[A-PAL] A-PAL Newsletter, No. 026

[kosova at jps.net]

Welcome to Albanian Prisoner Advocacy List -- Prisoner Pals Newsletter,
No. 026, September 11, 2000

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A-PAL STATEMENT:
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One year ago, in late September, Shukrie Rexha at the Association of
Political Prisoners, organized a hunger strike by Kosovar families who had
members in Serb prisons. The strike was in front of the UN administration
building. At that time, there wasn't an accurate list of names or even
numbers of prisoners available. At that hunger strike, together, we began
the petition advocating the release of prisoners.  Eventually we collected
75,000 signatures.  We opened the Albanian Prisoner website
[www.khao.org/appkosova.htm] in October, 1999, following with weekly
newsletters soon after. Within weeks, minors were released, with many thanks
to the efforts of Natasa Kandic and Teki Bokshi.  Mr. Bokshi, a lawyer at
HLC, was kidnapped and held for 80,000 DM ransom.  Now Ms. Kandic's freedom
and rights are in jeopardy.  Now she needs OUR help.

Continued international pressure helped efforts to FINALLY secure the
appointment of a UN Envoy to investigate those deprived of liberty from the
conflict in Kosova.  Pressure on Serb judges to uphold the constitutional
law of Yugoslavia also helped overturn the conviction of Dr. Flora Brovina.
She is now scheduled for retrial in Nis this month with a judge formerly
from Prishtina. Once again, she NEEDS our help.  Support the DISMISSAL of
her case.

At long last, ICRC has begun to arrange family visits for Albanian families
to Serb prisons. Hopefully, this internationally guaranteed access will
improve the dreadful living conditions of the prisoners until they are
released.

At this time, there are 911 remaining Albanian prisoners - STILL in Serb
prisons.  Still without basic human rights.  Still detained illegally. Still
being convicted for sentences of up to 20 years without a fair trial,
without evidence, degraded and tortured.  And STILL released by ransom of
between 8,000 and 40,000 DM.

What will it take for us to learn?  What will it take for us to recognize
inhumane suffering?  What will it take for us to act upon injustice done to
OTHERS?  If these newsletters haven't influenced YOU thus far, what will?

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW.
RELEASE THE KOSOVAR POLITICAL PRISONERS FROM SERBIA NOW!

WE CANNOT STOP APPLYING PRESSURE TO SECURE THEIR RELEASE. YOU ARE BEING
HEARD!!  PROGRESS IS BEING MADE IN CREATING A SYSTEM THAT WILL RELEASE ALL
THE PRISONERS.  BEGIN/MAINTAIN YOUR ADVOCACY WORK.

Our voice is their only hope to see light and freedom.  Please, speak up on
their behalf.


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WEEK’S REQUESTED ACTION:
==========================================

Write to Javier Solana, Secretary-General of the Council of the European
Union / High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy.

Email:  public.info at consilium.eu.int
Address:  	The High Representative
		JL-50-50-DH-09
		Rue de la Loi 175
		B-1048 Brussels

		ISIS Europe
		Rue Stévin 115
		1000 Brussels
		Belgium.
		Tel: +32 2 2307446
		Fax: +32 2 2306113
		Website: www.fhit.org/isis/

Also, write to the UN Security Council, insisting that the special envoy
move quickly and be given all NECESSARY JURISDICTION to resolve this
situation.  Please mention that there are over 900 remaining prisoners.
Thank them for their efforts so far. Ask that they continue in every
possible way to press for the release of the prisoners and a restoration of
their rights and liberties.  Members of the UN Security Council through
December, 2000 are:

* United States of America: usaun at undp.org
* Canada: canada at un.int
* United Kingdom: uk at un.int
* Ukraine: ukrun at undp.org
* Tunisia:  tunun at undp.org
* Russian Federation: rusun at un.int
* Malaysia: mysun at undp.org
* Netherlands: netherlands at un.int
* Jamaica: jamaica at un.int
* France: france at un.int
* China: chinun at undp.org
* Canada: canada at un.int
* Bangladesh: bangladesh at un.int
* Argentina: argentina at un.int

Secretary Albright e-mail: secretary at state.gov
Al Gore e-mail: townhall at gorenet.com
George W. Bush e-mail: georgewbush at georgewbush.com


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CURRENT RELATED ARTICLES
==========================================

UN SPECIAL ENVOY APPOINTED FOR PERSONS DEPRIVED OF LIBERTY FROM THE KOSOVO
CONFLICT APPOINTED BY MARY ROBINSON, UNHCHR.

