Kosova Daily Report #1606, 98-11-07

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

Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1606
Prishtina, 7 November 1998

CONTENTS

[01] President Rugova Receives U.S. Congress Staff Members

[02] At least 172 Kosovar Albanians Killed in October, Human Rights Group Says

[03] Serb Military Forces Fire into Suhareka Villages

[04] Serb Forces Kill Five Albanians in Suhareka Friday

[05] Serb Police Open Gunfire without Warning, Kill Two Albanians in Klina

[06] Albanian Communities in Klina Come under Serb Gunfire Friday Night

[07] Serbs Open Fire in Llazic& Village on Friday

[08] Serb Police Harass IDPs Returning to Their Villages in Mitrovica

[09] Serb Police Reinforced in Orllan, Podujeva

[10] Police Seizes School Furniture in Vushtrri, Arrests Albanian Educators

[01] President Rugova Receives U.S. Congress Staff Members

President Rugova and the American delegation discussed at length about the current volatile situation in Kosova and efforts to de- escalate it so that an appropriate environment for a negotiated and political settlement is created.

Rugova thanked the U.S. Administration and Congress for their continued and comprehensive support for a just solution to the Kosova issue.

[02] At least 172 Kosovar Albanians Killed in October, Human Rights Group Says

In an account circulated today, the major Kosovar human rights group, CDHRF, said by it has registered 1.770 Albanians killed since the Serb forces crackdown in Kosova in early spring this year.

The report says many Albanians were massacred and summarily executed, many others were arrested, and persecuted in different fashions during October. The fate of hundreds of Albanians gone missing for months is unknown, it says, noting that many have been slain by Serb forces already.

Internally displaced Albanians and refugees returning to their villages have been finding bodies of their killed relatives and neighbors scattered in the fields or in the ruins of their houses shelled by Serbs during continued offensives last summer. The Council said some of the Albanians have been killed by land mines, mainly in border area, and booby-traps placed in their farmhouses by Serbs.

At least 55 Albanians were summarily executed, the human rights group said. The age of the victims ranges from several months to 90 years; 26 persons were buried as unidentified; the bodies of 23 were found virtually charred.

In October the CDHRF registered 343 cases of people taken hostage, missing or being held as war prisoners. At least 394 were arrested by the Serb regime forces during last month alone, most of them on terrorism-related charges.

[03] Serb Military Forces Fire into Suhareka Villages

Meanwhile, reports said Serb police and armed Serbs in plain clothes opened fire in the direction of the village of Mohlan.

Serb police patrolling the village of Leshan illtreated an Albanian from Samadraxha in the morning today, whereas at half past noon Serb police patrolling Reshtan illtreated Petrit Shabiqi (15), a high school student.

[04] Serb Forces Kill Five Albanians in Suhareka Friday

Sources in Suhareka said the five Albanians were killed yesterday at around midday somewhere between the villages of Opterusha and Samadraxha.

Sources in the Prizren morgue said the victims were dressed in uniforms of the Liberation Army of Kosova (U^K). The KIC could not learn further details surrounding their death.

The chapter of the Prishtina-based Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms in Prizren said this afternoon it has learned the identity of all five Albanian killed yesterday near Suhareka, naming them as Xhelal Hajda (31) and Selajdin Mullaabazi (30), both residents of Rahovec; Bektesh Halili from Gllavatin village of Vushtrri, Hamdi Hajrizi from Strofc village (Vushtrri), and Nezir Ymeri, resident of Jezerc of Ferizaj. They were all members of the U^K, the CDHRF said.

[05] Serb Police Open Gunfire without Warning, Kill Two Albanians in Klina

Eye-witnesses said the two Albanians were gunned down near a flour- mill in Jabllanica when Serb police opened fire in their direction without warning.

Many Albanians who had gone to mill the wheat into flour, as well as employees of the mill, were held as hostages in the mill for a couple of hours after the two Albanians were shot dead.

The bodies of the two victims are still in the hands of the Serb police, sources in Klina said.

[06] Albanian Communities in Klina Come under Serb Gunfire Friday Night

PRISHTINA, Nov 7 (KIC) - Serb forces garrisoned in Vuljaka bauxite mine near Klina opened fire against outlying Albanian communities overnight. The villages of Sferka, Volljaka, P&r^eva and other hamlets in the area were sprayed with machine- gun fire on repeated occasions last night, sources in Klina said.

Residents of communities around the Vuljaka mines have told the LDK chapter in Klina that their homes have been fired onto almost every night. Increased movement of Serb troops and heavy machinery in the area during the night hours has been causing panic and fear amongst the population.

Meanwhile, the LDK Information Commission in Klina said today that two Serbs, one in plain clothes and the other in uniform, attacked on Friday an LDK activist in the town. Ndue Bala was beaten by the Serbs in front of his house in the town.

[07] Serbs Open Fire in Llazic& Village on Friday

On Friday afternoon, the body of Sherif Sahit Hoti (60) was found in the wooded area of Carralluk& village of Malisheva. A native of the village, he was killed by Serb forces in 28 July, LDK sources said.

Two local Malisheva Albanians, Fatmir Gashi (1961) from V&rmica, and Dr. Aziz Tha^i, a dentist from Balinc village, were illtreated by Serb police in Klina on Friday.

[08] Serb Police Harass IDPs Returning to Their Villages in Mitrovica

PRISHTINA, Nov 7 (KIC) - Serb police brutalized scores of Albanians Friday at Shipol suburb of Mitrovica. Most of the Albanians ill- treated at the checkpoint were internally displaced persons (IDP) attempting to return to their villages, the LDK chapter in Mitrovica said.

Several IDPs were likewise harassed on Friday at two other Serb police checkpoints at T&rnafc and Klina e Ep&rme villages.

The LDK chapter also said that a group of over a dozen Serb policemen and civilians beat Friday evening several Albanian pupils in front of the "Ismail Qemali" primary school in the town. It named the following pupils who suffered body injuries: Argjend Veliqi, Liridon& Veliqi, Luljet& Mulaj, Abaz Mulaj, Azem Kajtazi, Liridon& Haxhiu and Kaltrin& Kutllovci.

[09] Serb Police Reinforced in Orllan, Podujeva

Additional Serb forces were deployed on Friday to the local police station in Orllan.

Besides uniformed policemen, armed Serb civilians have been accompanying the Serb police units patrolling the area. The Serbs have been intimidating and harassing people in the streets and shops in the town of Podujeva, during the evening hours in particular.

The LDK noted that there has been increased movement of Serb forces on the Prishtina-Nis roadway over the past days.

[10] Police Seizes School Furniture in Vushtrri, Arrests Albanian Educators

Serb police detained Qazim Azemi and Izet Morina, school principals with Albanian-run schools, Middle School "Marin Be^ikemi" and Elementary School "A.Z. ^ajupi" in Vushtrri, respectively. Two other Albanian workers were taken by police, too.

The four Albanians were reported to be in police custody in Vushtrri.

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