Kosovo: War, Mass Expulsion, Massacres

On Friday, 7 August 1998, the Society for Threatened Peoples (Gesellschaft fuer bedrohte Voelker, GfbV), the second largest human rights organisation in middle Europe, submitted their latest report about the violations of human rights committed by the Serbian troops in Kosovo.  The report summarises all so far known information about expulsion, massacres, mass executions, hostage taking and "disappearances".  We are sending you a summary of this report today.  The full version comprises 44 pages and can be obtained from the GfbV in Germany under the telephone number +49 551 49906-11 or -28.  Until now, the report has only been available in German and will be translated in the coming weeks.

Kosovo: War, Mass Expulsion, Massacres
A Report By The Society For Threatened Peoples
August 1998

- Summary -

In Kosovo, the Milosevic regime is making war with the non-Serbian people of former Yugoslavia for the fourth time.  Until 1989, Kosovo, which has a population of more than 90 per cent Albanians, was an autonomous area inside former Yugoslavia, and politically equal to the six republics.  Immediately after he took over power, Milosevic abolished this status of autonomy.  Kosovo was subject to rigid policies of serbianisation.  The Kosovo Albanians have continued a non-violent resistence to these policies for years, and hoped for help from outside to achieve self-determination again. However, after the Dayton Conference, the governments of the so-called Bosnian Contact Group (with the exception of the USA) recognised the new "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia", without considering the interests of the Albanians.  In this way they created the facts of international law which are allegedly making intervention in the "internal affairs" of Serbia impossible today, which means intervention in the war against two million Kosovo Albanians by the Milosevic regime.

Preparations For War

The war against the Kosovo Albanians has been being prepared by the Milosevic regime for a long time.  The first signs occured already at the end of 1997.  On 11 February 1998 at a press conference in Novi Sad representatives of opposition parties in Vojvodina pointed out that they had "incontrovertible evidence" that the army was being mobilised for war in Kosovo.  On 5 March 1998, shortly after the outbreak of the fighting, UNHCR speaker Mons Nyberg protested against the recruitment of Serbian refugees from Croatia for military service in Kosovo, in opposition to international humanitarian law.  In June 1998, members of the Hungarian minority from Vojvodine confirmed to the Society for Threatened Peoples that more that three hundred soldiers were in operation in Kosovo against their will.  The strength of the Serbian forces is estimated at up to 50,000 men, the cost of the war is estimated at two million US dollars daily. In addition, the Serbian troops in Kosovo are running looted Dutch APCs, stolen in July 1995 from the Dutch UNPROFOR who were stationed in Srebrenica.

The Course Of War

The war began on 28 February 1998 with the massacres in the Drenica region and extended quickly.  The war in central Kosovo started in the middle of June, the fighting intensified in the regions of Mitrovica and Prizren in the middle of July, and on 14 July Serbian troops were observed in the south, in the region of Opoje on the border to Macedonia.  On 19 July, the Serbian troops fired numerous grenades into the territory of the neighbouring state of Albania.  On 25 July the Serbian troops finally started their large offensive in central Kosovo.  During the attacks, they went forward directly against the civilians.  Two people from the Yugoslavian Army who surrendered to the "Kosovo Liberation Army", UCK, told the OSCE that they received such commands.

Refugees

The number of refugees is increasing constantly.  From the beginning of March until the beginning of July, there were 160,000 people in flight, according to estimates by the GfbV.  Albanian aid organisations give a figure of 200,000 refugees already on 16 July.  On 29 July, the Kosovo relief organisation, Mother Theresa, in Malisheva estimated the figure of inland refugees to be 263,000.  International organisations are warning of a humanitarian tragedy.  Already in June 1998 Charles Raedersdorf, the leader of the Swiss relief agency, SKH, called for urgent preparations for the breakout of winter which is to be expected in the middle of October.

The Plan Of The Attacks

The attacks follow a system which reminds one of every attack during the Bosnian War.  They frequently begin with a surprise attack at dawn which is carried out using heavy weapons such as rockets and grenades.  Then snipers are positioned who restrict freedom of movement of the civilian population.  As a result, many civilians hide themselves in the woods and return to their houses by night in order to receive necessities for their survival.  Finally heavily armed troops draw in who block all transport connections during the day.  Under their protection, special units in dark uniforms with machetes and "scorpion" guns arrive in the area.  These troops are supposed to carry out massacres.  After days or weeks of terror, the bombardments are increased further and in addition continued into the night, until the population leaves the area.  Plundering follows.  The houses are burnt to the ground.  The cattle are left uncared for or are killed.  According to statistics from the GfbV, between the beginning of March and the end of July 1998, more than two hundred and fifty Albanian villages were attacked by the Serbian forces, bombarded with heavy artillery and partly or completely destroyed.  According to the US human rights organisation, Physicians for Human Rights, women were imprisoned and raped.  Some women are said to be "missing" thereafter.  The GfbV estimates that at least 1,000 people had been killed by the end of July.

