29 April 1999
The Ethnic Cleansing of Kosovo
Note: New information since 22 April is denoted with bold italicized type. Previously
published information remains for context and contingency use.
Reports of Serb war crimes in Kosovo --including the detention and summary execution of
military-aged men, the destruction of civilian housing, and forcible expulsion-continue to
mount. Kosovar Albanian refugees continue to report mass executions in at least 65
towns and villages throughout the province, and they have reported mass graves in Drenica,
Izbica, Kaaniku, Malisevo, Pusto Selo, Rezalla and the Pagarusa valley. We have
confirmed the presence of a mass burial site at Pusto Selo and another in Izbica. Numerous
refugee reports indicate a new pattern of Serb execution in which Serb forces order ethnic
Albanian men to run for a distance, and then either shoot or shell them with heavy
weapons. This creates forensic evidence that would allow the Serbs to claim the victims
were collateral casualties of military operations. Kosovar Albanian refugees continue to
report both mass and individual summary executions throughout the province. Refugee
reports of Serbian mass executions total over 4,000 ethnic Albanian deaths. The
number would be far higher if we took into account the countless tales of individual
murder. The organized and individual rape of ethnic Albanian women by Serb security forces
and paramilitaries are being reported in increasing numbers by Kosovar refugees. According
to refugees, Serb forces have conducted systematic rapes in Djakovica and at the Hotel
Karagac in Pec.
We also have clear indications of the magnitude and intensity of the Serbian effort to
displace the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo. At least 800,000 Kosovar Albanians have
left the province since the Serb security crackdown that began in March of last year.
Based on the scope and intensity of Serb activities throughout the province, at least an
additional 650,000 Kosovars appear to be internally displaced persons (IDPs). Nearly 1.5
million ethnic Albanians-90 percent of the estimated Kosovar Albanian population of the
province-have been forcibly expelled from their homes. Disturbingly, at least
100,000 military-aged men remain missing according to claims by their families in refugee
camps outside of Kosovo.
We have incontrovertible evidence that thousands of homes in at least 500 cities, towns,
and villages have been damaged. We cannot confirm reports of starvation among IDPs in
Kosovo, but presumably there are pockets of deprivation, especially among those who have
been in the hills for weeks. In addition, refugees are reporting that Serb forces
continue to harass them with forced extortion and beatings. and that some have been
strafed by Serb aircraft.
Because the Serbs expelled international observers and most of the nongovernmental
organizations (NGOs) and journalists from the province, it has been difficult to obtain
independent corroboration of many of the specific allegations of violations of
international humanitarian law reported in Kosovo. Nonetheless, the overwhelmingly
consistent nature of the thousands of reports from official observers across the border in
Albania and Macedonia, from journalists and NGOs still in contact with their local staff
in Kosovo, and from Kosovar Albanians themselves (both refugees and the Kosovo Liberation
Army-KLA) paint an unambiguous picture of the scope and intensity of the campaign of
ethnic cleansing the Serbs have waged in the province.
The following is a partial list of what appear to be war crimes or violations of
international humanitarian law reported throughout Kosovo:
Forcible Displacement of Ethnic Albanian Civilians
The Serbs are conducting a campaign of forced population movement on a scale not seen in
Europe since the Second World War. They appear to have driven the bulk of the ethnic
Albanian population from their homes, even though many of them have not yet been forced
out of Kosovo. Belgrade's claim that this unprecedented population outflow is the result
of voluntary flight in fear of NATO airstrikes is absurd. Refugees consistently report
being expelled from their homes by Serb forces at gunpoint, in contrast to the fighting
last year, when the bulk of the IDPs and refugees fled voluntarily to escape the crossfire
or to avoid reprisals by Serb security forces. In addition, numerous refugee reports
indicate that Serb forces have expelled the majority of ethnic Albanians from urban areas
such as Djakovica. Refugees say that those who were forced to remain are being used as
human shields.
In contrast to last year, when Serb tactics in Kosovo were dominated by attacks by the
security forces on small villages, Yugoslav Army units and armed civilians have now joined
the police in systematically expelling ethnic Albanians at gunpoint from both villages and
the larger towns of Kosovo. There are numerous reports from refugees and the press of Serb
forces going house-to-house to rob the residents before looting and burning their homes.