Special envoy for detainees in Yugoslavia appointed

14:33 NEW YORK, Friday - The United Nations high commissioner for human
rights, Mary Robinson, has appointed Swedish Ambassador Henrik Amneus her
special envoy for foreign nationals arrested in Yugoslavia. Robinson told
media today that she considered the matter of foreign detainees extremely
serious. These, she said, included people who were arrested, detained or
missing, whatever their nationality.

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ICRC NEWS
6 September 2000

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia: ICRC organizes family visits to detainees

There were emotional scenes in Nis Prison in Serbia last week as wives and
mothers were briefly reunited with their detained relatives as a result of
an initiative taken by the ICRC. The group of 21 women from towns and
villages throughout Kosovo were brought by the ICRC to the prison, where
they had the chance to spend one hour with their loved ones and give each of
them a package containing basic necessities. For most of the women, it was
the first time they had seen their husbands and sons since they were
arrested.
     A similar event had taken place two days earlier when two persons from
Serbia proper were taken by the ICRC to visit their relatives held in the
Bondsteel detention facility in Kosovo.
     The visits were arranged by the ICRC after obtaining the necessary
authorizations from the competent authorities. Because contact with family
members is vital to the welfare of detainees, the ICRC plans to organize
more such visits in the future.
     Meanwhile, on regular visits to 917 detainees held in 20 detention
places in Serbia proper and to some 60 persons detained in Kosovo under KFOR
and UNMIK authority, the ICRC monitors conditions of detention and forwards
Red Cross messages between the detainees and their families.  Around 22,000
such messages have been exchanged since June 1999.

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Message from Ms. SHUKRIE REXHA
ASSOCIATION  OF POLITICAL PRISONERS, PRISHTINA
6 September 2000


 about prisoners...

We are waiting for the UN  special envoy on persons deprived of liberty from
Kosovo, Henrik Amuesen from Sweden. We hope that he and Barbara  Davis of
UNHCHR Belgrade will meet with us at UNMIK next week.

Meanwhile, two prisoners have died in Serbia prisons:

At 8/8/00 from Nish prison has came the death of  Shkëlzim Zllanoga (1963),
father of two children.

And before, on 21/7/00 from Pozharevci prison has came death Adem Sallahu
(1962). He has been arrested during the war from the column near the broad
Hani i Elezit.He has been father of four children's.His family  never have
been to visit him in the prison.

Now in Serb prisons are 911 Albanians in very bad condition.

Who can help the prisoners?!

I think now is deadline if we wait to return the prisoners alive.

Last week I have meet Mr. Javier Solana. We have discussed about prisoners
and missing persons.

I continue to collect interviews from the released prisoners about the
terrible conditions they experienced and the torture and violation of human
rights ...I wait for all your support.


Shukrie Rexha

==========================================

>From the Humanitarian Law Center, Belgrade

BETA news agency report
Yugoslav Army News Conference Belgrade, 29 August 2000 (BETA)

YA Spokesman: Natasa Kandic Should Be Sentenced

Yugoslav Army (YA) spokesman Colonel Svetozar Radisic confirmed today that
the Yugoslav Army would file charges against Natasa Kandic, director of the
Humanitarian Law Center, because of her accusations against the YA, adding
that Kandic “should be sentenced for what she is doing.”

Radisic told a news conference that legal action would be taken against
Kandic because of her unfounded accusations in which she “publicly attacked
the Yugoslav Army as an institution.” Legal action against Kandic was
announced by the YA General Staff on 25 August in a letter to the editor of
Danas in response to the allegations she made against the YA in a text
published in the newspaper the previous day and an earlier interview with
the paper.

In its letter, the General Staff said that unless Kandic substantiated her
allegations with proof, “something else will be involved which also entails
accountability and consequences clearly defined by law.”

In the text published by Danas  on 24 August and headlined “I Will Not
Remain Silent About the Atrocities,” Kandic told the YA General Staff she
would not pass over the suffering of  Albanian civilians as well as YA
soldiers she saw in Kosovo during the NATO bombing. She said she would not
remain silent about the crimes in Kosovo of which she knew regardless of
which side committed them.  Among other things, Kandic said in the interview
that the case of Kraljevo journalist Miroslav Filipovic, who was sentenced
by the Military Court in Nis to seven years in prison for espionage and
spreading of false reports, was really about his being the first person to
“raise the issue of the reponsibility of the Army, the Serbian forces” in
Kosovo.

