Human Rights Violations against Non-albanian Kosovars

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# Orthodox Press: Kosovo and Metohija Chronicle, August 22
# Violence against non-Albanians in Kosovo continues - Free Serbia

Information Service of the Serbian Orthodox Church
PRAVOSLAVLJE PRESS

Kosovo & Metohia Events
Belgrade, August 22, 1999

Serb Milisav Kovacevic, whom the Albanians fatally wounded in front of his house at Banja village on Friday, August 20, has died today in the military hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica.

Today, among other kidnapped and wounded Serbs in Kosovo and Metohia, Srdjan Jokic from Banjska village near Vucitrn has been wounded.

What worries is the fact that NATO pact, which proved itself to be very precise in the bombardment of the Serbian countries, has not been able to prevent the genocide actions of the terrorist organisation, the so-called KLA, in Kosovo and Metohia during these two months.

Bishop of Hvosno
Atanasije

 
Sunday, August 22nd, 1999

Violence against non-Albanians in Kosovo continues

Milisav Kovacevic, one of two Serb brothers wounded on Saturday in the attack on Banja, village in central Kosovo, near Srbica, has died in a French military hospital. Albanians armed with automatic rifles wounded two Serbs yesterday, when village of Banja was attacked for the third time since June 17. There are more than 80 Serbian families in this village with around 300 people. 30 KFOR soldiers are also based in this village. Damjan Kovacevic, the other brother, remains in the hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica with a serious leg injury but is not in a life-threatening condition.
This morning around 10 a.m. near the village of Veliki Kicic, at the road from Kosovska Mitrovica to Pristina, group of Albanians, members of KLA, kidnapped 32-year-old Serb Srdjan Jotic, from Vucitrn. Jotic drew with his mother facing Kosovska Mitrovica, but was forced to stop his vehicle, due to technical problems. At the same moment, another vehicle came around, and two armed men got out of it, in the uniforms with visible KLA insignia. Another two men wore civilian clothes. Jotic was taken by force to Kosovska Mitrovica, while his mother, walked to Kosovska Mitrovica and reported the kidnapping of her son.
Church Council from Gnjilane announced that the pressure of the Albanian extremists on Serbs to leave their homes in that town remains strong. Council says that Albanians in Kosovska Kamenica yesterday ended their protest rallies against Russian presence in the area. Activists of the Church Council emphasize that it was the first time that Albanians obeyed the order from KFOR, and remind that under pressure of local Albanians KFOR removed the monument of Serbian Prince Lazar from the square in the town.
Today's daily "Blic" writes that 11 weeks ago, when KFOR entered Kosovo, between 180,000 and 200,000 Serbs lived in the province, and that today only 20-50,000 Serbs remained in Kosovo. According to "Blic" 30,000 Serbs lived in Pristina before arrival of KFOR, and today there are only 500-1000 Serbs there. 15,000 Serbs of 27,000 remained in Kosovska Mitrovica, 5,000 of 25,000 in Gnjilane, while in Pec, where 12,000 Serbs lived before KFOR arrival, there are only 100 Serbs left. In Kosovo Polje number of Serbs dropped from 20,000 to 10,000 and in Prizren, there are only 600 Serbs left, out of 6,000, before KFOR took control in the province.
Commander of northern sector of KFOR, Gen. Bruno Kiss, said that 700 KLA members from Vucitrn and Srbica are refusing to obey the deadlines for demilitarization. According to state-run Radio Belgrade, great number of houses in Vucitrn and Srbica are modified into the army barracks for KLA, and many Albanians are openly saying that they are forced to give money for this military organization. The greatest number of incidents is happening in two remaining Serbian villages in Srbica municipality - Banja and Suvo Grlo, then in the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, and in villages near Vucitrn, in the valley of Cicevica.
KFOR granted a Serb request Sunday to extend a deadline for returning weapons, postponing threatened house-to-house searches by peacekeepers and arrests of those who fail to comply in Orahovac. KFOR announced that 600 pieces of weapons have been returned yesterday, while several more were returned this morning.

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