KOSOVA UNDER FLAGRANT AND SYSTEMATIC VIOLATION OF RIGHTS
      ArchivesCENTRE FOR PROTECTION OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN COUNCIL FOR THE
            DEFENCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS

            Prishtine/Kosova

            KOSOVA UNDER FLAGRANT AND SYSTEMATIC VIOLATION OF RIGHTS

            Reports from Kosova, former Yugoslavia, especially in the years 
1989
            until these days of 1997 can be traumatic experiences to anyone.
            "Probably nowhere in Europe are human rights as flagrantly and
            systematically violated as they are in it. The inhabitants have 
an
            uninhibited friendlesness and a curiosity which sets them apart 
from
            other former Yugoslavs and the direct looks you get are at first
            disconcerting" (David Stanley: Eastern Europe, a lonely planet
            shoestring guide, 1995). The region's poverty and backwardness 
are
            also apparent, as is the watchful eye of the Serbian government.
            "Police posts have taken the place of left -luggage facilities 
in
            the region's bus and train stations" (ibid.).

            BACKGROUND

            Until recently and 'autonomous province', Kosova has now become
            forcefully, through police and military interventions during 
1989
            and 1990, an integral part of the Serbian Republic.While Serbs 
cry
            for the medieval monasteries, Albanians cry for freedom as they 
are
            the descendants of the ancient Illyrians, who have inhabited 
this
            land for thousands of years, and do not recognize Serbia's rule 
over
            them.

            In the late 19th century the ethnic Albanians, who make up 90% 
of
            the population today, struggled to free themselves of Ottoman
            Empire. Yet in 1913 the Conference of Ambassadors in London 
decided
            to hand over Kosova to Serbia. Over half a million ethnic 
Albanians
            were forced to emigrate to Turkey and elsewhere and by 1940, in
            accordance to the Agrarian Reform of the government of Serbia,
            18,000 Serbian families had been settled on the vacated lands.

            PERNICIOUS NEGLECT

            The nation rose against Germans in 1944 (liberated itself by
            November 1944), as being promised on the right to self 
determination
            after WW II. Yet in early 1945, through massacres and 
atrocities,
            Yugoslav forces turned the area over to Yugoslavia. Through 21 
years
            of pernicious neglect (1945 - 1966) the rights of the Albanians 
of
            the former Yugoslavia were consequently violated. Between 1954 
and
            1957, by the so-called time of the weapon collections among 
ethnic
            Albanians, "another 195,000 Albanians were coerced into 
emigrating
            to Turkey" (ibid.). After serious rioting of ethnic Albanians in
            1968, an 'autonomous province' was created in 1974, and Kosova
            became one of the eight units of the federation within 
Yugoslavia,
            according to the Constitution 1974.

            ARRESTING, DETENTIONS AND CONVICTIONS

            Political changes, towards Kosova brought only cosmetic
            improvements" (ibid.), but the standard of living in Kosova, 
which
            has one of the most fertile land in the Balkans, still remained 
a
            quarter of the Yugoslav average. Kosova was treated as a colony. 
Its
            mines (gold, silver, coal, lead, zinc, nickel) were providing 
only
            raw materials for industry in Serbia. In 1981, the 
demonstrations of
            ethnic Albanians calling for full republic status, were put down 
by
            military force at a cost of over 300 lives. The 7000 young 
Albanians
            subsequently arrested were given prison terms of six years to
            twenty., while the other 1,200 Albanians were convicted 
altogether
            with 25,000 years of prison. The brutal denial of equality 
within
            the Yugoslav Federation "sowed the seeds which led to the 
violent
            break-up of the country" (ibid.), exactly a decade later.

            Massive trials against ethnic Albanians, beside being projected 
by
            Belgrade, as an alleged Kosova Albanian threat to peace in the
            region, are also Belgrade's manipulations to justify atrocities, 
the
            systematic and overwhelming repression and discrimination in 
front
            of the international community.

            NEARLY EVERY SECOND ALBANIAN QUESTIONED BY POLICE

            Sacking by Belgrade of local officials (some even arresting),
            interrogative police talks to over 785,000 ethnic Albanians (the
            population in Kosova is 2000,000, and this means that no matter 
age
            or sex every second Albanian was interrogated) made Albanians
            demonstrate in 1988, walking bear feet for hundreds of 
kilometers,
            men and women with a follow up of Kosova coal miners' strike in
            February 1989, and circa 5000 miners were sentenced to prison
            (Knocking on Europe's Conscience: Kosova, evidence & documents.
            Prishtine: Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms,
            1992), when the everlasting curfew and the state of emergency in
            Kosova was introduced, followed by new limits imposed by Serbia 
on
            Kosova's autonomy. This state resulted in serious rioting, when
            within two days 110 unarmed Albanian civilians were shot dead by 
the
            Yugoslav security and military forces, with hundreds and 
hundreds of
            wounded men, women and children.

