Monatsbericht
Juli 2000 der
Menschenrechtsorganisation
KMDLNJ
/ CDHRF Prishtina
REPORT ON THE VIOLATION
OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND
FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS
IN KOSOVA
DURING JULY 2000
REPORT ON THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND
FREEDOMS IN KOSOVA DURING THE MONTH OF JULY 2000
During the month of July, there were not as
many killings as in the previous period. In the course of July, 18 Kosovars
were killed (11 Albanians, 1 Serb and 6 persons whose identity could no
be confirmed). Yet, the number of killings between members of the same
ethnic group has increased. Among the killed Albanians, 2 were former members
of the KLA.
The attacks against the former members of the
KLA, the chairman of the LDK, the chairman of the administrative board
in the municipality of Klina (former chairman of the Sub-CDHRF in Klina),
the abduction of an LDK official in Burim are dangerous signs of the ever-increasing
criminal activities which are politically motivated.
3 Serbs (orthodox priests) were wounded in the
village of Kllokot near Vitia. This incident was followed by protests of
the local Serbs and attacks against KFOR soldiers, who were trying to calm
the situation. These acts show that there is no stop to the criminal efforts
to burn the fire of inter-ethnic hatred.
Crimes that cause great concern and demand greater efforts of the police and judicial authorities in Kosova
The above-mentioned crimes may be politically
motivated but first of all they are acts of the destructive forces that
aim to keep the situation in Kosova tense in order to show the “incompetence”
of the international forces to maintain peace and order. Out of the total
number of the killed, 15 were killed in “unknown circumstances” (the perpetrators
are unknown). This proves that law and order have still not been established
in Kosova.
During the month of July, 19 persons were wounded
(6 Albanians, 6 Serbs, 3 Roma, 1 Montenegrin and 3 KFOR soldiers), there
were 5 abductions (4 Albanians, of whom two children, and 1 Roma) and 3
kidnap attempts (including one woman). One Albanian woman was raped.
Similar crimes, which are qualified as grave
violations of human rights, occur in other countries as well, especially
in countries, which went through a similar situation to that in Kosova
during the last 10 years. These crimes cause great concern and demand greater
efforts of the police and judicial authorities in Kosova, both local and
international, to put a stop to this violence.
Mass graves - the issue of the Albanian prisoners and the missing
The identification of mass graves, the exhumation
of corpses and their identification, the situation of the Albanian prisoners
and the lack of information on the fate of the missing, are factors that
keep the situation in Kosova tense. During the month of July, 149 corpses
were found in 12 mass graves and 5 individual graves. Out of this number,
31 corpses were identified. 12 corpses and 6 skeletons were found unburied.
2 were identified. The identification of the killed is very difficult as
most of the corpses are in a late stage of decomposition.
In the course of July, 62 Albanians (who were
arrested in 1998 and 1999) were released from prison. Yet, the number of
the Albanians who are still being kept in prison continues to be very high.
According to the CDHRF, 3021 Albanians are unaccounted for.
In Serbia, the trials against the Albanian prisoners
continue. The district court in Belgrade sentenced 6 Albanians to 46 years
and 6 months of imprisonment (of whom, 5 were students at the university
in Belgrade). A number of Albanians were retried. Their sentences were
reduced and they were released. 20 Albanians from the municipality of Rahovec,
who were arrested on July 23, 1998 and sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment
each, were retried. Their sentences were reduced to 2 years of imprisonment
each. Therefore, they were released on July 23, 2000. A group of 13 Albanians
from the village of Vranik in the municipality of Theranda, who were arrested
on September 28, 1998, and who were sentenced to prison terms ranging between
14 and 15 years of imprisonment each on November 2, 1999, were retried.
Their prison terms were reduced to 1 year and 10 months of imprisonment
each, and they were released.
Large sums of money were paid for the release
of a number of Albanian prisoners. The situation of the Albanian prisoners
and the lack of information on the fate of the missing continue to keep
the situation in Kosova tense.
The inefficiency of the courts in Kosova makes it possible for the criminals to act with impunity
The trials of those who committed war crimes in
Kosova are being dragged out. On July 3, the trial against Lulzim Ademi
from Mitrovica, a member of the Serbian paramilitary units, who was accused
for war crimes against the Albanians, was to begin at the district court
in Mitrovica. In the meantime, Lulzim managed to escape from prison. The
trials against Vladan Vuçetiq, Miroslav Vukçeviq and Bozhidar
Bishevac, who were accused for genocide against the Albanians, are being
dragged out due to the fact that the court bodies have not been established
yet.
