Watch 350 Fifth Ave. 34th floor NY, NY. 10118-3299

Telephone: 212-216-1270 Facsimile: 212-736-1300 E-mail: hrwnyc@hrw.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For further information, contact:
Fred Abrahams (212) 216-1270

Human Rights Lawyer Arrested and Severely Beaten in Kosovo

(New York) - The Serbian government's attack on human rights in Kosovo extended to human rights defenders this week, as a local human rights lawyer was arrested and then severely beaten by the police, Human Rights Watch said today. Another ethnic Albanian human rights activist entered her sixth week in prison.
        Destan Rukiqi, who has defended dozens of ethnic Albanian political prisoners in Kosovo in recent years, was taken from the Lipjan prison to the Prishtina hospital yesterday with serious injuries to his kidneys. His wife, who visited but was not allowed to speak with her husband, said today that he is in serious condition and on dialysis.
        "Mr. Rukiqi's beating is a direct message to the human rights community in Kosovo," said Holly Cartner, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia Division. "It is intended to intimidate and silence those who are reporting on the government's atrocities."
        Mr. Rukiqi was involved in a number of human rights related cases, and had provided information on war crimes committed by Serbian special police forces in Kosovo to the International War Crimes Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia in The Hague.
        Rukiqi was arrested on July 23 and sentenced that same day in expedited procedure to the maximum sixty days in prison for disturbing public order (under Article 6, paragraph 3 of the Serbian Law on Public Order). The arrest was related to an incident that morning, when Rukiqi had raised his voice at a district judge in Prishtina, Ms. Danica Marinkovic, after she had refused to let him view a case file of his client. The government tightly controls the judiciary and the police throughout Yugoslavia, especially in Kosovo. Judge Marinkovic has presided over a number of political trials against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in which the defendants were tortured.
        Another local human rights activist, Ms. Zahrida Podrimcaku, was arrested in Prishtina on June 9, 1998. Ms. Podrimcaku had been investigating what happened on May 31 in the village of Poklek, when police detained ten ethnic Albanian men during an attack on the village. The body of one of the men, Ardian Deliu, was found the next day, while the other nine men remain missing and are presumed dead. Podrimcaku was charged with supporting terrorists and is awaiting trial.
        According to local human rights groups, at least three hundred ethnic Albanians have been arrested and charged with committing terrorist acts, usually under Articles 125, 136 or 139 of the Yugoslav Penal Code.
        "Testimony from Albanians who were arrested and then released, and now the beating of Mr. Rukiqi, tell us that these people are being subjected to torture," Ms. Cartner said.

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