Monatsbericht
September 2000 der
Menschenrechtsorganisation
KMDLNJ
/ CDHRF Prishtina
REPORT ON THE VIOLATION
OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND
FUNDAMENTAL FREEDOMS
IN KOSOVA
DURING SEPTEMBER 2000
REPORT ON THE SITUATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS IN KOSOVA DURING THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2000
KILLINGS THAT CAUSE CONCERN
In the course of September 20 killings were recorded
in Kosova (19 persons were killed by fire-arms and one was killed in a
mine accident). The number of inter-ethnic killings has decreased. Out
of the total number of the killed, 16 were Albanians, 2 Serbs (a 65-year-old
man, who was killed in unknown circumstances, and a 45-year-old woman)
and a 7-year-old girl, whose identity could not be confirmed. Out of the
total number of the killed Albanians, 3 were from the municipality of Prizren
and were killed by the Serbian forces in the village of Dobrosin in the
buffer zone between Kosova and Serbia. The young girl and the Serbian woman
were killed in unknown circumstances. The perpetrators and the motives
of these crimes remain unknown.
The recent killings cause great anxiety and insecurity
among the citizens. Apart from the perpetrator of one of these crimes the
others remain unknown, as do their motives. Such a phenomenon has become
widespread and is a grave violation of the right of the injured parties
to seek justice. More efficient measures against the criminals would help
in the prevention of crime. Human lives have become very “cheap”. The criminals
do not seem to be afraid of being caught and brought before justice.
Enigmatic killings of former KLA fighters
The killings of the former KLA fighters, who have
now joined the ranks of the TMK, are very enigmatic. Skënder Gashi,
the commander of the logistics unit of the second zone of the TMK in the
region of Prizren, was killed. Skënder joined the KLA in May 1998
(until then, he was “temporarily employed” in the West). Sadri Berisha
(38) from the village of Fushëlum (Grabanica) near Klina, a former
member of the KLA, currently a member of the TMK, was killed by “unidentified
persons”.
The perpetrators of these criminal acts have
not been caught. In Prizren, a special unit of the KFOR military police,
arrested “two former members of the KLA” suspected for a number of killings
in 1999. In the village of Kastriot near Skënderaj, KFOR soldiers
and the UNMIK police surrounded and raided the house of Shaqir Dervishi
(60). His son, Musa Dervishi (36), a former KLA commander, currently an
officer of the TMK, was arrested. He is suspected of having committed murder.
There is no doubt that those who are suspected for different crimes should
be detained, until their guilt or innocence is proved. Yet, the prosecution
of the criminals should be done immediately after the crime has occurred.
A number of Serbs escaped from the prison in
the northern part of Mitrovica. The prison was guarded by KFOR and the
international police forces. The following are among those who escaped:
Milosh Sekuliq, Lubomir Stoliq, Branislav Popoviq, Stanislav Leviq, Velkoslav
Simiq, Nenad Matiq, Radoslav Misiq, Dejan Misiq, Miodrag Gjinoviq, Srgjan
Aleksiq and Tomislav Vuçkoviq (accused for war crimes and genocide).
Two Serbs who had escaped together with the above-mentioned were caught.
The total number of those who have escaped from
the prison in Mitrovica has now risen to 22. Among those who had previously
escaped from this prison was Lulzim Ademi, an Albanian from the village
of Barbanik (Broboniq) near Mitrovica. The latter was sentenced by the
District Court in Mitrovica to 20 years of imprisonment (in absentia) due
to the crimes he had committed against the Albanian civilian population
in the municipality of Mitrovica. On having escaped from prison, he fled
to Serbia where he lives under the name of Drazha Mihajloviq.
In September, a Serb was sentenced for the crimes
committed against the Albanians in Kosova. This was the first time that
a criminal was sentenced since the end of the war. In the meantime, different
humanitarian and human rights organizations and associations, both local
and international, as well as different political subjects, have appealed
to the Albanians to show restraint from all acts of revenge and to leave
the prosecution of the criminals to the Hague Tribunal.
The trials of those who are accused for war crimes
and genocide are being dragged out.