The public prosecutor at the district court in
Gjilan withdrew the charges against Afrim Zeqiri from the village of Cërnica,
who was a suspect in the killing of 3 Serbs in Cërnica, in May 2000.
On July 25, the trial against Shaban Beqiri and Xhemajl Sejdiu from the
village of Vërbica near Zhegoc, who were accused for the killing of
Vojislav and Branko Deniq from the village of Paralova, began at the district
court in Gjilan. The two are defending themselves while on bail. On the
decision of dr. Bernard Kouchner, the UN chief administrator in Kosova,
the pre-trial detention of Afrim Zeqiri was extended for another 30 days.
The Sub-CDHRF in Skënderaj held a press
conference in which it protested against the release of Dejan Kelanoviq
from the prison in Mitrovica. 7 Albanian families from the municipality
of Skënderaj had testified against the accused stating the he had
killed their sons and brothers.
While the trials of those accused for war crimes
are being dragged out, the “Dita” daily was twice fined for having published
the names and photos of those accused for such crimes.
The problems the prosecution organs face have
made it possible for the criminals to act with impunity.
The situation in the “enclaves” – similar to the situation “during the war”
There were 83 cases of violence in the northern
part of Mitrovica. 27 Albanian, Bosniac, Turkish and Roma families were
evicted from their flats. Serbian paramilitaries usurped 18 Albanian flats.
The families of Tahir Rexhep Aliu (65) - 4 members, Shemsi Halil Toskiq
(62) - 4 members, Shaban Kahrimon Azemi (69) - 10 members, Shaban Shabani
(74) - 11 members, Sejdi Selman Sylejmani (76) - 2 members, Esat Bajram
Popoci (66) - 2 members, Kamer Peci (60) - 6 members, Afrim Shaban Kelmendi
(44) - 5 members, etc., were evicted from their flats. The family of Skënder
Gani Ilazi (5 members) was evicted from their flat in the municipality
of Zveçan.
20 members of the UNMIK police were evicted from
the flats they had rented from Fahri Mripa, Ismail Kozgori, Avdylqerim
Mripa, Xheladin Peci, Xhafer Abazi, Rabije Bektashoviq, Feriz Hoti, Hamdi
Zasella, Abedin Selmani, Beqir Mehmeti and Sabit Rexhepi.
Riots and attacks against the internationals
A number of attacks were reported in the northern
part of Mitrovica, not only against the Albanians and their property but
against internationals as well. The rioters, especially the ones that were
led by extremists, were very aggressive. A number of Albanians and Bosniacs,
who still live in the northern part of Mitrovica, were attacked. KFOR soldiers
and members of the international police were attacked as well. Serbian
extremists attacked the OSCE registration center in the municipality of
Leposaviq (despite the fact that the chairman of the administrative board
(a local Serb) had invited the population to register).
The northern part of Kosova continues to be controlled
by extremists, who violate the basic human rights and freedoms of the local
population, cause riots and seek to destabilize Kosova and to create chaos.
Parts of the Serbian and Roma minorities, who live in enclaves, do not
enjoy the freedom of movement. Representatives of the CDHRF have paid visits
to these communities in Rahovec, Lipjan and Prishtina, in order to try
and build new bridges of communication and to heal the wounds of war.
The situation in Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja on the brink of disaster
According to a commission of the Municipal Council
in Presheva, during the last few months, 11 Albanians were killed and 5
were wounded in the municipality of Presheva. 44 houses and 12 public buildings
were burned. 180 houses were looted and demolished. The following villages
were cleansed: Buhiq, Peqen, Sefer, Gajra and Gosponica. Part of the Albanian
population has fled the villages of Ilinca, Maxhera, Ratanoc, Buoc, Shoshaja
e Epërme and “Kurbalia” as well. The Political Council of the Albanians
in Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja has assessed that the Albanian population
has 2 alternatives: to flee its lands or to bear the violence of the Serbian
police.
Many gross violations of human rights and freedoms
were reported in this region. On July 8, 30 houses were looted and burned
in the village of Gërbac in the municipality of Medvegja. The local
population was expelled from their homes. Many villagers in this region
were looted, ill-treated and arrested.
3 policemen were wounded in a number of powerful
blasts in the village of Konçul, in the buffer zone between Kosova
and Serbia. A number of houses were damaged. At the police check-point
in the vicinity of Konçul, there were clashes between the Serbian
police and the UÇPMB. Many families had to flee the village and
to seek shelter in Kosova.
Prishtina, August 4, 2000