Report on the violation of human rights and freedoms in Kosova in
the course of 1998

Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF)Prishtina, Republic of Kosova

SCORCHED LAND TACTICS - NO RETURN !

By killing, massacre and physical liquidations of 1934 Albanians, among whom 229 female, 213 children and 395 elderly, by kidnapping, arrests, ill-treatments, persecutions and displacement of 500.000 Albanians, by destruction and burning of 41.538 houses and flats, by looting of the wealth - Serbian regime wants to make it impossible for us to stay in our land and impede the return of the displaced and refugees all over Europe and worldwide.

As an aftermath of the consistent pattern and reliable attested human rights violation and organized state violence for many years now of the Serbian regime towards the Albanian population in Kosova, the armed conflict burst out in the beginning of 1998 and covered half of the territory of Kosova. Hundreds of people were killed, massacred, summarily executed, wounded, reported missing, taken hostage, kidnapped, arrested, convicted, persecuted and displaced. Many villages were looted, burned and destroyed to the ground. During the very same period, everything was destroyed in the regions affected by the conflict and there are no living conditions in the very same. The massacres in Likoshan, Qirez, Prekaz, Lybeniq, Poklek, Rahovec, Goluboc, Galica and Abria shocked the Albanian and the worldwide public opinion for their wanton killings, cruelty and lack of any human feelings. During 1998, CDHRF has registered 1934 killed and mutilated Albanians, among whom 229 female, 213 children and 395 elderly. Among the killed, 436 are unidentified. Due to the conditions created as an aftermath of war, CDHRF has evidenced 92 cases of death, among whom pregnant women, new-born babies, elderly, ill people who lacked medical assistance, etc. 2626 Albanians were detained, among whom 1260 people were kept in detention. 132 were convicted, whereas 1128 are still in pre-trial detention. During the very same period, 450 settlements were burned, destroyed and looted. 41.538 houses, 1995 business premises and other buildings were ruined, damaged, looted and burned. About 500.000 people were forced to flee their homes. There were many cases when the corpses of the killed were left unburied for months or were buried by police order without being identified. Such cases occurred in all the parts of Kosova, where conflicts took place. During the very same period, many storage, factories, mines, schools and monasteries were turned into weaponry depots, investigating prisons, concentration camps, where many Albanians were subjected to unprecedented brutality and torture.

The missing and kidnapped - killed and mutilated

CDHRF receives information on the missing and kidnapped on daily basis. From the beginning of the year up to September, more than 1440 persons were reported missing. However, after the Serb offensives, the local people and our field associates discovered a dozens of victims,killed or massacred during the Serbian attacks,who were reported as missing. CDHRF has information that a considerable number of persons are in the Serb prisons. CDHRF has never regarded the list of the missing as complete as it was not in a position to confirm all the cases. By the end of the year, CDHRF compiled a list with the names of 605 people who went missing or were kidnapped, including whole families. The names of 42 Serbs and Montenegrins are reported in the list. Deeply concerned, CDHRF has monitored all these events and has informed duly the public opinion, humanitarian organizations and other relevant factors.

The campaign of arrests, sentences and convictions went on

The campaign of arrests, sentences and convictions continued in the course of 1998. The District Courts in Prishtina, Peja, Prizren, Gjilan and Mitrovica, as well as the Military Court in Nish have initiated the investigative and penal proceedings and have convicted many Albanians under the charges of terrorism and threatening the territorial integrity of Serbia and Yugoslavia, charges which have been faced by the Albanians for decades. In the course of 1998, CDHRF based in Prishtina has compiled a list of 2626 arrested persons, of whom 132 were convicted for criminal acts pursuant to Art.136 and 125. 1128 are being kept in pre-trial detention. During the investigative proceedings and while in pre- trial detention, those arrested were continuously tortured. As an aftermath of torture, 7 violent deaths occurred in the investigative prisons during 1998. Among those killed is Rexhep Bislimi, member of the Board of the Sub-CDHRF in Ferizaj. According to the available data, 14.905 persons were ill-treated in different forms, an average of 41 persons per day. The rights of the ill-treated were violated in different forms. 17.413 such cases were registered. Yet, we believe that the figures presented are incomplete as thousands of cases were not registered due to the lack of information, the fear and hesitation of those being ill-treated.

