Kosova Daily Report #1496, 98-07-20

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From: Kosova Information Center <http://www.kosova.com/>

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1496
Prishtina, 20 July 1998

CONTENTS

[01] President Rugova Condemns Assassination Attempt on KIC Head

[02] Serb Forces Shell Parts of the Town of Rahovec

[03] Heavy Serb Military Troops Heading to Rahovec Today

[04] Serb Artillery Shelling of Border Area Villages Continues

[05] Bread in Short Supply in Gjakova, Dramatic Appeal for Help

[06] Serb Shelling, Fighting in De^an Villages Resumes

[07] Serb Attack Shtime Villages over Weekend and Monday Morning

[08] Serb Forces Attack Llausha Village and Skenderaj Neighborhood

[09] Fresh Serb Troops Deployed to Kosova Monday Morning

[10] 12 Members of the Jetishi Family Transferred to Peja Jail

[11] Bus with Passengers on Board Taken to Police Station in Prishtina

[12] Albanian Detainee, Badly Tortured, in Prishtina Hospital

[13] Serb Police Targets LDK Activists in Shtime and Prishtina

[14] British Aid Worker Jailed to 30 Days by Serb Court

[01] President Rugova Condemns Assassination Attempt on KIC Head

Rugova called this an 'outrageous attack on the freedom of speech and information in Kosova'.

Highly appreciating the KIC's work, President Rugova called the assassination attempt on the KIC's head "an outrageous act against the political and state institutions in Kosova."

"We have invested a lot of efforts and sacrifices in building up these institutions, so we should be determined to preserve them".

[02] Serb Forces Shell Parts of the Town of Rahovec

Eye-witnesses said Serb forces are shelling entire neighborhoods in the town.

Reportedly, many buildings have been destroyed and smoldering, while the population is moving out for relative safety.

A source of the LDK Information Commission in Prizren, who got one kilometer near Rahovec, said he saw many women and children fleeing their homes and heading for villages which have not been engulfed by the fighting yet.

Two Albanian women, Alisa Berisha (15) and Violeta Krasniqi (30), who were heading for Prizren, said incessant fighting was going on in Rahovec in the past 48 hours. Heavy detonations and gunfire go unabated in the town. At least 30 houses have been levelled to the ground, whereas most of the residents have fled the town, they said.

Alisa and Violeta said in the group of fleeing women and children heading for Prizren were also some men. Among them was Alisa's father, Ymer Berisha, as well as Sherif Malsia from Studen^an. They were arrested by Serb police in the check-point at Landovic&.

A dramatic situation has been reported in the village of Bellac&rk&. Nobody can enter in this village, which was pounded yesterday by Serb heavy weapons, but it is feared that many residents have been killed there.

An eye-witness said the bodies of Ibrahim Popaj and his wife, Azize, remain in the village of Bellac&rk&. The wives of Ismail Popaj and Halim Popaj are feared killed.

Eye-witnesses claim Serb forces have taken a number of Albanians from this village hostage. Beqir Kollari said Serbs have abducted his relatives: Isuf, Ismet, Mejdi Kollarin; four Bekeri brothers; then Masar Ejupi, Agim Canzibaj, Mustaf& Kasapi, a school-teacher named as Behxhet, and an Albanian from Prizren.

Eye-witnesses said they were taken hostage by Serb paramilitaries of the notorious Zeljko Raznatovic - Arkan.

The LDK branch presidency in Prizren called for international organizations to do whatever possible to collect the bodies of killed Albanians in the village of Bellac&rk&.

[03] Heavy Serb Military Troops Heading to Rahovec Today

The sound of firing from heavy weapons was heard in Gjakova from the direction of Rahovec.

It is supposed that Serb forces positioned earlier in the Has region have been firing in the direction of Rahovec and its villages.

Around 8 'o'clock in the morning today, a convoy of Serb military left Prizren for Rahovec.

LDK sources in Prizren said part of the huge Serb convoy and its combat equipment was a Dutch armored vehicle, which the Serb forces had stolen from the UNPROFOR in Srebrenica (Bosnia).

While passing through Dushanov&, one Serb officer part of the convoy tossed a spent hand grenade in the direction of an Albanian.

Another Serb solder fired a gunshot in the direction of an Albanian, LDK sources said.

[04] Serb Artillery Shelling of Border Area Villages Continues

There have been no immediate reported casualties, but material damage is presumed immense.

Meanwhile, during yesterday's Serb shelling Adil Hasanaj, a 83- year-old Albanian, was killed.

Local resistance forces, led by the U^K, have been successfully repelling Serbian attack, local sources said.

The town of Gjakova has been virtually sealed off in the past 24 hours, movement towards either Prizren or Peja being restricted.

The LDK sources in Gjakova could neither confirm nor deny the figure of Albanians dead in the Kosova-Albanian border near Padesh in the night of Friday/Saturday.

[05] Bread in Short Supply in Gjakova, Dramatic Appeal for Help

Having run out of flour, the bakeries did not operate at all, and citizens queued in vain today.

Albanian authorities in Gjakova made a dramatic appeal to international organizations to help the Gjakova population with basic necessities, food and medical supplies.

As many as 150.000 inhabitants live in Gjakova at present, local sources said, including in the number those who have fled other parts and found refuge there.

Meanwhile, in the town of Gllogovc, central Kosova, the last functioning bakery closed last week amidst shortage of flour.

[06] Serb Shelling, Fighting in De^an Villages Resumes

For five hours last night, heavy fighting between Serb forces and local Albanian resistance troops occurred in the village of Prejlep and other border area villages, LDK sources said.