Despite expulsion from their homes at gunpoint, Serbian authorities have been forcing
these refugees to sign disclaimers saying they left Kosovo of their own free will.
Refugees also report that the Serb forces have been confiscating their personal belongings
and documentation, including their national identity papers, and telling them to take a
last look around because they will never return to Kosovo. Many of the places targeted had
not been the scene of any previous fighting or KLA activity, which indicates that the Serb
expulsions are not part of a legitimate security or counter-insurgency operation, but
instead a plan to cleanse the province of its ethnic Albanian population.
At least 600,000 Kosovar Albanian have become refugees in Albania, Macedonia, and
Montenegro. The remaining 200,000 refugees have been displaced to other countries. Over
three-fourths of these refugees have arrived since late March, with columns awaiting
processing into Albanian and Macedonia reportedly stretching back nearly fifteen miles at
their peak.
Looting of Homes and Businesses
In addition to reports of Serbs looting their homes and businesses, Kosovar Albanian
refugees claimed that Serb forces were robbing them of all their personal belongings
before they crossed the borders.
Widespread Burning of Homes
Some 500 residential areas have been at least partially burned since late March, including
over 300 villages burned since 4 April. Most Serb homes and stores have remained intact,
and Serb civilians in the town of Vucitrn painted a Cyrillic "S" on their doors
so that Serb forces would not attack their homes by mistake. The destruction is much more
extensive and thorough than occurred last summer. Many settlements are being totally
destroyed in an apparent attempt to ensure that the ethnic Albanian population cannot
return. Serb forces have reportedly burned all houses previously rented to the OSCE in
Vucitrn, Stimlje, and Mitrovica. Reports of mass burning of villages have waned in
the past week, probably because there is little need to burn Albanian homes that have been
abandoned. Many of those homes still intact have been taken over by Serb soldiers.
Detentions
Refugees have claimed that Serb forces are systematically separating military-aged men
from the groups, and the vast majority of refugees crossing international borders out of
Kosovo, especially into Albania, have been women and children. At least 100,000
military-aged men remain missing, according to refugee reports.
Refugees reported earlier in April that Serb forces were using the Ferro-Nickel
factory in Glogovac as a detention center for a large number of Kosovar Albanians. New
refugees in Albania report that the factory is no longer being used as a detention center,
and that Serb forces are now using the facility as a temporary housing area.
The following locations within Kosovo have been reported as the sites of ongoing mass
detention of ethnic Albanians:
- Deneral Jankovic: A cement factory in this town is reportedly being used as a detention
center for 5,000 ethnic Albanians.
- Srbica: The press and refugees report that as many as 20,000 ethnic Albanians --
including women and children -- were force-marched from the town of Cirez to Srbica as
human shields for Serb tanks before being detained in a munitions factory.
- Vucitrn: An unknown number of Albanians were reportedly herded into a school here.
Summary Executions
Refugees have provided accounts of summary executions in at least 65 towns and villages
throughout Kosovo. Mass executions continue to be reported by Kosovar Albanian refugees
from throughout the province, and they have spoken of mass graves in Drenica, Kaaniku,
Rezalla, Malisevo, Pusto Selo, and the Pagarusa valley. Approximately 150 bodies
reportedly were discovered in Drenica and 34 in Malisevo. Serb security forces reportedly
locked an entire family into a house in a village in Drenica and burned them alive. Even
with scanty media or outside government access to Kosovo, overhead imagery has
corroborated at least two reports-the mass burials at Izbica and Pusto Selo. According
to an unconfirmed KLA press report, Serb forces began exhuming the Pusto Selo mass burial
site on 23 April, and sent the bodies to Orahovac by truck. In addition to random
executions, the Serbs appear to be targeting members of the Kosovar Albanian
intelligentsia including lawyers, doctors, and political leaders.
The newest refugee accounts of a Serb mass execution concern ethnic Albanian men
departing the Djakovica area on 27 April. They describe how Serb forces reportedly removed
at least 200 men from a refugee convoy, forced them down to their knees, and executed them
at close-range. The absence of military-aged males from these refugees and the fact that
some groups reported seeing the bodies of men whose abductions had been described by
previous groups, appears to corroborate their claim.
