Jahresbericht
1999
der
Menschenrechtsorganisation
KMDLNJ
/ CDHRF Prishtina
ANNUAL REPORT 1999
ON THE VIOLATION
OF THE HUMAN RIGHTS
AND FREEDOMS
IN KOSOVA
IN THE COURSE OF 1999
Report on the violation of the human
rights and freedoms
in Kosova in the course of 1999
The institutionalised violence and terror of
the Serbian regime against the Albanians gained the dimensions of genocide
· The
NATO bombing of Yugoslavia was used as a pretext for the ethnic cleansing
of Kosova, through killings, massacres and executions, through the looting,
destruction and burning of settlements and the mass deportation of the
Albanian population.
·
Unarmed Albanian civilians were not spared (including women, children,
newly-born babies and the elderly).
·
It is supposed that some 11.000 Albanians were killed between 1998-1999.
CDHRF has managed to compile a list with the names of 8911 Albanians, who
were killed during this period (6691 in the course of 1999 and 2220 in
the course of 1998).
·
According to the data available to the CDHRF 465 Serbs, Montenegrins and
Roma were killed in Kosova during the very same period.
The Serbian violence in Kosova, gained the dimensions
of genocide in the course of 1998 and the first 6 months of 1999. This
violence was stripped of basic human values and aimed the extermination
of the Albanians. The killings and the massacres, which aimed the extermination
of the Albanian population in Kosova, unmasked the policy and the genocidal
character of the Serbian regime and state.
Death squads did not spare unarmed Albanian civilians
(including women, children, newly-born babies and the elderly). In order
to hide their crimes, Serbian forces burned the corpses of their victims,
unburied them and took them to unknown locations.
There are indications that the corpses of some
of the killed were burned in the furnaces of the “Trepça” mines,
some were thrown in water wells, in pits for slaking lime, in ravines or
were buried in mass graves. A large number of victims were left unburied
for months. 550 mass gravesites were discovered….
Between January 1 and December 31, 1999, the CDHRF registered the following:
7156 persons were killed, of whom
6691 Albanians, of whom
859 women
553 children
1312 elderly
283 unidentified persons
465 Serbs, Montenegrins and other minorities,
of whom
29 women
3 children
45 elderly
23 unidentified
The total number of the killed is supposed to
be at least 11.000. More than 2000 Albanians are imprisoned in the prisons
of Serbia and Vojvodina. The number of the missing and the kidnapped is
estimated to 4000. The CDHRF and the Sub-Councils possess the lists with
the names of the above mentioned. Serbian policemen, soldiers and paramilitaries
raped Albanian women in different parts of Kosova. The number of buildings,
which were destroyed, damaged or burned, is very high (including private
houses and apartments, shops and factories, schools and other educational,
cultural and scientific institutions, religious objects, historical and
cultural monuments, etc.). It is estimated that between March 1998 and
June 1999, some 1100 Albanian settlements were burned and destroyed (partially
or completely); some 200.000 houses, apartments, workshops, factories,
schools, libraries, historical and cultural monuments, religious, scientific
and cultural objects were looted, burned and destroyed (partially or completely).
In the course of 1999, CDHRF registered the following:
6691 Albanians were killed and mutilated, of whom 859 women, 553 children,
1312 elderly. Out of the total number of the killed, the identity of 218
could not be confirmed. 2220 persons were killed in the course of 1998.
The corpses and the skeletons of the killed are still being found in different
parts of Kosova. The teams of the Hague Tribunal have stopped their investigation
of the crimes perpetrated in Kosova and the identification of the killed
due to the weather conditions. They are to continue with their work in
spring. The relatives of the victims continue to search for their beloved
ones, as there is a justifiable fear that most of those who went missing
during the conflict in Kosova (7000) were executed.
According to the available data to the CDHRF
(which are still incomplete), some 3500 persons went missing or were kidnapped
by the Serbian forces. 1027 Albanians went missing or were kidnapped in
the municipality of Gjakova, 234 in Gllogoc, 209 in Mitrovica (it is supposed
that the number of those who went missing in Mitrovica is about 400 (men,
women, children and elderly). Yet, their identity could not be confirmed
as they were from the other parts of Kosova and had sought shelter in Mitrovica
during the war), 127 in Skënderaj, 125 in Deçan, 74 in Vushtrria,
52 in Malisheva, 32 in Obiliq, 28 in Prishtina, 17 in Kaçanik, 14
in Ferizaj, etc. According to family members 146 Albanians, 12 Serbs and
4 Roma went missing in the village of Krusha e Madhe near Rahovec, 82 Albanians
went missing in Klina and 14 in the village of Bukosh near Suhareka. 1085
persons were reported missing in the other parts of Kosova.