Extrajudicial executions and massacres

Ever since the crisis in Kosova escalated and turned into an armed conflict, the Serb armed forces perpetrated extrajudicial executions and massacres not sparing even the women, children, elderly or the ill. Such executions took place in Likoshan (28 February 1998), Qirez (February), Prekaz i Posht&m (March), Poklek i Ri (May), De^an, Lybeniq, Rahovec (July), Dobratin (September), G&r^ina (October), Abri (September), Galica (September), in the vicinity of the Magura tunnel, Radisheva, Golluboc, Ranca near Shtime, Lugishta near Has, etc. The mass killings of Albanians began in the villages of Likoshan, district of Gllogoc, and that of Qirez, district of Sk&nderaj. On 28 February, an attack was launched in these two villages. The attack lasted 24 hours and a large number of masked Serb policemen, soldiers and paramilitaries were involved in it. Heavy weaponry and helicopters were used in this attack. The Serbian Ministry of Interior Affairs established an air bridge between Belgrade and their bases in Kosova. Helicopters opened fire on the Albanian villages. Albanian civilians were killed and mutilated inside the houses. The age of the killed and mutilated is between 16 and 70. Policemen went into the house of the Ahmetaj family (36 members) and forced them out. Men, women and children were told to lie down. The men were separated from the rest of the group, taken out of the yard, beaten and extrajudicially executed one by one. The tragedy continued on 5 March 1998. At about 5.00 a.m., Serb police forces launched an attack on the villages of Prekaz i Posht&m, Llausha, Polac, Marina, Vojnika and Rakinica, district of Sk&nderaj. As a consequence of this attack, 46 Albanians were killed and mutilated, of whom 20 from the family of Shaban Jashari. Among the killed, 15 were children aged between 7-16 and 17 were female. There were also elderly up to the age of 74. The victims were buried by the police on 10 March. They were not buried according to the tradition and the autopsy was not conducted. During this period, there were incessant attacks in the regions of De^an and Peja. On 25 May, police and military forces launched an attack on the villages of this region. The attack resulted with the extrajudicial execution of 7 members of the Hamza family, 1 member of the Gogaj-Cacaj family and 1 member of the Delimetaj family in the village of Lybeniq near Peja. On 31 May, at about 1.30 p.m., Serbian police and paramilitary forces launched an attack on the village of Poklek i Ri, killing and mutilating 11 persons. Apart from the corpse of Ardian Haxhi Deliu (18), who was buried, the corpses of the others were loaded in a police lorry. Ever since, there are no information on their whereabouts. It is assumed that the corpses were buried in a mass grave or were destroyed in order to tamper evidence. CDHRF believes that the skeletons presented by the Serb media in the village of Kle^ka can be those of the victims killed in Poklek. On 18 July, Serbian military forces perpetrated a massacre on the border zone with Albania. Women, children and elderly, who were trying to return to their homes, were massacred. This happened at the place called Rrasa e Zogut in the vicinity of the mountain huts in Junik. It is believed that at least 60 Albanians were killed. Whereas Serb media, based on the military sources, claimed that over 100 Albanians were killed. The number of the wounded is much higher. The corpses were still not given to their families. Their identities are still unknown. On 19 July, as an aftermath of a premeditated attack of the Serbian forces many Albanians were killed and wounded in Rahovec. Many women, children and elderly, who had taken shelter in Sheh Muhedini's masjid were massacred in the most barbaric way. The bodies of two professors and 6 other bodies burned beyond recognition were found at the place called "Tuba". CDHRF has registered the names of 150 killed people. Eye-witnesses claim that Serbian police, military and paramilitary forces perpetrated extrajudicial executions. Many Albanians were reported missing, taken hostage and arrested, whose whereabouts are still unknown. On 22 July, the Serbian authorities in Prizren opened two mass graves in which they buried the corpses of many Albanians killed during the offensive in Rahovec. On 26 August, while fleeing in a tractor, 11 members of the Asllani family from the village of Ranca were killed by a Serbian tank. Among the killed, 8 were children and 3 were women. 3 men were wounded. On 16 September, on returning to their houses in the village of Dragobil, Osman Met& Pa^arizi (60) and Fehmi Miftar Pa^arizi (45) were caught by the Serb forces, taken to Malisheva and executed. On 25 September, Serb forces went into the village of Galica, district of Vushtrri, and executed 14 men, mainly youngsters, and a woman. On 26 September, in the vicinity of the Magura tunnel, district of Klina, Serb forces separated several Albanians from the crowd of the displacement people and executed Smajl Millaku (72) and his son Sefer (49) from Ujmir. The very same day, 8 Albanian youngsters were executed by the Serb forces in Golluboc. On 27 September, in the Deliaj quarter in Abria e Ep&rme, district of Gllogovc, the corpses of 22 members of the Deliaj family, including women, children and elderly, were found a kilometer away from their house. Diturie Deliaj, a 3-month-old baby, was found alive under her mother's body. Due to the difficult living conditions, she died a month later. On 4 October, the mutilated corpses of Antigona (14) and Mihane Hysen Deliu (16) were found. Prior to being executed, the two were raped. Similar massacres are perpetrated by the Serb forces in most of the attacked regions.