            OUT OF POLITICAL, ECONOMICAL, SOCIAL, HEALTH, CULTURAL, 
EDUCATIONAL
            AND JUDICIAL LIFE

            With police and army forces interventions, Serbian parliament
            canceled Kosova's autonomy and dissolved its assembly and
            government. 'Results' followed: The only daily newspaper in 
Albanian
            was banned. TV and radio broadcast in Albanian ceased. The 
National
            and University Library was closed for Albanians. All 
scientifically
            institutions together with the Academy of Sciences and Arts were
            abolished. The university also. Judiciary completely overtaken 
by
            Serbs. Health too. Practically and effectively teaching in 
Albanian
            ended and about 23,000 Albanian students were to terminate their
            studies. Albanian secondary schools were closed down. One third 
of
            elementary schools were also closed. Nearly all Albanians on 
state
            hospital staffs were sacked. "In a process termed 
'differentiation',
            in terms of apartheid, some 152,000 Albanians suspected of 
having
            alleged 'nationalist sympathies' were dismissed from their jobs 
and
            at the same time 36,000 Serbs installed to their places (Amnesty
            International, 7 1993). If we look back to the year 1990, one 
could
            only witness people thrown into the streets. Albanians who used 
to
            live in state apartments, lost the right to go on living in 
them.
            They were evicted forcefully, even though they had the right to 
live
            there according to the law. Serbs are installed into these flats
            instead.

            IMMIGRATIONS, REFUGEES, DISPLACED PEOPLE

            Large numbers of Albanians were forced to go abroad, mostly in
            Western Europe, seeking for an asylum, after losing their jobs. 
It
            is estimated that this tale of refugees, as the third during the
            century, immigration and displacement has reached to a number of
            400,000 Kosovars within the years of conflict 1990-1995. If the 
host
            country is trying to turn them back, refusing to them the right 
for
            an asylum, repatriation is not being allowed by the Serb
            authorities. They are being sent back to the country they were
            already deported from, after being held for several days under
            arrest at the Belgrade airport, or any other prison, or if they 
are
            let in, then they are exposed to intimidations. Not even dead 
people
            are allowed to be buried in their homeland. Serbia does not 
allow
            return of dead refugees' bodies is the late "Items for the OMRI
            Daily Digest, date 15 May 1996, by Fabian Schmidt, assessing 
that
            "Serbian border authorities have not allowed the return of six
            Kosovar refugee's bodies who drowned on 23 April '96 in the 
Danube
            after their boat capsized near Esztergom" It further assesses 
that
            "the rump Yugoslav Embassy to Budapest, which was to arrange the
            paperwork for the bodies' return, refused to assist the victims'
            relatives. A total of 16 refugees were on the boat attempting to
            cross from Hungary into Slovakia. Two of the refugees are still
            missing".

            Human life is cheap in Kosova. Each year we get many victims. No 
one
            takes the charges. Insecurity has made people traumatized. 
Police
            breaks into the houses whenever wants, without warning, or 
warrants.
            During search, ill-treatments are accurate, systematic
            intimidation's too, arresting of people of all ages, both male 
and
            female. One of the most appearances lately are people (women and
            children) taken hostages. These are enough reasons to make tails 
of
            people leaving the country. The 400,000 Albanians who left
            predominantly for Western Europe search for basic security and
            existential survival.

            COLONIZATION OF KOSOVA

            Serbian authorities have launched a large scale media propagated
            campaign of colonization of Kosova with Serbs in order to change 
the
            ethnic composition of Kosova. They are vowing to implement the
            already past law by their Parliament, to settle at least 100,000
            Serbs. Some Serbian media speak even for the number of 400,000 
new
            Serb settlers in Kosova.