During the very same period, 465 Serbs, Montenegrins
and other minorities were killed in Kosova, of whom 3 children, 29 women,
45 elderly and 23 persons whose identity could not be confirmed.
The Serbian violence in Kosova escalated after the meeting between Holbrook and Milosevic
The Serbian violence in Kosova escalated in October
1998, after the meeting between Richard Holbrook, the special representative
of the President of the USA, and Slobodan Milosevic, the President of Yugoslavia,
as well as the arrival of the OSCE Verification Mission in Kosova. In the
beginning of 1999, Serbian police and military forces opened a 25 km front
in the Llapi region, between the villages of Lupç i Poshtëm
and Peran near Podujeva. These villages were attacked with tanks, heavy
artillery, rockets, etc. As a consequence of these attacks some 45.000
Albanians were forced to flee their homes. Due to the lack of food and
medical assistance several cases of death were reported.
During this period, the situation in the regions
engulfed by war was very grave. Many villagers in the municipality of Klina
were forced to flee their homes as well. Similar was the situation in Drenica,
Llapusha, Deçan, Reka e Keqe near Gjakova, Suhareka, Prizren, Rahovec,
Ferizaj, Shtime, Obiliq, Fushë Kosova, etc. The civilians in the above
mentioned regions were directly threatened by the Serbian forces. Furthermore,
the villagers of Shipitulla and Graboc (in the municipality of Obiliq)
could not return to their homes for several months due to the large presence
of Serbian forces.
The situation of the civilians was very grave.
They were facing different diseases due to the lack of food, medicine,
and other necessities. The situation was made even more difficult due to
the cold weather. During the months of January, February and March 1999,
large police, military and paramilitary forces as well as heavy weaponry
were deployed to Kosova. In many parts of Kosova, local Serbs were mobilized
and weapons were distributed to them. Later on, the very same participated
in the crimes of the Serbian police and military forces against the Albanians
and their settlements. The Yugoslav army mined roads and bridges and provoked
incidents in order to terrorise the Albanian civilians and to force them
to flee their homes. Later on, these were looted, burned and destroyed
by Serbian policemen, soldiers and paramilitaries as well as Serbian and
Roma civilians.
On January 19, an incident in the “Ura e Gjakut”
quarter in Mitrovica was used as a pretext for a huge action of the Serbian
forces against the inhabitants of the “Ura e Gjakut” and “Bair” quarters,
Shipol as well as the villagers of Vaganica e Poshtme and Vaganica e Epërme.
During this action, 2 Albanians were killed and a large number were arrested,
ill-treated or went missing.
During the first 6 months of 1999, many villages
in the municipalities of Skënderaj, Gllogoc, Malisheva, Hani i Elezit,
Kaçanik, Rahovec, Klina, Gjakova, Deçan, Prizren, Suhareka,
Shtime, Lipjan, Podujeva, etc. were targeted as well. The Serbian police
and military forces shelled the Albanian villages on a daily basis. Once
the population fled, the houses were looted, burned and destroyed.
The killings, executions and the massacring of tens of Albanian families-including women, children and elderly
During the month of January 1999, 3 cases of mass
executions of Albanian civilians by the death squads of the Serbian regime
were registered in Kosova. On January 15, 51 Albanians were massacred in
Reçak. On January 24, 5 Albanians were killed in Rakovina (including
two children and one woman). On January 29, 26 Albanians were massacred
in the village of Rogova near Gjakova.
On January 15, 1999, Serbian police, military
and paramilitary forces as well as armed Serbian civilians attacked the
village of Reçak. Later on, large forces entered the village massacring
unarmed Albanian civilians (including women and elderly, who could not
flee). According to the eyewitnesses who survived this massacre, many villagers
were arrested and taken in the direction of Shtime. Later on, they were
massacred at the place called “Kodra e Bebushit”. Many of the killed were
mutilated, whereas Banush Azemi (63) was decapitated. After this tragedy,
the villagers of Reçak took the corpses of the massacred to the
local mosque. Yet, Serbian forces came, took the corpses from the local
mosque and sent them to the Forensic Institute in Prishtina, allegedly
to carry out the autopsy. The families of the victims requested the help
of the OSCE Verification Mission in Kosova in getting the corpses back.
Yet, Serbian authorities prevented this. The families of the killed believed
that the Serbian authorities wanted to manipulate with the mutilated corpses
of their relatives. Furthermore, on being taken to Shtime several corpses
were once again returned to Prishtina. About a month later, on February
11, the funeral of 40 of the killed took place.