Rapes
The organized and individual rape of ethnic Albanian women is being reported in increasing
numbers by Kosovar refugees. According to refugees, Serb forces have conducted systematic
rapes in Djakovica and Pec. Ethnic Albanian women were reportedly separated from their
families and sent to an army camp near Djakovica where they were repeatedly raped by Serb
soldiers. In Pec, refugees allege that Serb forces rounded up young Albanian women and
took them to the Hotel Karagac, where they are raped repeatedly. The commander of the
local base reportedly uses a roster of soldiers' names to allow all of his troops an
evening in the hotel. In addition to these two specific accounts, numerous refugees claim
that during Serb raids in their villages, young women have been gang raped in homes and on
the sides of roads. There are probably many more incidents than have been reported because
of the stigma attached to this offense in traditional Kosovar society.
Atrocities and War Crimes by Location
The following is a partial list of what appear to be war crimes or violations of
international humanitarian law reported throughout Kosovo since late March 1999:
Acareva. Serb forces reportedly burned this village in the Drenica region on 30
March.
Bela Cervka. Serb forces reportedly killed 35 people, then dumped their bodies near
the Bellaja River between the Rogova and Bela Cervka railroad. By 28 March, Serb forces
reportedly had killed as many as 500 civilians in this town.
Bellenice. Serb forces reportedly executed 60 young male Kosovar Albanians on 1
April.
Bruznic. Serb forces reportedly burned down this village near Vucitrn in early
April, and a Kosovar Albanian refugee also claimed that Serb forces killed 100 ethnic
Albanians there following the Rambouillet conference.
Cirez. 20,000 Albanian Kosovars were reportedly used as human shields against NATO
bombings.
Djakovica. Armed Serb civilians are active in the town and reportedly burned a
building where a group of ethnic Albanians were taking cover during a NATO airstrike. In
addition, over 100 ethnic Albanians were reportedly executed by MUP and paramilitary units
in this city. Seventy bodies were reportedly found in two houses and 33 were found in a
nearby river. The men are reportedly being separated from the women and children. All
Albanian Kosovars remaining in the town were warned to leave by 29 March, and Serb forces
began burning ethnic Albanian homes, shops, and markets. Nearly 14,000 refugees from
Djakovica fled to the Albanian border crossing point at Prushit on 5 April. On 27
April, Serb forces reportedly executed 200 military-aged ethnic Albanian men.
Deneral Jankovic. Several Kosovar Albanian refugees claim that Serb security forces
have detained as many as 5,000 ethnic Albanians in a cement factory in this border town. As
of 22 April, at least 2,000 ethnic Albanians remain detained in a cement factory,
according to refugee reports.
Glodane. A large concentration of Kosovar IDPs has been observed in this town under
guard by Serb forces.
Glogovac. The Albanian residential area has been burned, sending displaced persons
into the Cicavica mountains. On 12 April, Serb forces reportedly executed 50 ethnic
Albanian refugees as they were leaving town. Glogovac also reportedly housed a mass
detention and execution center for Kosovar men.
Gnjilane. Between 7 and 15 April, Serb VJ and paramilitary forces reportedly
extorted and physically abused ethnic Albanians in this town. Finally on 16 April, the
paramilitary units reportedly ordered all ethnic Albanians out of the town, or be killed.
At least 1,000 IDPs departed and were harassed by Serb forces along the way. Men were
reportedly separated from the convoy and killed; Serb forces reportedly ordered other
refugees to bury the bodies of at least six ethnic Albanians. Two of the bodies had been
burned, while the other four had bullet wounds to the back of the head.
Goden. Serb forces executed 20 men, including schoolteachers, on 25 March before
burning the village.
Gornje Obrinje. A Kosovar Albanian refugee claimed that Serb forces executed 12
ethnic Albanians on 5 April.
Istok. One thousand refugees from this town arrived at the border with Macedonia on
8 April. Some refugees said that an unknown number of people had died en route and others
were turned back by Serb police near Raska and Novi Pazar.
Izbica. Serb forces reportedly killed 270 ethnic Albanians since mid-March. Kosovar
Albanian refugees reportedly saw bodies that appeared to have been tortured and burned.
Overhead imagery confirmed the presence of a mass burial site.
Jovic Serb forces reportedly separated men from the columns of ethnic Albanian civilians,
and a Kosovar Albanian refugee claimed that he saw 34 corpses in the town.
Kaaniku. Kosovar Albanian refugees claim that Serb forces massacred 45 ethnic
Albanians on 9 April and dumped their bodies in a mass grave.