Scorched land tactics

According to the tactics, means and methods used in the war operations, one can conclude that the Serbian forces have been applying the scorched land tactics. Since the beginning of the military operations in February 1998, more than 450 settlements were targeted by the Serbian forces. In most of the villages, after the shelling and the fleeing of the Albanian population, Serbian armed forces, aided by armed Serb civilians, looted all valuables and set fire to the houses. Over 41.000 houses were destroyed due to shelling or fire. The mass destruction of the Albanian settlements shows the aim of the Serbian regime to prevent the return of the displaced, which leads towards the ethnic cleansing of Kosova or whatever we call it.

It has been estimated that least 500.000 Albanians have fled their homes During the military operations, in which heavy artillery and airplanes were used, entire villages were abandoned. Due to this war machinery, hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee the affected regions and villages, which continue to be targeted by the Serb forces. Since February 1998, the number of the displaced reaches the figure of half a million. The experience of the displaced, who had to flee under the threat of weapons and in terrible weather is hard to describe. Thousands of Albanians lived many months in the open or in plastic sheet shelters, in very difficult living conditions. Due to the lack of living conditions, medicines and medical assistance, 92 Albanians died, among whom pregnant women, elderly and children. It is estimated that some 26.500 Albanians have sought shelter in Albania, 21.800 in Montenegro, 5000 in Macedonia and 6000 in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A large number of Albanians, while trying to flee to West European countries, were stationed in refugee camps in Hungary, Czekia and Italy. CDHRF has information that those who were stationed in refugee camps in Hungary live in very difficult conditions. There are many pregnant women and children among them. Many have requested from the CDHRF to appeal to the Hungarian authorities to improve the living conditions. During the very same period, some 90.000 Albanians have sought shelter in different West European countries. Some 400.000 Albanians were displaced and have sought shelter in safer regions within Kosova. The attempts of many displaced people to return to the ruins of their homes were hindered by the police. Since the arrival of the international verifiers a large number of people have returned to the ruins of their houses and are trying to rebuild them. There are cases when 20 people live in a 16m2 room. Some of the returnees were forced to flee their homes due to the large presence of Serb forces and due to the incessant shelling of their villages (Malisheva, Dollova, K&puz, Reka e Keqe, the villages in the district of De^an, Loxha, Raushiq, Prekaz i Posht&m, etc.)