The massacre in Rakovina occurred in the vicinity
of the Rakovina Bridge on the road between Prishtina and Gjakova, on January
24, at about 9 p.m. Serbian police opened automatic fire from an armoured
car killing Shaban T. Kelmendi (45) and his children Haxhi (11) and Besim
Kelmendi (12) from Rakovina, as well as Hysen and Sanije Kurti from Cërmjan.
The five were travelling in a tractor to the village of Cërmjan.
On January 29, Serbian police and military forces
massacred 26 Albanians in the village of Rogova near Gjakova. According
to the eyewitnesses who survived this massacre, at about 5.30 a.m., Serbian
policemen, soldiers and paramilitaries besieged the village, searched and
demolished many houses. The terrified villagers fled in all directions.
Many were killed while doing so.
The Serbian regime exposed its true face and its genocidal aims the moment it seemed that the Kosova crisis was to be solved
Serbian terror escalated and culminated, once
it seemed that the struggle of the Kosovars, led by the KLA, was leading
towards the solving of the Kosova issue, prior to and during the international
intervention for solving the Kosova issue in February and March 1999, especially
with the withdrawal of the OSCE Verification Mission in Kosova and other
international organizations, which were largely present in Kosova until
March 20, 1999. That was the moment when the Serbian regime exposed its
true face and its genocidal aims for the ethnic cleansing of Kosova and
for the extermination of the Albanians in these territories.
On March 20, the day the international monitors
left Kosova, Serbian police, military and paramilitary forces arrested
hundreds of people and killed 30 Albanians in Skënderaj. On March
24, 1999, at about 5.15 p.m., once the NATO intervention was announced
(but prior to the attacks on the Serbian targets in Yugoslavia and Kosova),
22 Albanians were executed by the Serbian forces in the village of Kotlina
near Kaçanik. Police threw the corpses of the killed into a deep
ravine in order to hide the traces of this crime.
The night between March 24-25, 1999, once the
NATO bombing started, members of the Serbian special police forces in Prishtina
arrested Bajram Kelmendi, a lawyer, member of the CDHRF Board in Prishtina,
and his two sons Kastriot, a student, and Kushtrim Kelmendi, a pupil. The
very same night, they were executed.
The night between March 24-25, 1999, Serbian
criminals killed Latif Berisha, a poet and a professor with the University
of Prishtina and chairman of the LDK branch in Mitrovica, Agim Hajrizi,
a well-known activist, chairman of the Assembly of the Independent Trade
Unions of Kosova, his son and his mother, as well as Enver Haliti, an activist.
In Gjakova, Serbian criminals burned the bazaar with more than 300 shops,
arrested and killed a large number of Albanian youngsters, not even sparing
the elderly, children and newly born babies. The very same night, Serbian
policemen and paramilitaries executed Dr. Izet Hima, a surgeon, and Avni
Ferizi, an academician. Their houses were burned and so was the atelier
of the latter. The exact number of the killed in Gjakova is unknown, as
there are still no information on the whereabouts of more than 1000 people,
who went missing (whether they were executed or are alive in the prisons
of Serbia).
Killings, executions and massacres of the Albanians throughout Kosova
The campaign of institutionalised state terror,
killings, massacres and executions engulfed the whole territory of Kosova.
Serbian policemen, soldiers and paramilitaries imposed free reign violence
and acted without any moral, human or legal responsibility. They killed
the young and the elderly, not even sparing children and newly-born babies.
They killed with or without a pretext. The only reason to kill was because
their victims were Albanians. The only reason to do so was to make them
flee Kosova (those who were not killed or butchered). Only in the village
of Krusha e Madhe near Rahovec, 204 Albanians were massacred, of whom172
could not be identified. 10 mass gravesites were identified in this village.
All these acts of barbarism were registered in
our reports (acts of the Serbian police, military and paramilitary forces
and unfortunately acts of local Serbian civilians who did not hesitate
to raise their arms against their Albanian neighbours, with whom they have
lived side by side for decades).
On March 28, 1999, 127 Albanian civilians were
killed in the village of Izbica near Skënderaj. An eyewitness, who
had survived this massacre, declared that Serbian soldiers came to the
village, separated men from women, lined them in groups of 3 and opened
automatic fire. “When they opened fire, I hit the ground pretending to
be dead. Once they left, I crawled to the nearby forest. All the others
were killed”, stated the villager.
On April 15, 1999, 18 Albanian civilians were
killed in the village of Sllovia near Lipjan. Another group of 17 Albanians,
mainly from Sllovia, were killed at the place called “Lugu i Demës”.
