COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF  HUMAN  RIGHTS AND  FREEDOMS
KĖSHILLI PĖR MBROJTJEN E TĖ DREJTAVE E TĖ LIRIVE TĖ NJERIUT

REPORT NO. 477

on the situation of human rights and freedoms in Kosova from 19 until 26 December 1999

During this week, according to the available data, 3 Albanians were killed; 3 citizens were wounded, 2 of whom are Albanians (one died in a mine accident) and one is Serb. A girl was kidnapped and there was a kidnap attempt of two other youngsters. Family members identified 31 Albanian civilians, killed by Serbian forces in the end of March this year.
 
CHRONICLE

Killing

    20 December. – Mejdi Sylejmani (about 50) from Sadovina e Jerlive was killed at about 16.00, in the entrance of Vitia.
    22 December. – An Albanian citizen was killed due to the shots fired from a car heading towards Lipjan and another one was wounded.
    23 December. – The corpse of Riza Sokoli (43) from Dollova (Klina) was found at the Ura e Hekurit near Klina.

Mass graves – reburials, identifications

    SKĖNDERAJ: Last days, until 23 December, according to the clothes and other personal things of the killed persons, exhibited in the building of the District Council in Skėnderaj, family members identified 31 Albanians, executed by the Serbian forces on 28 March in Izbica, when 127 Albanian civilians were executed. Later on, several other executed Albanian civilians were buried in that grave, therefore there were corpses of over 150 Albanian civilians in that mass grave. In order to eliminate traces of the crimes, in the end of May, Serbian forces took the corpses from this grave towards unknown direction. Some of them were found in the mass graves in Suhodoll (Mitrovica) and Bruznik and Novolan (Vushtrri). So far, the following were identified: Mehmet Hajra, Qerime Hajra (39), Halit Rrustemi (52), Bajram Bajra (34) and Muhamet Emra (39) – Izbica; Rexhė Duraku (87), Bel Duraku (71), Avdullah Duraku (55), Hajriz Shala (77), Hysen Shala (36), Milazim Zeka (53), Jahir Zeka (45) and Sheremet Thaēi (51) – Buroja; Rrahim Tahiri (80), Rrahim Krasniqi (70) and Sadik Sherif Hoti (67) – Vojnika; Halit Musliu (62), Muhamet Musliu (46) and Naim Musliu (23) – Klina e Poshtme; Shefqet Hoti (56) and Vehbi Hoti (26) – Marina; Osman Dajaku (59) – Rakinica, Murat Draga (35) – Leēina, Selman Ukė Loshi (78) – Padalishta and Ilaz Bajra (68) – Kllodernica (Skėnderaj) as well as Hamzė Qupeva (49), Hajdar Bajraktari (52) and Tahir Hoti (56) – Jashanica; Azem Kuqica (70) and Hamdi Doēi (44) – Kėrrnica and Sabit Qallpeku (39) – Shtupel (Klina).
    VUSHTRRI: On 24 December, an unidentified corpse wrapped up in a plastic bag was found in a grave in Duboc.

Wounding in mine accidents

    GJILAN: On 20 December, Nexhat Ali Zymberaj (1952) from Burica e Karadakut stepped on a mined field in Logja and suffered severe wounds. He was taken to the Prishtina Hospital urgently.

Wounding

    RAHOVEC: On 20 December, late in the evening, in the quarter where the Serbs, Roma and hashkali live, a Roma called Gafurr severely wounded a Serb named Gėrkoviq (18).

Disappearances and kidnappings

    GJAKOVA: On 19 December, at about 19.30, in the vicinity of the Catholic Church in Gjakova, 4 persons in a white “Ford van attempted to kidnap an 18-year-old boy.
    On 22 December, at about 23.30, in Ēarshia e Vogėl in Gjakova, two unknown persons kidnapped a girl, who according to an eyewitness was from Peja. She was a guest in Gjakova.
    PRISHTINA: On 22 December, three unknown persons attempted to kidnap a girl (pupil) from Prishtina. On noticing the KFOR patrol, they released her and ran away towards unknown direction. Due to the slippery road, they could not manage to go very far, so KFOR British soldiers could catch them and hand them in to the UNMIK police.

Trials

    - On 22 December, the District Court in Kurshumlia (Serbia) convicted Senad Begu and Selim Azemi, both from Podujeva, to 8 months of imprisonment each for “illegal felling of trees”. They were kidnapped on 14 September by Serbian policemen and civilians, while they were cutting woods in their own forests in the vicinity of Merdar, on the border Kosova-Serbia.