The YA General Staff, however, assessed that Kandic used the Filipovic case
to accuse “the Army and state, denigrate the Yugoslav judicial system and
cover up the crimes of the Shiptar terrorists and NATO criminals.” Colonel
Radisic said today it was “only natural” for Kandic to be taken to court.
“These allegations are so unfounded that no comment is necessary,” he said,
adding that there would be no debate with Natasa Kandic and her case would
go through the procedure envisaged by law. “We consider that she has no
arguments and that she should be sentenced for what she is doing,” the YA
spokesman said.  He added that it would not befit an institution such as the
YA to enter into a polemic “with a person who puts forth such allegations”
since, he said, “this person might be a psychiatric case.”

Natasa Kandic told BETA three days ago that she had proof of her allegations
based on what she saw herself and the research and investigations carried
out by the HLC.

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ACTION ALERT UPDATE - FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA
7 September 2000

Flora Brovina retrial date set

SOURCE: Writers in Prison Committee (WiPC), International PEN, London

**Updates IFEX alerts of 8 June, 2 May, 28 April, 1 February 2000, 15
December, 11 and 9 November, 30 August, 23 June and 30 April 1999**

(WiPC/IFEX) - According to FreeB92, the independent Serbian news-agency,
the Nis District Court will start new proceedings against poet,
paediatrician, and women's rights activist, Flora Brovina on 14
September 2000. In June, the Serbian Supreme Court over-turned Brovina's
conviction, who had been sentenced in December 1999 to twelve years in
prison on charges of "terrorism", and recommended that the case be
returned to the Nis District Court.
     International PEN considers Brovina to be held only because of her
denunciation of abuses of human rights in Kosovo by Serb forces. Her
conviction on charges of terrorism, the organisation believes, have been
fabricated as a means of penalising her for her non-violent activities
towards Kosovo independence. It welcomes the Supreme Court's decision to
have the case reviewed, and continues to urge that she be freed.
     On 16 May, the Serbian Supreme Court heard an appeal against the
twelve-year sentence against Brovina and on 7 June informed her lawyers
that it had recommended that the Nis Municipal Court review the case.
Brovina remains detained in Nis Prison pending the review despite
requests from PEN and other international organisations that she be
freed.

RECOMMENDED ACTION:

Send appeals to authorities:
- welcoming the review of Brovina's case
- urging that the recommendation that she be freed on bail pending
re-trial be met
- expressing hope that her case will be dismissed by the Nis District
Court as being contrary to international standards safeguarding human
rights
- urging that the clear violations of human rights standards be taken
into consideration during the re-trial and that she not be required to
spend additional time in prison

APPEALS TO:

His Excellency Slobodan Milosevic
President of Yugoslavia
Savezna Skupstina
11000 Belgrade
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Fax: + 381 11 636 775

For those meeting difficulties with this contact number, try:
Zivadin Jovanovic
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Fax: + 381 11 367 2954

PEN also recommends that letters of protest be sent to the Serb
embassies in your own countries.

Please copy appeals to the source if possible.

For further information, contact Sara Whyatt at the WiPC, International
PEN, 9/10 Charterhouse Buildings, Goswell Road, London EC1M 7AT, United
Kingdom, tel: +44 (0) 20 7253 3226, fax: +44 (0) 20 7253 5711, e-mail:
intpen at gn.apc.org, sara at wipcpen.org

The information contained in this action alert update is the sole
responsibility of WiPC. In citing this material for broadcast or
publication, please credit WiPC.
_________________________________________________________________
DISTRIBUTED BY THE INTERNATIONAL FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION EXCHANGE (IFEX)
CLEARING HOUSE
489 College Street, Suite 403, Toronto (ON) M6G 1A5 CANADA
tel: +1 416 515 9622   fax: +1 416 515 7879
alerts e-mail: alerts at ifex.org   general e-mail ifex at ifex.org
Internet site: http://www.ifex.org/

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Additional updates of the Kosovar political prisoners, including those
sentenced, missing and released, may be found at:
http://www.khao.org/appkosova.htm

Archives of the A-PAL Newsletters may be found at:
http://www.khao.org/appkosova/newsletter/archive.htm

ICRC has made available it's list of missing. It may be found at:
www.familylinks.icrc.org


Albanian Prisoner Advocacy List -- Prisoner Pals
Newsletter no. 26