Eyewitnesses claim that these civilians were executed by a paramilitary
unit led by the criminal named Toshiq.
On April 17, 1999, 52 Albanian civilians, mainly
women, children and elderly, were executed in the village of Poklek near
Gllogoc. 21 children aged between 6 and 13 were killed in this massacre.
The very same day, the Vishesella family from the village of Ribar i Vogël
near Lipjan was massacred. A similar thing happened to the Elshani, Llugani,
Muçolli and Berisha families.
On April 18, 1999, the Serbian forces undertook
a wide campaign against the Albanian villagers of Hallaç, Ribar
i Vogël, Bujan, Bregu i Zi, Godanc i Poshtëm and Kraishta near
Lipjan. During that action, there were widespread lootings and mass executions
of Albanian citizens, including women children and elderly. 13 members
of Rexhep Vishesella’s family were killed in the village of Ribar i Poshtëm.
The death squads were comprised of Serbian paramilitaries in black uniforms
and of policemen. These units have executed people in their homes and house
yards. They even used dum-dum bullets. Prior to being executed, all valuables
were looted from the victims. 23 Albanians were executed in the village
of Hallaç and 19 in Ribar i Vogël. Many were killed in Kraishta
and the other attacked villages as well. Some 10.000 Albanians fled their
homes and sought shelter in the mountains of Varigoc and Zborc (with no
food and other basic necessities).
On April 20, 21 and 22, 1999, the Albanian villagers
of Grashtica near Prishtina were massacred. 8 members of the Jakupi family
from the village of Orllan near Podujeva were killed a few days before
the arrival of NATO troops to Kosova. The Bala family from Peja was massacred
on June 12, 1999, the day NATO troops entered Kosova. During the actions
of the Serbian police, military and paramilitary forces, many Albanian
families were killed and massacred throughout Kosova.
Mass expulsions and deportations – the final “cleansing” of Kosova
Apart from torture, killings, executions, massacres,
the looting, burning and destruction of their homes and property, the people
of Kosova experienced the forced expulsion, displacement and deportation
from their territories and the ethnic cleansing of Kosova. The numbers
and the statements of those expelled tell of the total cleansing of many
Albanian settlements in Kosova. The Albanian civilians who were expelled
on mass from Prishtina, Mitrovica, Suhareka, Rahovec, Ferizaj, Shtimje,
Kaçanik, Gjilan, Lipjan, Vushtrria, Gjakova, Peja, etc., fled towards
Kukës, the border with Macedonia and the regions mainly inhabited
by Albanians and Bosniacs in Montenegro. Long queues of people on foot,
by tractors or by train were being deported from Kosova (persecuted by
the Serbian forces). Among those who fled, many were in age, ill or handicapped,
pregnant women, children or newly-born babies. These people travelled for
many kilometres in difficult weather conditions with memories of the killed,
who were left unburied, corpses thrown by the roads, burning houses, etc.
These were the things most of the deported experienced.
To those who fled to Macedonia Bllaca was the
place where they confronted death. Many among the elderly, children and
the ill, succumbed to fatigue, hunger and the cold. Bllaca was a human
catastrophe caused by the inhuman policy towards an unprotected nation.
The events in Bllaca were condemned by the international public opinion.
According to the available data, 1 million Albanians
fled due to the Serbian terror: 450.000 to Albania, 240.000 to Macedonia,
64.500 to Montenegro, 18.500 to Bosnia, 15.000 to Turkey, 5-6000 to Croatia,
2500 to Bulgaria, etc. Most of the refugees stayed in Albania or in Macedonia.
Yet, a large number was transferred to third countries, i.e. the USA, Australia,
Germany, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, New Zealand, etc.
With the end of the war and the arrival of NATO
troops in Kosova, most of the refugees returned spontaneously to their
homes not waiting for the organized return announced by international humanitarian
organizations and institutions.
Many houses, apartments, cultural and historical monuments were burned and destroyed throughout Kosova - religious objects and leaders were not spared
Throughout Kosova, Serbian police, military and
paramilitary forces as well as Serbian and Roma civilians looted, burned
and destroyed Albanian houses, apartments, shops, religious objects as
well as cultural and historical objects. Personal documents - ID cards,
passports, registry books, and other documents were seized and destroyed.
International organizations have estimated that some 100.000 houses were
burned and destroyed in Kosova (on average every third house was made uninhabitable).
The very same organizations believe that some 250.000 people will spend
this winter in very difficult conditions.
Religious objects were not spared from the looting,
burning and destruction.
