English: Kosova Communication 275

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From: KIC - London <kic-uk@kosova.demon.co.uk>

Kosova Communication

Bulletin of the Ministry of Information

of the Republic of Kosova

5th year, No. 275 , 28 August 1996

CONTENTS

[01] Rugova receives Austrian ambassador

[02] UN resolution calls for respect of will of Kosova people

[03] 12,000 vacancies in secondary schools

[04] Serbian authorities hide their crimes in Kosova

[05] Non-existent disease - scapegoat to plunder Albanians in Kosova

[06] Forced labour in Trepca mines

[07] No participation in federative elections

[01] Rugova receives Austrian ambassador

President Rugova informed the Austrian Ambassador about the current situation in Kosova amidst the Serbian regimes repressive campaign against Albanians.

Dr. Wenninger said Austria has been closely watching the developments in Kosova.

[02] UN resolution calls for respect of will of Kosova people

This resolution follows the resolution No 9, of 20 August 1993 and No 10 , of 18 August 1995 by the same sub- committee, Commission on Human Rights resolutions No 7, of 23 february 1993 and No 76 of 9 March 1994, General Assambley resolutions 49/204 of 23 December 1994 and 50/190 of 22 December 1995 , and Security Council resolution 855(1993) of 9 August 1993.

The resolution expressess grave concern at the various discriminatory measures taken in the legislative, administrative and judicial areas, acts of violence and arbitrary arrests committed by the authorities of the so- called Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) and at the further deterioration of the human rights situation in Kosova including police brutality against ethnic Albanians, killings, arbitrary searches,seizures and arrests, forced evictions, torture and ill-treatement , discrimination in the administration of justice, arbitrary dismissals of civil cervants, notably from the ranks of police and the judiciary, doctors and other medical staff, discrimination against Akbanian pupils and teachers, and the closing of Albanian-language secondary schools and the university as well as other cultural and scientific institutions;

The Commission underlines, amongst other that permanent police brutality resulted in widespread involuntary migration of Kosova Albanians and notes that these measures and practices constituted a form of silent ethnic cleansing.

The Commission, which calls for the re-establishment of international presence in Kosova to monitor and investigate the situation of human rights, expressed appreciation at the establishment of the United States Information Agency in Prishtina.

The Resolution strongly condemns the large scale repression, measures and practices of discrimination and the violation of human rights committed against the defenseless ethnic Albanian population by the authorities of the Federal republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) aimed at forcing ethnic Albanians to leave their land,

The resolution demands from the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to bring to an immediate end sall human rights violations against ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and revoke all doscroiminatory legislation, in particular that wich has entered into force since1989, allow the establishment of genuine democratic institutions in Kosova, including the parliament and the judiciary, educational, scientific and cultural institutions, and to respect the will of its inhabitants as the best means of preventing the escalation of conflict , release of all political prisoners from Kosovo.

The UN Sub-commission calls on the Serbian authorities also to commence an internationally brokered dialogue with the representatives of the ethnic Albanians in Kosova.

The Sub-commission has decided to continue the examination of the situation of human rightsa in Kosovo at its next session.

[03] 12,000 vacancies in secondary schools

[04] Serbian authorities hide their crimes in Kosova

The author of the article stated that three years ago (7 September 1993), the Kosova Albanian, Banush Sadiku (19) was shot dead, while, Ferki Fejza (19), was badly wounded by Serb soldiers, at the Kosova-Albanian border zone. The Serbian regimes justification was that they were shot while attempting to cross the border illegally. In fact they were shot while grazing cattle some 1,500 meters away from the border line and their bodies were subsequently dragged near the border to provide the pretext they had been attempting to cross the border. The family of the victim were allowed to fetch the body after 26 hours.

Since then Serbian authorities have done nothing to further illuminate the case or bring the perpetrators before court. Bujku makes mention of other cases when Serb policemen, perpetrators of crimes against Albanians were never given fair sentences. A Serb policeman, Boban Krstic, who shot dead a 6-year-old Kosova Albanian boy, Fidan Brestovi, was later promoted to a higher position in the Serbian police. He was earlier this year sentenced in a fraudulent trial but was never sent to serve his prison term. Moreover, he is still on his duties as a policeman in Kosova and has become notorious in ill-treating Albanians.

In 1991, Serbian police killed with no reason another Kosova Albanian, Zejnullah Rashiti from Veleknica village of Gjilan. The Serbian police has threatened his family many times that they would face harsh consequences unless they withdrew charges against the perpetrator. The brother of the victim, Sejdullah Rashiti was beaten up severely earlier this year and threatened with additional oppression if he pursued the case against the police, says Bujku.

[05] Non-existent disease - scapegoat to plunder Albanians in Kosova

The arbitrary placement of Kosova in quarantine remoinds of on of Serbian Radical Party scripts, in the ir Declaration of 14 October 1995, which tries to create a public opinion that Albanians are infectiousnation. They even propagated infectiin Albanians with the virus of AIDS . Once the virus carriers were identified, media would be used to create public fear, which would lead to a need to research of most of Albanians. After declaring most of Albanians infected Kosova would be made a quarantine. It seems that those tactics advocated by Serbian Radical were tested, but this time on animals. Serbian media creted the psychosis of epidemy . Hence, the Serbian authorities, under the suspicion that there was a disease in Kosova, have killed over 4 thousand animals. Kosova is still being kept as a quarantine. In dozens of ad doc set check-point in Kosova, citizens have been obliged to be treated to strict inspection and disinfection. Moreover, all those who have to go through the disinfection have been levied rather high taxes by the Serbia regime, ranging from 10 for persons and 20-40 dinars for the vehicles. It has been reported that various international organizations have provided to the self-styled Yugoslavia large amounts of vaccines and disinfection materials for fighting and preventing the spreading of the disease.

[06] Forced labour in Trepca mines

According to the report an additional 1500 war prisoners have been forced to labour in the mining site, described as a very dangerous. The news were also confirmed by the Commissioner for Refugees of Bosnia and Hercegovina and Serbian Helsinki Committee in Belgrade. In Trepca, says the report, war prisoners were being held behind bars. They have been given Albanian names so as to deceive the public of their identity. DW quoted also one of the prisoners, who has been forced to pay 20 thousand DM for his freedom.

The Hague Tribunal has established a special Commission to investigate the case. Such reports explicitly prove Serbian direct involvement in the Bosnian war and aggression in Srebrenica. After the massive expulsion of Albanian miners by the Serbian authorities, the Trepca mines virtually collapsed. Trepca apparently resumed its work using Bosnian prisoners of war.

[07] No participation in federative elections

participation in these elections as uneccessary. The statement also refers to undefined and unjust relations between federal units and to the ever worsening position of Montenegro. The statements underlines that the one of the main issues which threatens peace and stability of the region remains the issue of Albanians in the former Yugoslavia , and respectively the issue of Kosova.

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