            The Serbian and the Yugoslav Parliaments consequently pass laws,
            edicts and other decrees for the colonization of Kosova by 
Serbian
            colonists. Housing projects for Serb settlers are completed in
            several localities(even though Kosova has the highest density of
            population in Europe), such as Velika Reka near Vushtrri, Junik 
near
            Gjakova attempting to create a buffer zone at the border between
            Albanians of Kosova and Albania proper, in Fushe Kosove (Kosovo
            Polje), Kline, Stari Terg, Dushanove, Suhareke, Ferizaj, Gjilan 
and
            in Prishtine, as well as in other places to the purpose 
(Violation
            of Human Rights in Kosova. Prishtine, CDHRF, 1995). This has
            additionally increased the already high ethnic and political
            tensions in Kosova (Kosva Helsinki Committee: A Report on the 
Human
            Rights Situation in Kosova, 1994-1995). Serbian Commissioner for
            Refugees and other Serbian institutions have expressed 
commitment
            for settling Serb refugees from war affected regions of former
            Yugoslavia. Mass exodus of Krajina Serbs (Croatia) are already
            settled (20,000 of them). Only by September 24, 1995 according 
to
            reliable and well informed sources, available to Helsinki 
Committee,
            total number of 15,810 Serb refugees have been installed in 
Kosova.
            The Serbian authorities have gone so far as to house refugees 
from
            Krajina even in the National and University Library (Violation 
of
            Human Rights in Kosova ..., 1995, p. 6)

            Sympathy and understanding is expressed to these refugees, and 
some
            of them made it clear themselves that their tragic misfortune 
must
            not be misused and manipulated for dangerous political goals of
            Belgrade. Yet some others create only troubles and are being
            manipulated like the case in Dean when Serb refugees shot 
Albanian
            civilians. Permanent settling of Krajina Serb refugees is being
            aimed by offering them free land ownership, jobs, real estate
            credits, and wide specter of other privileges that have
            systematically been denied to Kosova Albanians.

            SETTLEMENT, CULTURAL AND HISTORICAL INHERITANCE DISTRACTED

            New Serb settlers are being temporarily placed in hotels all 
over
            Kosova, in schools, recreational centers, sport halls, in 
private
            families, vacant apartments, etc. But the action of placement 
for
            them becomes provocative and defiant, when the refugees are 
placed
            at homes and apartments of Albanians, "either temporarily 
vacant, or
            from which, Serb authorities would evict its Albanian tenants"
            (ibid.)

            Further more oppression to not only human being, but also to the
            cultural and historical inheritance is the order of the "Serb
            authorities in Prizren to forcefully vacate the premises of the
            Museum Memorial Complex of the Albanian Prizren League (in 1878 
the
            League sought for recognition of independence of Albania in the
            'Berlin Congress June 1878') under UNESCO protection as a 
prominent
            international cultural heritage. The National City Park in 
Gjakove,
            where the monument of WW II against fascism stood, is destroyed; 
a
            political Serbian orthodox church is being built instead (in 
this
            municipality 98% of the inhabitants are Albanians). City parks 
are
            targeted everywhere, in Podujev for example 20 parcels are 
turned
            into business shops for the Serbs. In Prishtine, next to the
            National and University Library, the parcel dedicated to an
            amphitheater, property of the University of Prishtine, is turned
            into the Serbian church property and the Church is being built. 
Many
            Midle Age Serbian Churches are built on the ruins of Albanian 
ones.
            Signs can be noticed (see Dean)

            Graveyards of Albanians are ordered to become building zones
            ("Bujku", 15 May, 1996) is the title of the full page evidence 
with
            photo too. Serbia is profiting both sacred space and money from 
the
            buyers.

            ABUSES OF THE CHILDREN'S RIGHTS

            Convention on the Human Rights of the Child (1989) was ratified 
by
            the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SRFY) in 1990. The
            Constitution of the self styled FR of Yugoslavia (Serbia and
            Montenegro) announced on April 1992, recognizes and guarantees 
the
            rights and freedoms of all citizens and ensures special 
protection
            for the family and mothers and children. Article 13 of the
            Constitution of Serbia recognizes the equal rights of all 
citizens
            regardless of race, colour, sex, language, national identity and
            religion, while special care and protection are extended to the
            mother and child.

            In Kosova, Albanian children, who make up more than half of 
Kosova's
            population, do not enjoy these publicized rights. They have been
            killed, beaten and ill-treated in different ways. Children have 
been
            arrested, taken hostage by the police, forcibly sent to military
            service, and robbed, etc (CDHRF Year Report 1995). They do not 
have
            the right to grow up and develop in dignity and no adequate care 
and
            protection is offered to them before, or after birth. They are
            deprived of the right to social protection, health care, 
education,
            information, recreation and training. While Serbian police may 
enter
            Albanian homes unexpectedly at any time, terrorizing elderly, 
women
            and children, who suffer psychic trauma from such acts of 
violence,
            the case of the small girl Drenushe (2) tells enough. She is
            suffering the psychic shock, and the event happened on 27 
September
            1995 when police broke into the flat of Kadri Kryeziu (her 
father)
            in Prizren.