A commission was established by the Board of
the Islamic Community in Kosova to assess the damages. According to their
data, 13 imams were killed and 14 pupils of the Moslem religious secondary
school and students of the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Prishtina. During
the war, Serbian police, military and paramilitary forces as well as local
Serbs damaged, burned or destroyed 209 mosques and other religious objects
(including 5 in Serbia proper). In Gjakova, Serbian criminals apart from
the bazaar burned the “Hadumi” mosque dating from the XVI century (one
of the most beautiful objects of Islamic Art in the Balkans) and the masjid
with a very rich library containing unique works in Albanian, Arabic, Persian
and Turkish.
Mass graves cannot conceal the crimes
Serbian criminals, apart from their brutality
in killing, executing, massacring and torturing their victims, have constantly
made efforts to conceal their crimes by burying the corpses of the killed
and massacred, by removing them from one place to the other, by throwing
the corpses into water wells and ravines or by burning them. Yet, the crimes
in Kosova could not be concealed. 550 mass gravesites were identified in
Kosova as well as thousands of individual graves with the decomposed corpses
and skeletons of the victims of the Serbian criminals, who continue to
move freely throughout Kosova. Many of the corpses cannot be identified.
Yet, thanks to certain clothing items, to the professional knowledge of
the teams for the identification of the killed and to information from
the relatives of the executed or the missing, the crimes of the Serbian
criminals are being revealed. The criminals cannot escape penal responsibility
and the deserved punishment for their crimes.
Mass gravesites were identified throughout Kosova
(in cemeteries, ravines, water wells, in pits for slaking lime, in improvised
crematoriums, in certain industrial objects, etc.). Some of the crimes
will never be revealed. Yet, the crimes that were and are to be revealed
with the exhumation of many corpses from mass gravesites will expose the
crimes the Belgrade regime tried to conceal. In our reports, we have identified
mass gravesites in the villages of Gushavc, Suhadoll i Poshtëm, Suhadoll
i Epërm, Shupkoc, Vaganica and Vërnica in the municipality of
Mitrovica. In the village of Vidimriq near Mitrovica, French soldiers buried
the corpses of 11 Albanians, who were killed by the Serbian forces. 15
Albanians, who were killed by the Serbian forces, were buried in the “Tavnik”
quarter in Mitrovica. It is believed that there are mass gravesites in
the villages of Bugariq, Baran and Koshtova e Bobit as well. Mass gravesites
were identified in the fields of Ymer Bala near the “Ibër Lepenc”
hydro-system and the fields of Xhevat Gashi in Dardhishta near Obiliq.
Different items were found in the house of Rexhep Zeqir Kurteshi (68) in
the “Qendra” quarter in Mitrovica. These items show that the Serbian police,
military and paramilitary forces killed, executed and massacred Albanian
civilians and probably raped Albanian women in the very center of Mitrovica.
The very same happened in Gjakova, Peja and other towns and villages throughout
Kosova. A mass grave was identified at the place called “Tauk bahçe”
in the suburbs of Prishtina. It is believed that there is another mass
grave in the Albanian cemetery in Prishtina. Roma civilians were ordered
by the Serbian police to bury Albanian civilians in these mass graves.
The situation of the Albanian prisoners continues to be very grave
The 1244 resolution of the UN Security Council
and the military agreement between NATO and the Yugoslav Army, which was
reached on June 1999, did not include the release of the Albanian prisoners.
This enabled the Belgrade regime to keep some 7000 Albanians in detention
and by doing so to blackmail the people of Kosova and to keep them under
constant strain. The situation of the detained Albanians is very grave
and getting worse. The Albanian prisoners in Nish, Pozharevc, Leskovc,
Prokuple, Vranje, Mitrovica e Sremit, etc., are subjected to torture and
are confronted with death. The prisoners receive an insufficient amount
of food. They do not receive any medicine or medical assistance. They are
ill-treated by prison guards and policemen as well as by Serbian deserters
and ordinary criminals. On August 11, 1999, the corpses of Sali Kurtaj
(48) from Gjilan and Tefik Saliu (1926) from Ferizaj, who were killed in
the Belgrade prison, were brought to Kosova. Muhamet Basha (66) from the
village of Vraniq died in the prison in Prokuple, whereas, Sadik Jahir
Agushi (1958) from the village of Drenoc near Klina died in the prison
of Mitrovica e Sremit. Zeqë Adem Hasaj (1953) from the village of
Kodralia near Deçan died a week after being released from the prison
in Zajeçar. Zeqa died due to the injuries suffered while being tortured
in prison.
