Ethnic Cleansing in Kosovo Released by the Department of State, Washington, DC, April 6, 1999

The following types of war crimes or violations of international humanitarian law have been reported in Kosovo since 2 April.

Forcible Displacement of Ethnic Albanian Civilians

Ethnic Albanian refugees continue to report Serb forced expulsions throughout Kosovo. Serb forces reportedly are continuing a pattern of loading refugees onto trains or trucks, then driving them to the border region. Additional refugee reporting indicates that Serb paramilitary forces are playing an instrumental role in the expulsions.

Looting of Homes and Businesses

In addition to reports of Serbs looting their homes and businesses, Kosovar Albanian refugees claim that Serb forces are robbing them of all personal belongings before they cross the border. A systematic pattern of extortion is also apparent. Serb forces are demanding money from refugees in exchange for their safe passage through the province, according to refugee reports.

Widespread Burning of Homes

The burning of residential areas in the larger towns and cities of Kosovo and in many villages is continuing. Over 50 additional villages were reported burning since April 3. Most Serb homes and stores have remained intact.

Detentions

Refugees continue to claim 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. Several refugee reports also claim that Kosovar Albanians are being used as human shields by Serb forces fighting UCK elements.

Summary Executions

Refugees report the existence of mass graves in Drenica, Malisevo and Pagarusa. 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.

Atrocities and War Crimes by Location

The following is a partial list of what appear to be war crimes of violations of international humanitarian law reported throughout Kosovo since 2 April: Kacanik. A Kosovar Albanian refugee claimed that Serb paramilitary forces were driving trucks carrying other refugees out of town.

Klina. Serb forces reportedly used 500 Kosovar Albanian men as human shields during fighting with UCK forces. A refugee who survived the fighting claimed that the men were robbed of their possessions and forced to strip naked and lie down in a field for two hours while Serb artillery fired on UCK positions.

Kotlina. According to refugees from the town near Kacanik, 50-60 ethnic Albanian men remain missing. The rest were reportedly loaded onto trains and sent to Macedonia.

Kosovo Polje. Refugees claim Serb forces forced ethnic Albanians into their homes and then threw hand grenades inside. Previous refugee reports claimed that ethnic Albanians were burned alive in their homes. In addition, refugees traveling from Pristina via trains report that Serb paramilitary units boarded the cars and stole all of their valuable.

Kosovska Mitrovica. Serb forces reportedly are continuing to burn villages around this town. The ethnic Albanians were expelled from these villages remain in the Civavica Mountains, east of the town. A refugee from a nearby village claims to have witnessed Serb civilian executing a young ethnic Albanian boy.

Malisevo. Serb forces have reportedly razed the majority of the town and its surrounding villages. Refugees from the town claim to have witnessed Serb civilians executing a young ethnic Albanian boy. Women refugees claim that Serb forces were separating men from the groups.

Podujevo. Serb security forces reportedly are continuing to burn villages east and southeast of this town.

Popovo. Serb aircraft reportedly bombed this village southwest of Podujevo, killing 10 ethnic Albanians.

Pristina. Kosovar Albanian refugees continued to report being forcibly expelled from their homes and then from Pristina via train. Over 200,000 ethnic Albanians are reportedly detained pending transport. According to refugee reports, most of these IDPs are without food, water, medicine, or shelter.

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 are using the stadium as a detention center.

Prizren. A refugee from Prizren reportedly witnessed Serb forces burning numerous ethnic Albanian bodies, and burning homes throughout the town. Many ethnic Albanians remain in hiding because they fear Serb reprisals.

This weekend, the BBC aired a refugee's video showing several dead bodies lying in ditches and in the streets of a village outside of Prizren. The refugee claimed that they were the bodies of young ethnic Albanians. According to the BBC reporter, the victims all had single bullet wounds in the back of the head or neck. The refugee claimed that the men were shot after being separated from the women and children. A female refugee from the same village claimed that 40 men were executed by Serb forces.