From shukrie_rexha at hotmail.com Fri Apr 6 05:25:39 2001 From: shukrie_rexha at hotmail.com (Shukrie Rexha) Date: Fri, 06 Apr 2001 09:25:39 -0000 Subject: [A-PAL] Newsletter 4/6/01 Message-ID: Albanian Prisoner Advocacy League (A-PAL) Platform April 6, 2001 A-PAL is dedicated to the human rights and freedoms of all persons, advocating for the release of Albanian prisoners through peaceful democratic means. We welcome the recent release of Albanian prisoners under the amnesty law and wait for an open, international review of the remaining 250 cases. Our actions are in accordance with the UN Resolution 1244 of June 10, 1999 and the judicial process set out in the interim peace agreement drawn up in the Rambouillet Accord in 1999. We find the ongoing detention of Albanian prisoners, arrested by the Milosevic regime during the 1998-1999 hostilities, to be subjected to multiple violation of these laws and principles nearly two years after these agreements and resolutions were enacted. >From the Interim Peace Agreement/Rambouillet I. Basic Principles 1. All citizens of Kosova shall enjoy without discrimination equal rights and freedoms 2. All authorities in Kosova shall respect human rights 3. Kosova citizens shall have the right to judicial institutions established in this accord 5. Every person in Kosova shall have access to international institutions for the protection of their rights in accordance with these procedures. Comment: These 250 remaining prisoners were arrested under military law and held with 30 day warrants which expired on June 30, 1999. Most were detained unlawfully for over one year, tortured extensively, and forced to give false confessions. They faced highly irregular trials, many times in groups, before Serb judges, some of whom were the very ones who had supervised their torture and the attempted massacre in Kosova. In most cases there was no evidence at all except a forced confession. These numerous violations have been documented the Humanitarian Law Center in Belgrade, Human Rights Watch, and the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in New York. II. Confidence Building 8. Martial law shall not be declared in Kosova. 10. All abducted persons or those held without charges especially in connection with the conflict shall be released 12. Each side shall not prosecute anyone for crimes related to the conflict in Kosova unless it is a serious violation of humanitarian law. A general amnesty shall be granted for all persons convicted of a politically motivated crime related to the conflict in Kosova III. Judicial Process 4. The defendant is entitled to have his trial transferred to a Kosova court that he designates. At least one judicial member will be of the defendant?s nationality. VI. Human Rights and Freedoms 1. All authorities shall ensure the internationally recognized human rights and freedoms, as set forth in this accord and in European conventions. 2. National members have additional rights to preserve their national, cultural, and linguistic identity. Comment: One woman prisoner has been held for eight years before sentencing. She has now been in prison for 14 years and comes from a poor family. She does not receive packages and has been mistreated repeatedly by other prisoners and guards. She is still held in Pozharevac Prison on criminal charges. XII. Prisoner Release 1. All parties shall release and transfer in accordance with international standards all those held in connection with the conflict. UN RESOLUTION 1244, JUNE 10, 1999 Bearing in mind the Charter of the UN, guided by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Geneva Convention of 1949 and the Protocols of 1977 Promoting the human rights and meaningful self-government in Kosova, a return home of all those displaced by the conflict, ensuring a peaceful life for all citizens of Kosova in full accordance with the Rambouillet Accords and the political structures that it sets forth. (For detailed information on a partial list of human rights violations that the prisoners have suffered, please see the web site of Lawyers Committee for Human Rights at www.lchr.org) The prisoners? advocacy guide is in Serb, Albanian, and English. _________________________________________________________________________ Get Your Private, Free E-mail from MSN Hotmail at http://www.hotmail.com. From m_alice11 at yahoo.com Sun Apr 8 13:31:53 2001 From: m_alice11 at yahoo.com (ALICE MEAD) Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 10:31:53 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [A-PAL] apal newsletter Message-ID: <20010408173153.17201.qmail@web3503.mail.yahoo.com> Albanian Prisoner Advocacy (A-PAL) April 7, 2001 