Fresh forces and heavy weaponry were redeployed in Kosova despite of the agreement between Millosheviq and Holbrook

Despite of the Agreement for the withdrawal of the Serb forces from Kosova, we were informed that fresh forces and heavy weaponry were redeployed in Kosova. A very grave phenomenon is the increase in the number of incidents caused by Serb civilians. 294 incidents occurred in the course of 1998. Serbian police and military forces have distributed weapons to Serb civilians. These heavily armed civilians parade through the streets provoking Albanians. There were many cases when fire was opened on the Albanian houses.

Hundreds of injured people in a peaceful protests

During the months of March, April and May, peaceful protests were held all over Kosova against the Serb massacres perpetrated in Drenica and the other regions of Kosova. Hundreds of protesters, mainly pupils and students, were ill-treated by policemen and Serb civilians. Many suffered severe body injuries (as was the case with the professors of the Faculty of Philosophy in Prishtina, on June 10, 1998).

The persecution of medical and humanitarian workers

In the course of 1998, many medical and humanitarian workers were subjected to different forms of violence. They were kidnapped, killed, killed by torture, went missing, arrested, sentenced and ill-treated. Rexhep Bislimi, an activist of the Sub-CDHRF in Ferizaj, and Cen Dugolli, an activist, died as an aftermath of being tortured while in police custody. Dr. Hafir Shala, a physician, an activist of the "Mother Theresa" Humanitarian & Charitable Society, was arrested by the Serb forces on April 10. Ever since, there are no information on his whereabouts. Xhavit Haziri, an activist of the CDHRF in Prishtina, was kidnapped on September 17. Ever since, there are no information on his whereabouts. Hajriz and Adem Morina, activists of the "Mother Theresa" Humanitarian & Charitable Society, were killed due to shelling, while distributing aid in the villages of Malisheva. Dr. Lec B. Uka, a physician, was mutilated by the Serb forces on September 25, 1998. On October 1, in the vicinity of Likoc, a vehicle of the ICRC hit a mine. Dr. Shpetim Robaj,a physician, was killed and 3 other humanitarian workers were wounded (including one from New Zealand).

These were just some of the cases in which medical and humanitarian activists were killed. Many humanitarians activists were sentenced to prison terms: Xhevat Haziri, Zahrije Podrim^aku, Rufki Suma, Enver Berisha, Ferit Tafallari, etc. CDHRF has registered 114 cases of ill-treatment of humanitarian activists. The work of humanitarian activists as well as that of the activists of the CDHRF is becoming more and more difficult.

The dismissal and eviction of Kosovar Albanians continues

The dismissal of Albanian workers as well as their eviction from their flats continued in the course of 1998. 70 Albanian workers were dismissed from the "Saloniti" Plant in Hani i Elezit. 24 Albanian families were evicted from their flats and Serb families were settled in them.

In the course of 1998, there was no single pattern of human rights and freedoms which was not violated by the Serbian regime. The scarce of this violation will remain in the heats and the minds of the future survivors or reflected in the minds of the people of Kosova.

In the course of 1998:

1934 Albanians were killed, mutilated and extrajudicially executed; 818 were wounded; 148 murder attempts; 2 underage girls were raped and mutilated; 650 families were raided; 419 Albanians were taken informative talks; 1128 are in pre-trial detention; 132 were sentenced for "penal deeds" (21 in absentia); 5 Albanians were sentenced by the military court; 87 for petty offence; 3758 cases of physical torture (1047 cases resulting with severe body injuries); 924 persons underwent routine checking; 799 were reported missing; 58 cases of usurpation; 171 persons were searched for; 229 persons were summoned to report to the police station; 24 Albanian families were evicted from their flats; 135 Albanians were dismissed from work; 25 cases of seizure of travel documents (passports);

Out of the total number of the ill-treated:

913 were women; 439 children; 441 elderly; 66 CDHRF activists; 48 humanitarian activists; 163 educational activists;

CDHRF assumes that the data presented in this report is incomplete as it could not register all the cases of the violation of human rights and freedoms in the course of 1998.

Prishtina, 22 January,l999