Kacanik. A Kosovar Albanian refugee claimed that as many as 300 masked VJ and MUP
soldiers forcibly expelled the ethnic Albanian villagers towards Prizren. On 14 April,
Serb paramilitaries reportedly drove the separated men into a pasture, where they forced
them to kneel and pledge allegiance to Serbia. The Serbs then fired at them, killing at
least 12 ethnic Albanians.
Kamena Glava. On 6 April, Serb paramilitary units reportedly looted and burned the
village. After driving the villagers into the woods for ten days, VJ forces ordered all of
them to leave the area on 17 April.
Klina. The expulsion of the town's ethnic Albanian population began on 28 March,
with Serb forces removing residents from their homes and ordering them out of the country.
Serb forces reportedly used 500 Kosovar Albanian men as human shields during fighting with
KLA forces. A refugee who survived the fighting claimed that the men were robbed of their
possessions and forced to strip naked and lie in a field for two hours while Serb
artillery fired on nearby KLA positions.
Kolic. Serb forces reportedly killed at least 70 Kosovar Albanian males on 23
April, according to refugee reports. In addition, a video tape of the incident was
reportedly made by an ethnic Albanian refugee.
Kosovska Mitrovica. Serb forces have reportedly expelled all Kosovar Albanians from
this city since 23 March. In addition, over 200 Albanian homes and shops have been
torched, and Serb forces reportedly have killed prominent Albanian Kosovars. Latif
Berisha, a poet and President of the Democratic Alliance of the Mitrovica Municipality,
was executed in his home, and Agim Hajrizi, Chairman of the Assembly of the Independent
Workers' Union, was murdered along with his mother and 12-year-old son. Serb forces
reportedly looted Kosovar Albanian shops and burned Albanian homes around a barracks that
was targeted by NATO air strikes in an apparent attempt to blame NATO for the damage. Serb
forces reportedly were continuing to burn villages around this town as of 2 April.
According to refugee reports, Serb forces executed 15 Kosovar Albanian men on 15 April.
A Kosovar Albanian refugee claimed that Serb forces separated young ethnic Albanian men
from the general population, tied their hands together, and led them into the street.
Although the refugee did not witness any mass executions, she did witness one VJ soldier
shooting an ethnic Albanian while he sat in a car. A refugee from a nearby village claims
to have witnessed Serb civilians executing a young ethnic Albanian boy. Serb forces
reportedly burned villages around this town. The ethnic Albanians who were expelled from
these villages remain in the Cicavica Mountains, east of the town.
Kosovo Polje. Serb forces reportedly forced ethnic Albanians into their homes and
then threw hand grenades inside. Other refugee reports claimed that ethnic Albanians were
burned alive in their homes, and that on 28 March, Serb paramilitary forces killed at
least 70 Kosovar Albanian civilians. In addition, refugees traveling from Pristina via
trains report that Serb paramilitary units boarded the cars and stole all of their
valuables. Serb forces reportedly entered the village on 4 April, collected all the
villagers, confiscated their personal documents and car keys, and then transported them to
the border by train. According to refugee reports, Serb police at the Kosovo Polje train
station raped five young Albanian women in the train station basement.
Kotlina. According to refugees from this town near Kacanik, 50-60 ethnic Albanian
men remain missing. The rest of the Kosovar inhabitants were reportedly loaded onto trains
and sent to Macedonia. Ethnic Albanians on 8 April discovered a mass grave suspected of
containing the bodies of some 26 persons, according to refugee reports. The victims
allegedly were murdered in mid-March by a Serb paramilitary group, which had reportedly
entered the town and separated the ethnic Albanian men from their families.
Kralan. Kosovar Albanian refugees claim that Serb forces executed 100 ethnic
Albanian civilians on 4 April.
Kuraz. Serb forces reportedly killed 21 schoolteachers in this village near Srbica.
Refugees also claim that as many as 200 ethnic Albanians were being detained there by Serb
security forces as of 5 April.
Likovac. Serb forces reportedly burned this village south of Srbica on 30 March.
Lipljan. Serb forces reportedly forced the ethnic Albanian population out of
several villages in the area on 20 April. In addition, they burned and looted Albanian
residences.
Lismire. According to refugee reports, Serb forces surrounded the village on 4 April
and forced all ethnic Albanians out of their homes. After burning their homes, Serb forces
deported the population to the Macedonian border by train.