Ill-treatment, attacks, provocations

    FUSHĖ-KOSOVA: On 19 December, at about 21.30, in Ēagllavica (Prishtina), some Serbs attacked Abdylmenaf Rrustemi, a teacher with the “Hivzi Sylejmani” Gymnasium in Fushė-Kosova, while he was travelling by car to Prishtina. They broke the car door.
    PRISHTINA: On 19 December, after 22.00, several cars were damaged due to a grenade explosion in “Dardania” quarter.
    MITROVICA: On 20 December, at 13.30, a group of Serbs attacked the office of the Albanian Republican Party, which is in the northern part of the town.
    The very same day, by the order of the UNMIK regional administrator in Mitrovica, Stefan De Mistura, the UN flag was removed from the Mitrovica Hospital, which is in the northern part of the town, as the Serbian medical staff refused the return of 22 Albanian doctors in this hospital. De Mistura stated that the UN flag would be raised in this hospital, when the Albanian doctors and patients would return. Until then, there will be no aid for this hospital.
    On 23 December, at about 12.30, in “7 Shtatori” quarter, in the northern part of the town, two Serbs severely ill treated Aslihane Hakif Begu (49) and her son Shpend Shasivar Begu (15), living in this quarter, and threatened them with killing if they move in this part of the town again.
    The very same day, Bahri Pllana (brother of Basri Pllana, a collaborator of the Serbian regime) threatened with fire weapon the medical staff in the Health Care Centre in Mitrovica and opened fire in the stomatology ward, when windows got broken. On going out, he threatened the citizens, insulted a girl and pointed his weapon at a youngster, who on self-defence wounded him on his hand. Bahri was taken to the French military hospital.
    Through an anonymous phone call made to the so-called “Serbian District Council”, which operates in the northern part of the town, the paramilitary organisation “Beli Orlovi” (White eagles) claimed the responsibility for the attack on the office of the Albanian Republican Party in Mitrovica.

The prisoners and prisons

    PRISHTINA: An Albanian citizen introduced with his initials A. I. from Banja e Sijarinės (Medvegja), who was released from the military prison of Nish (Serbia) on 17 December and who lives with his family in Shkup, managed to take a list with the names of 15 Albanian prisoners in Nish, even though their number is much higher. According to him, the following were on the same floor with him:
                  Dedė Markaj,
                  Frano Komoni and
                  Haxhi Pajazitaj - from Gjakova;
                  Robert Gashi,
                  Jani or Toni Prela,
                  Lazėr Krasniqi and Sokol Ndue – from Korenica (Gjakova);
                  Fatmir Shashivar Memaj,
                  Kujtim Ekrem Memaj,
                  Nexhmedin Haki Ajazaj and
                  Elez Kurtaj – from Zhur (Prizren);
                  Ibrahim Tahiri and
                  Abdyl Morina – from the district of Rahovec;
                  Jeton Dalip Krasniqi from Buēa (Dragash) and
                  Gani Shukriu from the district of Prizren.
    PEJA: The following were released from the prison of Leskovc (Serbia):
                  Beqir Tahir Loxha,
                  Xhevat Ramė Bajrami and
                  Vllaznim Brahim Pėrgjegjaj from Vitomirica and
                  Agron Ibrahim Kollēaku from Peja.
              They were arrested by Serbian forces 7 months ago.

    SUHAREKA: On 24 December, Sokol Ymer Kabashi (1972) from Dardhishta (Suhareka) was released from the prison of Prokuple (Serbia). He was arrested on 24 January 1999 on the border with Hungary in Kelebi of Subotica (Vojvodina).

    PRISHTINA: On 20 December, at about 6.00 am, UNMIK police, in cooperation with KFOR, arrested an Albanian (32), under the suspicion that within two month he had committed 5 killings in Llukar.

Eastern Kosova – (Presheva, Bujanoc, Medvegja)

    BUJANOC: On 21 December, at about 19.00, 7 Serbian policemen entered the “Teuta” pizzeria in Bujanoc, where they provoked, insulted on a national and family basis and threatened with liquidation the waiter Lirim Sherifali Nazifi (1979). On leaving, policemen ill-treated Hevzi Bilall Ahmeti (1947), a pensioner, owner of the building.
    PRESHEVA: These days, 100-150 members of Serbian special units were situated in Presheva. They were stationed in the Youth House in Presheva and during the patrol, they usually go in groups of 15-20 members.

KFOR interventions

    KAĒANIK: On 26 December, in the vicinity of Doganaj, at the cross-road Tetova-Brezovica, KFOR Polish soldiers stopped the Albanian sportsmen, who were on their way to Brezovica for the activity “All in snow”, previously announced by the Ski Federation of Kosova. Moreover, soldiers opened fire thrice on the tyre of the car, in which was Hajrush Demaj, chairman of the Ski Federation of Kosova.
 

    Prishtina, 26 December 1999                             Information Service

Rr. Zdrini, 38000 Prishtinė-Kosovė; tel. 381 (0) 549006  fax: 381 (0) 38 549007
E-mail:kmdlnj@albanian.com      cdhrf@albanian.com     http://www.albanian.com/kmdlnj