Serb helicopters backed the artillery in the recent offensive in border area.

The burning of Albanian houses is a daily occurrence. In De^an Serb forces burned two Albanian houses today, the LDK said.

Meanwhile, the local Albanian resistance fighters called today for the just inaugurated Parliament of the Republic of Kosova to form a new government as well as other state institutions, the LDK Information Commission said.

[07] Serb Attack Shtime Villages over Weekend and Monday Morning

The LDK chapter in Shtime, around 30 km south of Prishtina, said the villages of Ra^ak, Luzhak and Ranc& were shelled on Saturday and Sunday.

Several mortars landed on the Haxhisefaj extended family property in Ra^ak.

At around 7 a.m. today, the Serb forces launched a machine-gun attack against the villages of Belinc& and Carralev&, on both sides of the Prishtina-Shtime-Prizren roadway, the LDK chapter said, adding that they could not learn whether there were any casualties.

Meanwhile, sources in Shtime said that the Serb police has been lately engaged in campaigns of plundering of Albanians. Hajriz Ibrahimi, resident of Ra^ak village, had his tractor trailer load with flour seized by the police two days ago. Other Albanians have reportedly had their flour seized while on their way back from a grain mill near Shtime.

[08] Serb Forces Attack Llausha Village and Skenderaj Neighborhood

Llausha has been repeatedly targeted by Serb forces since early March, when Serb forces laid a deadly siege around the village.

Fadil Geci, head of the LDK in Llausha, said today that the situation in the village is critical. Serbs have been repeatedly bombarding farmsteads from the former ammunition factory in the suburb of Skenderaj, he said.

Meanwhile, a source of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms in Skenderaj said Serb forces shelled for the first time today the Lagjia e re (new outskirts) in the town of Skenderaj itself. Several houses in that part of the town have been badly damaged, the source said.

A stepped up movement of Serb forces in Skenderaj has been reported during the whole course of today.

[09] Fresh Serb Troops Deployed to Kosova Monday Morning

A huge army and police convoy of around 50 vehicles reached the town of Mitrovica today morning at around 10 a.m. The LDK chapter in Mitrovica said the Serb forces stopped by a petrol station near Zve^an, where soldiers were given plastic bottles of gasoline (!).

Heavy Serb forces were seen moving today morning along the Mitrovica- Sk&nderaj road. Part of Serb troops were reportedly deployed at Shipol.

Sources in Podujeva said Serb troops were seen coming from Serbia to Kosova via Prokuplje-Prishtina route today morning. Numerous Serb police patrols were positioned on both sides of the road from Podujeva to Lup^ village for a couple of hours.

[10] 12 Members of the Jetishi Family Transferred to Peja Jail

The LDK Information Commission in Gjakova said the following members of the Albanian family were sent to Peja: Avdyl, Mustaf&, Burim, Behar, Agim, Kujtim, Valon, Kastriot, Valdet, Flamur, Zenel and Fadil Jetishi.

Meanwhile, a citizen of Albania, said to be from the village of Peraj and in his mid-thirties, was sent to the Peja jail yesterday.

He was treated for wounds in the Gjakova hospital.

[11] Bus with Passengers on Board Taken to Police Station in Prishtina

Who the passengers on the bus were, and what the pretext for Serb police to force its drive to the police station was, remain still unknown.

[12] Albanian Detainee, Badly Tortured, in Prishtina Hospital

Rexhep Bislimi, an activist with the Ferizaj chapter of the Prishtina-based Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF), was arrested by the Serb police on 6 July.

Sources in the Prishtina hospital said Mr. Bislimi was taken there in a critical condition - with several broken ribs and hematomas - apparently as a result of brutal torture.

Serb police has been strictly guarding the hospital room Rexhep Bislimi is being held in.

A number of Albanians have died of torture while in Serb custody in Kosova over the past years.

[13] Serb Police Targets LDK Activists in Shtime and Prishtina

LDK sources in Shtime said the two activists were initially held at the police station in the town where they were beaten up severely and transferred later to Ferizaj.

They were held for over seven hours in Ferizaj and subjected to additional torture.

Meanwhile, the LDK chapter in Velania neighborhood in Prishtina said the Serbian police raided the party's local office Sunday afternoon. Serb policemen searched thoroughly the LDK office, whereas, Ms Refiqe Aliu, the activist who happened to be there, was interrogated for about one hour.

[14] British Aid Worker Jailed to 30 Days by Serb Court

The British freelance humanitarian worker known as the "Angel of Mostar" was jailed after being arrested on Saturday for trying to smuggle a refugee family into Albania, sources said.

The Serb regime has charged her with "illegal crossing of the border" and sentenced her summarily to 30 days in prison.

Sally Becker was taken to Lipjan jail to serve her 30-day sentence.

Sally Becker made her reputation five years ago after rescuing 25 wounded children from the Muslim sector of Mostar in Bosnia, while it was under artillery and sniper fire.

David Slinn, secretary at the British Embassy who has reportedly visited Sally Becker in jail, was quoted as saying that she was "generally okay".

Serb Police Hunts Down Albanians Uprooted from War-Torn Areas

PRISHTINA, July 20 (KIC) - Half a dozen Serb policemen raided on Sunday the home of Sahit Morina in Prishtina, under the pretext of looking for people displaced from war-torn areas in Kosova.

Sahit Morina said the police interrogated him about the guest accommodated in his house, as well as about his sons working abroad.

Mr. Morina told the KIC that he was ordered to show up at the Serb police headquarters in Prishtina.

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