Massacres And Mass Killings

Since the offensive in the Drenica region at the beginning of March, the Serbian forces (Serbian special police, the Yugoslavian Army, and paramilitary "Chetnik" troops under the leadership of the alleged war criminals, Zeljko Raznjatovic "Arkan" and Vojislav Seselj) have committed severe violations of human rights against the Albanian population.  During the massacres in Qirez/Cirez, Likoshan/Likosan, Prekaz, Glogjan/Glodjan, Zhara, Drenoc, Lubeniq/Ljubenic, Poklek i Ri near Glogovc/Glogovac, Padesh in the mountains near Decan, and during the storming of the town of Raho-vec/Orahovac, whole families were executed, pregnant women, elderly people and children were killed, men were hung up on electricity pilons and hand grenades were thrown into cellars housing refugees.  The Albanian human rights organisation, Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF), in Prishtina, the Serbian human rights organisation, Humanitarian Law Fund (HLF), in Belgrade, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights and UN investigators have submitted first documentations of the events on the basis of local investigations and witness statements.  The UN War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague started investigations into crimes in Kosovo on 12 June 1998.CampsSome reports say that prisoners are being held temporarily, tortured and probably executed in the Serbian forces headquarter "Munitions Factory" in Skenderaj/Srbica.  According to statements by the Greek Helsinki Committee and by Human Rights Watch, again and again refugees have named the secondary school and the "Dekor" building in the now destroyed town of Decan as an internment camp for Albanian men.  In the prison in Gjilan/Gnilane, Albanian prisoners were apparently so seriously mistreated that one was able to hear their cries of pain from the street. The whole area of Kosovo is under the control of Serbian forces who have erected a comprehensive network of checkpoints on all streets, important crossroads, train stations, bus stops, and arterial roads in the towns and villages. Men of military age in particular are being pulled out of buses and trains incessantly (predominantly by the Serbian forces, but also by the Kosovo Albanian guerilla army, the UCK) and during the conquering of towns and villages are being arrested and mistreated, as well as imprisoned and abducted.

Missing Persons

While about 400 Albanians are missing without a trace on the one hand, on the other hand, again and again, corpses are being found or being brought into morgues by the police under unexplained circumstances, as well as being unidentified.  On 8  July 1998, in a dramatic appeal, the Kosova Albanian human rights organisation Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) called on "all sides" to respect the Geneva Conventions and release all prisoners.  According to statements by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the fate of 130 Serbian people remains unexplained.

The Humanitarian Situation

Since March 1998, the humanitarian situation in the whole area of Kosovo has been strained. Tens of thousands of refugees from the immediate areas of fighting must be cared for.  The relief provided by international aid organisations is being seized or stopped and is not allowed to pass into the emergency areas. In twelve areas of Kosovo, mainly in the west and south west, the provision of food stuffs, medication and other relief goods have been partly or completely blocked since March.  Electricity and water were also partly or completely broken down. The population in these areas was estimated to be 750,000 people in the middle of June, of which more than 100,000 are refugees.  While the UCK controlled areas are hermetically encircled by the Serbian troops, the people in the Serbian areas are also living in an exceptional situation.  Every move is watched by the Serbian snipers, no-one can enter or leave the area freely.  Again and again, relief transports are turned back and workers in Albanian relief organisations are imprisoned for "supporting the enemy".

Human Rights Violations By the UCK

The Kosovo Albanian guerilla army, the Kosovo Liberation Front UCK, comprising 30,000 men according to their own statements in the middle of July, have declared that they respect international humanitarian law.  Massacres and the employment of artillery against Serbian civilians are not known of until now.  However, according to information presented to the GfbV, the UCK have been involved in hostage taking, mistreatment and disappearances of predominantly male Serbian civilians and non-combattants, even if not on the same scale as the Serbian forces.  UCK speaker, Jakub Krasniqi confessed that the UCK have carried out executions, in the Albanian newspaper, Koha Ditore.  On 8 July 1998, the Albanian human rights organisation, CDHRF claimed the number of Serbians missing was 32, while the ICRC spoke of 130 missing Serbians at the end of July.  Apparently, elderly people and women are handled fairly by the UCK, while men of military age and allegedly Albanian "collaborators" are victims of human rights violations.

Appeal from the Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV)

* The GfbV appeals to the governments of the so-called Bosnian Contact Group, in particular the German Government, to put a stop to the "ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo and to give the Serbian leadership an ultimatum.  The Serbian forces must return to their barracks immediately and leave Kosovo within fourteen days, release all hostages and prisoners immediately, and allow relief organisations and representatives of the UN complete freedom of movement.  If Milosevic ignores these demands, then NATO must prevent further attacks on the Albanian population in Kosovo.

* The GfbV appeals to the governments of the Contact Group to demand of the Albanian resistance movement, the UCK, the release of all hostages and prisoners, the punishment of all perpetrators of violence within the UCK, the explanation of the fate of all Serbian civilians whose disappearence is connected with the operations of the UCK, the end of the practice of condemning alleged "collaborators" without a far trial, as well as the respect of the cultural, historical and religious monuments and goods of the Serbian minority population in Kosovo.

* The GfbV asks the governments of the Contact Group to organise free and secret elections in Kosovo, under international control, to recognise the decision of this parliament about the future status of Kosovo in international law, and to guarantee the realisation of this decision, as well as to take care that the human and minority rights of the Serbian, Montenegrian, the Muslim Bosnian, Turkish and Roma peoples in Kosovo are protected by a minority statute.The complete report (in German) can be obtained from the Society for Threatened Peoples under the telephone number +49 551 4990611 or by email under versand@gfbv.de. The English translation will be available in the end of August.