Ljubenica. Refugees reported on 8 April that Serb forces murdered at least 100
ethnic Albanians from this village in western Kosovo.
Malakrusa (Krusa-e-Vogel). One hundred twelve men were shot and their bodies burned
in an apparent attempt to conceal the evidence, according to a wounded and burnt survivor
of the executions.
Mali Alas. Serb forces reportedly surrounded this village on 21 April and separated
the villagers by gender. According to refugee reports, the men were reportedly sent to a
field, where Serb forces killed at least 35 of them. Several of the bodies were later
burned.
Malo Ribare. According to refugee reports, Serb forces raped four young girls and
killed 19 ethnic Albanians in late April.
Malisevo. Serb forces reportedly razed most of the town and its surrounding
villages. Refugees from the town claim to have witnessed Serb forces burning ethnic
Albanians alive. Women refugees claim that Serb forces were separating men from the groups
of refugees. Serb forces reportedly executed approximately 50 men in this town on 27
March. Part of the town was set on fire on 30 March. By 1 April the Serbs appeared to have
completed their cleansing, and refugees report that the 50,000-140,000 IDPs in the
Malisevo-Dulje area have been bombed and strafed by Serb aircraft and helicopters.
Morina. Refugees claim that on 7 April Serb security forces laid mines at this main
border post between Kosovo and Albania to prevent refugees from crossing.
Nakarad. Serb forces reportedly killed at least 160 Kosovar Albanian civilians near
the Serbian cemetary in late April.
Negrovce. According to refugee reports, Serb forces executed five ethnic Albanians
on 5 April.
Orahovac. Refugees reported that an unknown number of ethnic Albanian civilians
were killed during the ethnic cleansing of the city. A group of Romas (gypsies) who
arrived at the Albanian border on 8 April claimed they were expelled because Serb
authorities said they were originally from Albania and not "true" Kosovars. The
group also reported that Serb forces massacred some 50 ethnic Albanians, including women,
children, and the elderly.
According to refugees, as many as 700 men were used as human shields in early April. The
ethnic Albanian men were forced to stand in front of tanks in the rain for two days with
their hands tied behind their backs. A few of them eventually escaped by paying the
soldiers 10,000 German marks.
Orlate. According to refugees, this small village located on the crossroads between
Pristina, Pec, and Malisevo was set on fire by Serbian forces on 30 March after some 200
ethnic Albanian men had been executed.
Pec. Serb forces may have expelled 50,000 Albanian Kosovars from Pec, and
reportedly attacked a column of refugees leaving Pec on 6 April. At least 50 ethnic
Albanians were killed and then buried in the yards of their homes on the evening of 27
March. On the same day, all ethnic Albanians were reportedly herded into a five-story
building in the center of town. MUP forces then loaded them on buses and transported them
out of the city. On 28 March, 200 ethnic Albanians who sought sanctuary in a Catholic
church in Pec were removed and forced out of town. To further terrorize ethnic Albanians,
Serbs reportedly looted and burned their homes and shops throughout the town. Refugees
claim that the indicted war criminal Zeljko Raznjatovic (aka "Arkan") was
responsible for the atrocities.
Podujevo. Serb security forces reportedly are continuing to burn villages east and
southeast of this town as of 5 April. Serb forces may have executed 200 Kosovar Albanian
men of military age. In addition, Serbs reportedly were removing ethnic Albanians from
their cars and shooting them on the spot. Ninety percent of the town reportedly has been
burned. On 19 April, Serb forces reportedly used ethnic Albanians as human shields along
the road between Podujevo and Pristina.
Poklek. Ethnic Albanian refugees claim to have seen at least six corpses in a house
in late April. Serb forces in the town warned the ethnic Albanians to leave, saying that
their situation would be worse when the "real war starts."
Popovo. Serbian aircraft reportedly bombed this village southwest of Podujevo,
killing 10 ethnic Albanians.
Pristina. Kosovar Albanian refugees were forcibly expelled first from their homes
and then from Pristina via train. Several refugees claim that Serb soldiers used
loudspeakers to warn ethnic Albanians to leave town or die. On 2 April, a Kosovar Albanian
claims to have seen three truckloads of dead bodies accompanied by three or four armored
vehicles in a graveyard in Pristina. Kosovar Albanian refugees continued to report being
forcibly expelled from their homes and then from Pristina via train. Over 200,000 ethnic
Albanians reportedly were detained pending transport. According to refugee reports, most
of these IDPs were without food, water, medicine, or shelter.
