Reports of Serb war crimes in Kosovo -- including the detention and summary execution
of military-aged men and the destruction of civilian housing -- continued this week,
despite the Serbs' declaration of a unilateral cease-fire on 6 April. We also have clear
indications of the magnitude and intensity of the Serbian effort to displace the ethnic
Albanian majority in Kosovo. At least 560,000 Kosovar Albanians have left the province
since the Serb security crackdown that began in March of last year. Over half of these
refugees were forcibly expelled into neighboring countries in the last 2 weeks. Based on
the scope and intensity of Serb activities throughout the province, at least another
700,000 Kosovars appear to be internally displaced persons (IDPs).
After the cease-fire was announced, Serb security forces closed all major exit routes
into The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (F.Y.R.O.M.) and Albania, and overnight
moved thousands of IDPs queued up on the Serb side of the border to the interior of
Kosovo. Belgrade ordered the IDPs back to their homes, despite the fact that thousands of
homes in at least 200 cities, towns, and villages have been destroyed. We cannot confirm
reports of starvation among IDPs in Kosovo, but presume there are pockets of deprivation,
particularly among those who have been in the hills for weeks.
Kosovar Albanian refugees continue to report mass executions throughout the province,
and they have reported mass graves in Drenica, Malisevo, and the Pagarusa valley.
According to a survivor who later filmed the scene, the ethnic Albanian residents of the
village of Velika Krusa were removed from their homes at gunpoint, the men separated from
their families, and the approximately 100 adult males summarily executed at point-blank
range. We cannot confirm reports of widespread executions, but refugee reports claim over
3,200 ethnic Albanian deaths as a result of Serbian executions.
Because the Serbs expelled international observers and most of the non-governmental
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:
The Serbs are conducting a campaign of forced population movement on a scale not seen
in Europe since the World War II. 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 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 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 560,000 Kosovars have become refugees in Albania, Macedonia, and Montenegro.
Over three-fourths of these refugees arrived in the past 10 days, with columns of refugees
awaiting processing into Albanian and Macedonia reportedly stretching back nearly 15 miles
at their peak.
On April 6, the Serbs began to force IDPs back from the border. Refugees claimed that
security forces on April 7 laid mines at Morina, the main border crossing between Kosovo
and Albania, to prevent refugees from crossing. The whereabouts and fate of these 700,000
or more IDPs in Kosovo is unknown.
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.
Some 200 residential areas have been at least partially burned since late March. Over
50 villages have been burned since April 4. 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.
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. We are gravely concerned
about the fate of the missing men. Their number ranges from a low of tens of thousands,
looking only at the men missing from among refugee families in Albania, up to several
hundred thousand, if reports of widespread separation of men among the IDPs within Kosovo
are true.
The following locations within Kosovo have been reported as the sites of mass detention
facilities:
Refugees have provided accounts of summary executions in at least 50 towns and villages
throughout Kosovo. Mass executions continue to be reported by Kosovar Albanian refugees
from throughout the province, and they have reported mass graves in Drenica, Malisevo, 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, at least one report -- the summary executions at Velika Krusa -- appears
to have been corroborated. In addition to random executions, the Serbs appear to be
targeting members of the Albanian Kosovar intelligentsia including lawyers, doctors, and
political leaders.
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
March 30.
Bela Cervka. Serb forces reportedly killed 35 people, then dumped their bodies
near the Bellaja River between the Rogova and Bela Cervka railroad. By March 28, Serb
forces reportedly had killed as many as 500 civilians in this town.
Bruznic. Serb forces reportedly burned down this village near Vucitrn last week,
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.
Dakovica. Serb civilian militia groups 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 March 29,
and Serb forces began burning ethnic Albanian homes, shops, and markets. Serb snipers
reportedly have taken up positions in downtown buildings. Nearly 14,000 refugees from
Dakovica walked to the Albanian border crossing point at Prushit on April 5.
General 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.
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. Glogovac also reportedly houses a mass detention and
execution center for Kosovar men.
Goden. Serb forces executed 20 men, including schoolteachers, on March 25 before
burning the village.
Gornje Obrinje. A Kosovar Albanian refugee claimed that Serb forces executed 12
ethnic Albanians on April 5.
Istok. One thousand refugees from this town arrived at the border with Macedonia
on April 8. Some refugees said that an unknown number of people had died en route and
others were turned around by Serb police near Raska and Novi Pazar.
Izbica. Serb forces reportedly have killed 270 ethnic Albanians since mid-March.