            More than 274,000 children lost their allowances because of 
their
            parents' dismissal from job. The loss is based on an edict of 6
            November 1991, saying that children's allowances are not to be 
paid
            to those who are attending full-time classes in Albanian 
language
            and if one of the parents is employed. This edict relates also 
to
            children who are entitled to a family pension. This is a sample 
of
            apartheid.

            The right to health protection and health care is denied to 
350,000
            children, pupils and students who are attending their classes in
            Albanian (United Trade Unions of Kosova, Reports). By this, 
their
            worsening health state is negatively influenced and contagious
            diseases are spreading (confirmed by HOW, Rotary International, 
DOW,
            MSF, Secours Populaire, Oxfam, Red Cross, etc.)

            UN AND INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY CONCERNS

            Many governments, UN and human rights organizations are deeply
            concerned and follow the violation of human rights perpetrated 
by
            the Serbian police, army and other authorities of the Serbian 
state
            in Kosova.

            UN RESOLUTIONS FOR KOSOVA ALBANIANS

            UN Sub-commission and Commission: UN Resolution 1992/S-1/, 
August
            14, 1992; 1993/7 of February 23, 1993 and its Decision 1992/103 
of
            August 13, 1992; UN Security Council Resolution 885 (1993) of 9
            August 1993; Resolutions E/Cn.4/Sub.2/1993/L.15 of 17 August 
1993;
            199/L.85 of March 9, 1994; 1995/L.7 of 11 August 1995.

            UN General Assembly Resolutions A/C.3/49/L.58, 1994; 
A/49/610/Add.3
            of December 23, 1994; A/C.3/50/L.43 of December 5, 1995 and the 
last
            one in December 1996.

            European Union, European Parliament, United States of America 
and
            many other countries have passed several resolutions with 
concern of
            the violation of human and collective rights in Kosova. One of 
the
            first countries that recognizes apartheid in Kosova is Norway.

            MISSING ACTIONS

            Despite several resolutions, the situation concerning human 
rights
            of the Albanians of Kosova has not changed for the better. The
            Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms in 
Prishtine
            (capital of Kosova) considers that the human rights situation in
            Kosova has further deteriorated: the level of the violence used 
by
            large-scale Serbian police and army forces appears to on the
            increase (Violations of Human Rights: 1995. CDHRF, Prishtine, 
1966,
            and Violations of Human Rights: 1996, CDHRF, Prishtine, 1997). 
While
            the opinion has largely been focused on the atrocities of the 
armed
            conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, the attention 
and
            action was missing to the ongoing tragedy in Kosova, which has
            continued even after the peace negotiations and the signing of 
the
            Dayton Accords.


            WARNINGS TO FOREIGNERS

            Perhaps it would be of a use if we'd quote some of the warnings 
to
            foreign visitors to Kosova in many digests and activities, that 
can
            very much illustrate the unbearable situation in Kosova, that is
            suffering a classical colonial life in Europe. They say: Your
            luggage will probably be searched by the Serbian police as you 
enter
            Kosova. They're looking mostly for arms and printed matter 
published
            abroad about the conflict in ex-Yugoslavia. Anything printed in
            Albania or in Albanian will raise a lot of questions and be
            confiscated. If the police suspect you're a journalist or human
            rights activist, you'll be taken to the station for questioning 
and
            your belongings especially notebooks and other papers ( warnings
            special: put the names and addresses of any local contacts in 
code)
            will be carefully scrutinized again. If you are briefly detained
            look upon it as a unique experience. Once you convince them 
you're a
            harmless tourist you'll be released and have no further problems
            (David Stanley: Eastern Europe....page 893). The author further
            warns that "You may ask why visit such a place? Although you 
should
            certainly not become involved in local politics, by coming here 
and
            observing conditions first-hand, you'll gain a better 
understanding
            of the tragedy of ex-Yugoslavia. Although the Albanians of 
Kosova
            are cheerful, they mention their 'situation' to foreigners 
whenever
            they get the chance and it is impossible not to feel the 
resentment.
            Listen, but beware of getting yourself and others into trouble 
by
            making statements. Individuals seen with you may later be 
questioned
            by the police. Be careful about taking photos" (ibid.).

            Nowadays in Kosova, the 5-6% of the population, which is Serbian 
and
            Montenigrian, exercises its power over 90% of the other 
population -
            Albanians.