Serb forces appear to have completed military operations in the city and were focusing on
ethnically cleansing the IDP-swollen city as of 4 April. Male ethnic Albanians, including
prominent human rights lawyer Bjram Kelmendi and his two sons, reportedly have been
executed. Serb paramilitary units have burned and looted Albanian homes and stores
throughout the city. Mixed Serb police and paramilitary units separated men from women and
children, and Serbs have distributed pamphlets admonishing Kosovars to leave or be killed.
Approximately 25,000 ethnic Albanians were sent by rail from Pristina to Macedonia on 1
April and over 200,000 reportedly were detained pending transport. Most of these IDPs
reportedly were without food, water, medicine, or shelter.
The civilians reportedly were processed at the Pristina Sports Complex and then marched to
the train station, however, Russian Ambassador to Yugoslavia Yuri Kotov visited the
Pristina Stadium on 5 April and claimed that there was no truth to the reports that Serb
forces were using the stadium as a detention center. Buses and large cargo trucks also
were used to transport IDPs to within three to six miles of the border, where they were
left to make their way out on foot. Refugees report that the ethnic Albanian neighborhoods
of Pristina resemble a ghost town. Pristina police reportedly arrested as many as 20
former OSCE/KVM local employees, and authorities were said to have searched for any
Kosovar Albanian who held an official government position, worked for an international
organization, or worked with foreign journalists.
Prizren. Serb forces reportedly executed 20 to 30 civilians and transported ethnic
Albanians to the border. Serb paramilitary units operated freely throughout the town,
according to refugee accounts. At the border, Serb forces confiscated all personal
documentation, removed all license plates from vehicles, and warned them never to return
to Kosovo.
A Kosovar Albanian who traveled to Prizren for a funeral on 2 April reportedly witnessed
ethnic Albanian civilians being forcibly evicted from their homes. The families were given
two hours to vacate their property. The houses were then either set ablaze or used to
shelter Serb forces. Another refugee from Prizren reportedly witnessed Serb forces burying
numerous ethnic Albanian bodies and burning homes throughout the town. Many ethnic
Albanians remain in hiding because they fear Serb reprisals.
Pusto Selo. The bodies of some 70 ethnic Albanians ranging in age from 14-50 were
reportedly discovered by IDPs on 1 April. Serb authorities reportedly executed a survivor
who sought medical treatment nearby. Overhead imagery confirmed the presence of a
mass burial site. According to KLA press, Serb forces began exhuming this mass burial site
on 23 April. After removing the bodies, the Serbs sent them to Orahovac by truck.
Rezalla. Serb forces reportedly burned this village south of Srbica on 30 March.
According to ethnic Albanian refugees, a mass grave containing 70 bodies was discovered on
14 April.
Rugovo. Serb forces reportedly executed at least 50 ethnic Albanians.
Slivovo. According to refugee reports, Serb forces killed at least 16 ethnic
Albanians and buried their bodies in a common grave in late April.
Srbica. Serb forces reportedly emptied the town of its Kosovar inhabitants and
executed 115 ethnic Albanian males over the age of 18. Twenty thousand prisoners are
reportedly housed in an ammunition factory in town.
Stimlje. Serb forces reportedly burned the headquarters of a human rights committee
and the Democratic League of Kosovo. Serb forces also reportedly burned Kosovar Albanian
homes, stores, and vehicles, and some 25,000 civilians were driven out of the city to
villages to the south. In addition, the building housing the former OSCE mission
reportedly was burned.
Suva Reka. On 25 March, Serb forces reportedly massacred at least 30 Kosovar
Albanians, most by burning them alive in their homes. By 28 March, Serb forces reportedly
burned 60 percent of the town. A Kosovar Albanian refugee from the town claimed that Serb
forces killed 40 men on 4 April and dumped their bodies into two mass graves. Serb
military and police forces reportedly killed as many as 350 ethnic Albanians in this town,
and Suva Reka reportedly has been cleansed of its Albanian population. According to
Kosovar Albanian refugee reports, a group of Serb police and civilians robbed and killed
an ethnic Albanian family living in a former OSCE office. The Serbs then reportedly burned
their bodies.