The exhumation of corpses and their identification continues
3 mass graves were identified in the course of September. 7 corpses were found. Human bones were found in the military barracks in Mitrovica. In the village of Dyz near Besiana (Podujeva) 37 corpses were exhumed. On April 18 and 19, 1999, more than 100 Albanians were killed by the Serbian forces in this village. 9 corpses were reburied in the village of Suma near Vushtrri. The OSCE “Project for identification” in Gjakova continued its work on the identification of the exhumed corpses.
Hunger strikes and protests for the release of the prisoners and for information on the missing
Throughout Kosova there were protests for the
release of the Albanian prisoners and for information on the missing. A
group of about 80 Albanians, who were recently released from prison, went
on hunger strike in front of the Dubrava prison. They demanded more determined
measures for the release of the Albanian prisoners and for information
on the missing.
The villagers of Zhilivoda near Shala e Bajgorës
went on a hunger strike in front of the Municipal Council in Vushtrri.
They stated that they did not receive the promised aid for the reconstruction
of their houses (some 50% of the villagers still live in tents). Some 98%
of the houses in this village were burned and destroyed. Out of the total
of 169 families, whose houses were burned and destroyed, only 30 received
aid in building material. The situation of the villagers is very grave.
The strike ended once the villagers were told that the rebuilding of their
houses would start immediately.
The road between Peja and Mitrovica was blocked
in the village of Runik near Skënderaj. It was blocked in protest
against the detention of Musa Dervishaj, a TMK officer, and the “brutal
behavior of KFOR soldiers”. The road was unblocked after an agreement between
the protestors and KFOR, UNMIK and the OSCE. 36 Albanian prisoners were
released from the prisons of Serbia in the course of September. Most of
the prisoners had served their prison terms.
Confiscation of weapons in the Serbian enclaves
The KFOR campaign of searching for weapons continued
in the course of September. During this month the Serbian enclaves were
searched as well. An arms depot was found in the village of Graçanica
near Prishtina. Weapons and ammunition were found in Fushë Kosova,
Budisalc, Livadica, Gremnik, Vranoc, Lëbusha, etc.
The situation in the Serbian “enclaves” continues
to be grave. 27 incidents were reported in the region of Mitrovica: arbitrary
detentions, physical ill-treatment, threats, robberies, etc. A group of
thieves in the northern part of Mitrovica removed the roof from an Albanian
house in the “Lagja e Minatorëve” quarter. During the war, the house
was burned. After the war, “CARE” helped to cover it with a roof.
A number of robberies were reported during the
month of September. These crimes cause insecurity among the citizens and
different organizations that operate in Kosova. A group of thieves stole
the safe deposit box from the Swiss Office in Prishtina. More than 1 million
DM were inside the box.
No incidents were reported during the pre-electoral campaign
Despite a small number of “incidents” between
different political parties and their supporters, the pre-electoral campaign
in Kosova, which began in the second half of September, can be qualified
as normal.
Among the gravest problems during the pre-electoral
campaign were as follows: the participation of pupils in political rallies,
the removal of campaign materials, threats, burning of premises and campaign
materials etc.
Due to “security reasons” UNMIK police prevented
a pre-electoral rally in Fushë Kosova.
In order to prevent bigger incidents, the OSCE
fined a number of parties and threatened to remove their candidates from
the list of candidates running for municipal elections on October 28, 2000.
Tense situation on the borders with Serbia and Macedonia
The situation on the border between Kosova and
Serbia, especially in the buffer zone, continues to be tense. In Presheva,
Bujanoc and Medvegja, the repression of the Serbian forces against the
Albanians continues. This repression reflects itself on the security situation
in Kosova, especially on the villages near the border. In the village of
Dobrosin, 3 Kosovars were killed. 2 Americans working with UNMIK were arrested
by the Serbian police in the Presheva Valley. The two had lost their way
and entered the territory of Serbia. Later on, they were released.
A number of incidents were reported on the border
with Macedonia. The gravest incident was the attack on a Macedonian border
guard. The perpetrators are unknown.
In the meantime, the border between Kosova and
Serbia is open. Those who cross the border are checked only for “weapons
and ammunition”. The Serbs who escaped from the prison in Mitrovica managed
to cross the border with Serbia.
This proves that the efforts of the dark forces
to de-stabilize the situation in Kosova and prevent the efforts of the
international community and those of the Kosovars to rebuild their lives,
despite the difficult conditions they face, continue.
Prishtina, October 6, 2000