The Humanitarian Law Fund based in Belgrade informed
the public opinion on the fact that there are many Albanian juveniles in
the prisons of Serbia accused for “terrorism” and that pregnant women have
given births while in prison. In order to justify the keeping in detention
of so many people, Serbian authorities bring Albanian prisoners to court
and sentence them to many years of prison for “terrorism” and “subversive
activity”, despite the fact that most of them were arrested in their homes
or house yards. Among the sentenced “terrorists” is Dr. Flora Brovina,
a poetess, physician and humanitarian activist. She was sentenced to 12
years of imprisonment because of offering medical assistance to those wounded
and distributing aid to children and the handicapped. Many international
organizations demanded the release of Flora Brovina, including the Swedish
Government. While in court, Flora Brovina stated that if free she would
again do the same, she would offer medical and humanitarian assistance
to all, Serbian children, Roma, etc.
After the arrival of KFOR troops the scale of
violence decreased-Yet, the situation in Mitrovica, Anamorava and Rahovec
continues to be tenseSince June 12, 1999 and the arrival of KFOR troops
in Kosova, the scale of violence as well as that of human rights abuses
in Kosova have decreased. Yet, there are still many criminal acts with
tragic consequences. During this period, more than 400 killings were reported
as well as many cases of wounding. Many were killed and wounded in mine
accidents as well.The gravest problems are in Mitrovica, where the local
Serbs, who have concentrated in the northern part of the town, have blocked
this part of the town preventing the Albanians from returning to their
homes. The situation is made worse by the negligence of the French forces
in Mitrovica. The situation continues to be tense in the region of Anamorava
and in the municipalities of Kamenica and Malisheva (in which Russian soldiers
are stationed). Albanian citizens have prevented the deployment of Russian
soldiers in Rahovec, due to the participation of Russian mercenaries in
the atrocities against the Albanians throughout Kosova.
In many municipalities throughout Kosova, the
identities of the policemen, soldiers and paramilitaries, who have committed
grave crimes, have been revealed. 1426 persons were identified (mainly
Serbs and Montenegrins), who were implicated in the killings of the Albanians,
the looting, burning and destruction of their houses and property. Many
indicted war criminals have returned to Kosova (4 in the northern part
of Mitrovica), 1 in Lipjan, whereas, a number of others are hiding in the
villages of the municipality of Lipjan. Dutch soldiers have arrested a
Serb indicted by the Hague Tribunal for crimes in the municipality of Rahovec.
KFOR troops in the other parts of Kosova have also started arresting those
indicted for war crimes.
In the northern part of Mitrovica, as well as
in the neighbouring villages, Serbian and Roma civilians as well as Serbian
paramilitaries continue to ill-treat Albanian citizens, even in the presence
of French soldiers. In several villages, cases were reported when Serbs
opened fire towards Albanian houses. On July 1, Veli Feriz Sadiku (66)
and his son Avdi (43) from the village of Gushavc near Mitrovica were attacked
with metal bars by a group of Serbian civilians, in the vicinity of the
Ibri Bridge. On July 3, in the vicinity of the Ibri Bridge, a group of
Serbian civilians led by Slavko Mandiq and a person named Qulle beat an
Albanian citizen in the presence of French soldiers. On July 7, Serbian
civilians and paramilitaries beat Mevlude Aziz Barani (40) from the “Qendra”
quarter, Refiqe Sejdiu (30) from the “Kodra e Minatorëve” quarter,
Rabë Mehmeti (40) from Shipol, and Ejup Hamit Peci (56) from Rahova.
On July 11, 2 armed Serbian civilians wearing masks stopped Arsim Isa Peci
and Naser Jetullah Peci (44) from the village of Zhazha. On July 12, local
Serbs from the village of Suhadoll opened fire towards the Albanian houses
in Gushavc. On July 30, at about 2 p.m., a group of Serbian hooligans attacked
the bus carrying the medical staff of the Mitrovica Hospital. Nurses Lirie
Faik Bajraktari (38) and Shukrie Nezir Rudari (43) were injured. At about
3 p.m., a group of Serbian hooligans severely ill-treated Burhan Baliqi,
a Bosniac living in the “Ibri” quarter. On August 6, the Albanian medical
staff of the Mitrovica Hospital was prevented by the Serbs working there
as well as armed Serbian paramilitaries from entering the building. On
August 10, at about 9 p.m., there were two powerful blasts in Mitrovica.
Serbian civilians and paramilitaries led by spouses Ivica and Mira Ivanoviq,
Lila and Damir Gashi entered the Albanian flats in the “Ibri” and “Kodra
e Minatorëve” quarters, physically ill-treating and evicting the inhabitants.