Kosovar Albanian refugees reportedly saw bodies that appeared to have been tortured and
burned.
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.
Kacanik. A Kosovar Albanian refugee claimed that Serb paramilitary forces were
driving trucks carrying refugees out of town.
Klina. The expulsion of the entire ethnic Albanian population began on March 28,
with Serb forces removing the villagers 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 2 hours while
Serb artillery fired on nearby KLA positions.
Kosovo Polje. Serb forces reportedly 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
valuables.
Kosovska Mitrovica. Serb forces have reportedly expelled all Kosovar Albanians
from this city since March 23. 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 April 2.
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 remained in the Cicavica Mountains, east of the town.
Kotlina. According to refugees from this town near Kacanik, 50-60 ethnic
Albanian men remain missing. The rest were reportedly loaded onto trains and sent to
Macedonia. Ethnic Albanians on April 8 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. The paramilitaries reportedly entered
the town and separated the ethnic Albanian men from their families.
Kuraz. Serb forces reportedly killed 21 schoolteachers in this village near
Srbica. Refugees also claim that as many as 200 ethnic Albanians are being detained there
by Serb security forces as of April 5.
Likovac. Serb forces reportedly burned this village south of Srbica on March 30.
Ljubenica. Refugees reported on April 8 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 burned
survivor of the executions.
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. Serb forces reportedly executed approximately 50 men in this town on March 27.
Part of the town was set on fire on March 30. By April 1 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 April 7 Serb security forces laid mines at this
main border post between Kosovo and Albania to prevent refugees from crossing
Negrovce. According to refugee reports, Serb forces executed five ethnic
Albanians on April 5.
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 April 8 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.
Orlate. According to refugees, this small village located on the crossroads
between Pristina, Pec, and Malisevo was set on fire by Serbian forces on March 30 after
some 200 ethnic Albanian men had been executed.
Pastasel. The bodies of some 70 ethnic Albanians ranging in age from 14-50 were
reportedly discovered by IDPs on April 1. Serb authorities reportedly executed a survivor
who sought medical treatment nearby.
Pec. Serb forces may have expelled 50,000 Albanian Kosovars from Pec, and
reportedly attacked a column of refugees leaving Pec on April 6. At least 50 ethnic
Albanians were killed and then buried in the yards of their homes on the evening of March
27. 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 March 28, 200 ethnic Albanians who sought sanctuary in the Albanian
Catholic Church of 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 April 5. Serb forces may have executed 200 Kosovar
Albanian men of military age. In addition, Serb reportedly were removing ethnic Albanians
from their cars and shooting them on the spot. Ninety percent of the town reportedly has
been burned.
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 April 2, 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.
Russian Ambassador to Yugoslavia Yuri Kotov visited the Pristina Stadium on April 5 and
claimed that there was no truth to the reports that Serb forces were using the stadium as
a detention center.
Serb forces appear to have completed military operations in the city and were focusing
on ethnically cleansing the IDP-swollen city on 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
April 1 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. Buses and large cargo trucks also were used to transport IDPs to
within 3 to 6 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, and warned them never to return to Kosovo.
A Kosovar Albanian who traveled to Prizren for a funeral on April 2 reportedly
witnessed ethnic Albanian civilians being forcibly evicted from their homes. The families
were given 2 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.
Last 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, all of the
victims 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.
Popovo. Serbian aircraft reportedly bombed this village southwest of Podujevo,
killing 10 ethnic Albanians.
Rezalla. Serb forces reportedly burned this village south of Srbica on March 30.
Rugovo. Serb forces reportedly executed at least 50 ethnic Albanians.
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 March 28, Serb forces reportedly
burned 60% of the town. A Kosovar Albanian refugee from the town claimed that Serb forces
killed 40 men on April 4 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.
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 (Krushe-e-Madhe). Reports from refugees in late March that Serb
forces killed 150-160 Albanian Kosovars 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. Some refugees allege 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 10 of you," and then told the survivors to "go to NATO."
Vrsevac. Unconfirmed reports claimed that Serb police used IDPs as human shields
on April 7.
Vucitrn. Serb forces reportedly burned all houses previously rented by the OSCE
and continue to loot Kosovar Albanian. Refugees from the town also claim that men were
being separated from their groups. On March 27, Serb forces reported killed four young
Albanian Kosovars, including a 14-year-old girl. By March 29, 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.
Zhuri. On March 28, 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 more than 200 villages have been burned since late March.
We have confirmed that the following villages have been burned or mostly destroyed.
Document compiled by Dr S D Stein