Urosevac. Serb forces reportedly forcibly expelled ethnic Albanian civilians from
their homes on 10 April, and are now using some of the homes as barracks. Former Albanian
shops and homes were reportedly given to Serb villagers. Serbian police transferred the
civilians to Blace by train. Serb forces reportedly are targeting the homes of prominent
politicians and intellectuals. As many as 40 ethnic Albanians have been killed. And there
have been refugee reports of the rape of young Albanian girls. According to an ethnic
Albanian refugee, Serb paramilitary units are forcibly using Albanian males to dig
defensive positions on the southeast side of the city. Nearly 50 paramilitaries forced 25
civilians from the nearby town of Starosello to dig trenches for three days from 10 to 12
April.
Varosh. According to refugee reports, Serb paramilitary forces reportedly entered
ethnic Albanian homes, forcibly expelled them at knife-point, and stole their belongings.
They reportedly killed an unknown number of Kosovar Albanians and carried their bodies
away.
Vatay. According to refugee reports, Serb forces reportedly killed 14 ethnic
Albanians on 13 April. One refugee claimed that he was forced to bury the bodies, and that
the all the corpses had been shot in the back of the head.
Velika Hoca. Two paramilitary units, Arkan's "Tigers" and the "White
Eagles," are reportedly based in a housing complex in the town and control the area
between Orahovac and Suva Reka.
Velika Krusa. Reports from refugees in late March that Serb forces killed 150-160
Kosovar Albanian men, after separating them from the women and children, and dumped 50
bodies in a mass grave appear to be corroborated in a videotape shot by a survivor, who
said about 100 had been shot and gave the names of two dozen of the victims. The BBC aired
the refugee's video showing several dead bodies lying in ditches and in the streets.
According to the refugee, all of the victims had single bullet wounds in the back of the
head or neck. A female refugee from the same village claimed that 40 men were executed by
Serb forces, while other refugees claim that homes were set ablaze, burning to death over
60 Kosovars-including women and children. Police reportedly told residents of the nearby
villages of Lashec, Kobanje, and Atmanxha that "as a gift, we will only kill ten of
you," and then told the survivors to "go to NATO."
Vrsevac. Unconfirmed reports claimed that Serb police used ethnic Albanians as
human shields on 7 April.
Vucitrn. Serb forces reportedly burned all houses previously rented by the OSCE and looted
Kosovar Albanian homes. Refugees from the town also claim that men were being separated
from their families. On 27 March, Serb forces reported killed four young Albanian
Kosovars, including a 14-year-old girl. By 29 March, Serb forces had reportedly herded
Albanian Kosovars into a school in the city, and refugees from the town claim that the men
were being separated from their families.
Zheger. Serb forces reportedly expelled all ethnic Albanians from this village,
then burned it down on 13 April.
Zhuri. On 28 March, local police reportedly ordered all ethnic Albanians to leave
town. As many as 7,000 Albanian Kosovars may have been displaced as a result.
Zulfaj. Serb forces reportedly expelled all ethnic Albanians from this village,
then burned it down.
Zym. Serb forces reportedly burned this southern Kosovo town.
Refugees have reported that over 500 villages have been burned since late March, and we
have confirmed that the following villages have been entirely destroyed or mostly burned.
| Bajcina |
Bajgora |
Banja |
Batlava |
| Bela Crvka |
Bradas |
Celina |
Crebnik |
| Crni Lug |
Dobr Do |
Donja Penduha |
Donja Lapistica |
| Donji Streoci |
Dumos |
Gajrak |
Gede |
| Godisnjak |
Gorane |
Gornja Zakut |
Gornje Pakistica |
| Gornji Crnobreg |
Gornji Streoci |
Jablanica |
Jovic |
| Kacandol |
Klincina |
Letance |
Lipovac |
| Luzane |
Mamusa |
Madare |
Mala Hoca |
| Malisevo |
Mirusa |
Neprebiste |
Novo Selo Begovo |
| Ostrozub |
Pakistica |
Pantina |
Pasoma |
| Radoste |
Randubrava |
Retimnje |
Rogovo |
| Skorosnik |
Slatina |
Smac |
Sopnic |
| Stanica Donje Ljupce |
Suvi Do |
Vlaski Drenovac |
Vucitrn |
| Vujitun |
Zrze |
|
|
Document compiled by Dr S D Stein