Ismet Qamil Kurti (48), Arta Ismet Kurti (21), Zelan Hazir Kurti (44),
Sitrie (40), Gjylsym (38), and Sazan Shyqyri Koca (37), Xhevdet Kalludra
(53), Ibrahim Hasan Vitaku (44), Arife Osmani and Qani Osmani suffered
heavy injuries. On August 26, at about 11 p.m., 3 armed Serbs tried to
kidnap Hetem Beqiri (16) from the “Tavnik” quarter. The incident occurred
in the “2 Korriku” quarter in Mitrovica. On August 29, at about 12.30 p.m.,
5 armed Serbs and 4 Roma stopped Agron Behlul Spahiu (27) from the village
of Kastriot near Skënderaj, while going to his flat in the northern
part of Mitrovica. Agron was attacked with knives and beaten until he fainted.
On August 31, at about 9.30 p.m., there were
4 explosions in the northern part of Mitrovica. The explosions occurred
as many Albanian families decided to return to their homes in the northern
part of the town and KFOR troops had started an operation for the return
of 136 families in the “Kroi i Vitakut” quarter.
Provocations and incidents in other parts of Kosova
Provocations and incidents, ill-treatments and
random shooting by Serbian civilians and paramilitaries have continued
in different parts of Kosova. Since the arrival of KFOR troops, many incidents
were reported on the road between Gjilan and Kamenica as well as other
local roads connecting the villages in this region. Serbian civilians opened
fire towards cars and passers-by. Russian forces did not prevent such actions.
On August 14, the meeting between the villagers
of Plemetin and the mayor of Obiliq was not held, as Serbian civilians
locked the premises of the “Pandeli Sotiri” primary school. Despite the
arrival of KFOR troops, the Serbs did not unlock the school (Serbian and
Albanian pupils are supposed to use the same school building). The next
day, a group of 30 Serbian and Roma civilians, who were travelling in tractors,
provoked Albanian villagers by shouting “Zivela Srbija”. There is only
a small number of Albanians living in the village of Plemetin. There are
many policemen and paramilitaries among the Serbian civilians.
Many Albanians are ill-treated by French and Russian soldiers
Many provocations and ill-treatments of Albanian
civilians involving French and Russian soldiers were reported. On August
7, French soldiers ill-treated a number of Albanians who were trying to
go to their homes in the northern part of Mitrovica. On July 18, 6 French
soldiers stopped and severely ill-treated a group of 6 Albanian youngsters
in the Roma quarter in Mitrovica. Burim Behxhet Brahimi (20) from the village
of Koshtova e Bobit and Naim Deli Deliu (18) from the “Tavnik” quarter
in Mitrovica suffered injuries. On August 2, a large number of French soldiers
and policemen raided all the houses in the village of Oshlan near Vushtrria.
On August 7, French soldiers and the gendarmerie physically ill-treated
a large number of Albanians who were trying to return to their homes in
the northern part of the town. The following suffered severe body injuries:
Besire Sejdiu (42) from the “Qendra” quarter, Naser Ramadan Aloqi (36)
and Veton Hamit Baruti (44) from the “Ibri” quarter, Sami Sadiku (22) and
Nerxhivane Aziz Nimani (30) from the “Tavnik” quarter, Ramadan Hysen Istrefi
(50) and Agron Avdyli (33) from the “Kroi i Vitakut” quarter, Hajrullah
Hysen Skuroshi (32) from “Tuneli i Parë”, Musa Tahiri (18) from Stantërg,
Hamdi Kajtaz Sheremeti (24) from the village of Oshlan near Vushtrria,
Sherif Meholli (38) from Melenica, Afrim Arifi (28) from Pantina, Afrim
Tafil Osmani (32) from the village of Dolak near Vushtrria, etc. On August
29, 3 French soldiers severely ill-treated Hysni Ferat Muja (21) and Esat
Januz Musliu (16) from the “Tavnik” quarter.
On August 9, at about 5 a.m., an armoured car
full of Russian soldiers stopped in front of the house of Shefik Halil
Hoda in the village of Koretin near Kamenica. The Russian soldiers went
into the house yard. As Shefik came out of the house, he was hit with a
rifle butt on his head and suffered heavy injuries. Shefik’s son Ruzhdi
was also attacked while trying to help his father. Later on, Russian soldiers
searched the house terrifying family members, especially children. A Russian
soldier hit Shefik’s wife with the rifle butt. During the incident, Ruzhdi
was threatened with a gun. Russian soldiers stole 100 boxes of cigarettes
and arrested Shefik. He was taken to the Russian base in Kamenica and kept
there until 8 a.m.
Brutal anti-Albanian campaign in Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja
The deportation and the expulsion of the Albanians
from the municipalities of Presheva, Bujanoc and Medvegja (in Serbia proper)
continues as a consequence of the free reign violence of the Serbian police,
military and paramilitary forces stationed in the villages on the border
between Kosova and Serbia (contrary to the military agreement signed in
Kumanova between NATO and the Yugoslav army, which envisages that a buffer
zone is to be established 5 km from the border of Kosova, article 1, para.
3e and 4a).
Many cases of looting as well as of usurpation
of Albanian houses, apartments and shops were reported.
Violence against non-Albanians
Many cases of attacks against Serbs and other
non-Albanians were reported (lootings, evictions and burning of Serbian
houses). On July 26, Biserka Aleksa Vasiq (1931), a pensioner from the
village of Orllan near Podujeva, living in “Vuk Karaxhiq” st. 4 in Prishtina,
stated to the CDHRF that unidentified persons killed her son Lubisha Vasiq
(40), a worker with the local water supply. Biserka stated that her son
was not mobilized and did not participate in the war and that he had no
problems with anyone. On August 13, unidentified persons went into her
garage and took her refrigerator and washing machine.
On August 18, a CDHRF delegation paid a visit
to the Roma camp in the village of Dardhishta near Obiliq. 1230 Roma from
Prishtina and the villages of Fushë Kosova, Obiliq, Lipjan and Shtime
are settled in this camp. They stated to the CDHRF that they were evicted
by force from their homes. A number of them stated that they were physically
ill-treated by the Albanians. One of the interviewed stated that during
the NATO air attacks on the Serbian positions in Kosova, many Roma came
from Nish, Leskovc and other towns in Serbia to loot in Kosova. Many Roma
were forced by the Serbian police, military and paramilitary forces to
“help” in looting the property of the Albanians, in killing them and in
burying those killed. Yet, a number of Roma from Podujeva and the nearby
villages fled together with the Albanian population during the Serbian
attacks. Nowadays, they have no problems and no one harasses them.
Despite the killings and kidnappings the situation has started to improve
Recently, the situation in Kosova has started
to improve despite the killings, kidnappings and the mine accidents in
many parts of Kosova. During the last 3 months, 73 violent deaths were
registered in Kosova (of whom 41 were Albanians, 18 Serbs, 1 Roma and 13
persons whose identity could not be confirmed). In the northern part of
Mitrovica, Sevdie Xh. Ujkani (34) and her daughter Edona Ujkani (11), a
pupil, were hit by a car and killed. The driver was a Serb. Many were killed
and wounded in mine accidents, Albanians, Serbs as well as KFOR soldiers.
One of the gravest cases was the killing of Valentin Krumov, an employee
with the UNMIK Civil Administration in Kosova. The killing was condemned
as a grave crime, which seeks to destabilize the situation in Kosova.
Several cases of kidnappings or attempted kidnappings
were reported in this period. These have caused grave concern among the
population. A girl was kidnapped and the attempted kidnapping of two others
was reported. Teki Bokshi, a lawyer from Gjakova, was kidnapped in the
vicinity of Belgrade. His family was forced to pay a ransom of DM 100.000.
The tensions in Kosova are being kept high because of the situation in
Mitrovica, where the Albanians cannot return to their homes, schools and
jobs. It is difficult to believe that there shall be peace in Kosova while
thousands of Albanians are still being kept in the prisons of Serbia. Protests
are being held throughout Kosova demanding their release.
Finally, it is worth mentioning that the Serbian
police, military and paramilitary forces, prior to the NATO attacks, made
efforts to prevent the activities of the CDHRF based in Prishtina. The
communication between the main office of the CDHRF and its field associates
was interrupted. Many activists of the CDHRF were arrested and killed,
including Bajram Kelmendi, a member of the CDHRF Board, and his two sons,
Gafurr Loku, vice-chairman of the Sub-CDHRF in Hani i Elezit, Xhevdet Leci,
member of the board of the Sub-CDHRF in Prishtina, Rexhep Bislimi, Remzi
Ademi, etc. The work of the CDHRF was practically blocked. Yet, several
Sub-Councils continued with their activity informing the international
public opinion on the events in Kosova. As most of the CDHRF staff was
forcibly deported to Macedonia, it continued its activity there, gathering
data on the atrocities of the Serbian police, military and paramilitary
forces in Kosova.
Prishtina, February 3, 2000
Information Service
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