A-PAL NEWSLETTER WE NEED YOUR HELP TO BRING FREEDOM AND JUSTICE TO THE REMAINING PRISONERS. THE GJAKOVA GROUP OF 143 WILL BE APPEALED ON APRIL 23-26!!!! As a result of the amnesty law enacted by the Serbian Parliament, 220 Albanian prisoners out of over 600 were released from prison and allowed to go home. Their stories of torture, lack of food, daily abuse, and unfair trials are deeply disturbing. Their fears for those they left behind are all-consuming. After a delay of eleven months, the appeal of the group trial of the 143 Gjakova prisoners is now scheduled for April 23-26. Their appeal will take place in the Serbian Supreme Court under the direction of a newly appointed judge. So far, only Serbian human rights groups have stepped forth to observe and defend the rights of these Kosovar citizens. The silence from international organizations is deafening. Who is reviewing what is happening to these people left behind? Who is measuring their experience against international norms? What are their rights and how will those rights be defended? According to UN Resolution 1244 and the Rambouillet Accord from 1999: 1. all Kosovar citizens have a right to the judicial institutions established in these agreements, in accordance with international law. 2. The defendant is entitled to have his trial transfered to a Kosova court that he designates. At least one judicial member will be of the defendant's nationality. 3. A general amnesty shall be granted to all persons convicted of politically motivated crimes related to the conflict in Kosova. Each side shall not prosecute anyone for crimes related to the conflict, unless it is a serious violation of international humanitarian law. 4. All authorities shall ensure the internationally recognized human rights and freedoms set forth in this accord and international conventions. In addition, national members have additional rights tp preserve their national, cultural, andlinguistic identity. 5. All parties shall release and transfer inaccordance with inernational standards those held in connection with the conflict. 6. (From UN 1244, 6/10/99) Bearing in mind the Charter of the UN, guided by the Geneva Convention of1949 andthe Protocols of 1977, guaranteeing meaningful self-government in Kosova. The case of the 143 Gjakova citizens was a gross miscarriage of justice and should be dismissed. When that happens, about 150 other Kosovar citizens charged with terrorist acts will then be up for "review." Or perhaps they will be put through an appeal process in the Serbian Supreme Court. ____________________________________ NARRATION OF TORTURED FEMALE PRISONER--released under the Amnesty Law on March 16, 2001 from Pozharevac. Zahrije Podrimcku, now age 30, was arrested on 8/6/98. She was the Council of Defense of Human Rights representative in Gllogovc. She was taken to the police station there and held for three days, beaten with clubs the whole time. She wasn't allowed to sleep or sit for three days. They lay her across a table and beat her all over her back and legs and in her genital area, saying she would never be able to have children. She was covered in blood from this. They asked her if she was in KLA and said they would rape her if she didn't confess. She begged to be killed rather than raped, because her life would be over if they did that. They forced her to sign a confession that she never read. She was sentenced to four years. During the NATO bombing she was taken to Lipjan prison, where she was beaten repeatedly by the female guards. She had almost no food, only one small piece of bread. The women prisoners were beaten every day at noon. The guards said that was their lunch. The guards used clubs about 5 inches around. Her hands became swollen. Her sides and back were all bruised. They grabbed her hair and beat the back of ner neck and kidneys. She was with one pregnant prisoner named Igballe. They were taken to Pozharevac Prison with four other women on JUNE 10, 1999. She was put in isolation for one month, accused of being a KLA member, and she was beaten three times per day while they told her to accept that she was in KLA. She said she belonged to the Council for Defense of Human Rights. Then one day, a guard took a heavy ring of keys and began to beat the side of her head with it. She couldn't see right after that and had terrible head pain. She asked for the doctor, even asked for help from ICRC, but never saw a doctor until after the Serb elections in October when she was taken to the hospital. Now her eyes blur and she has memory problems. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Get email at your own domain with Yahoo! Mail. http://personal.mail.yahoo.com/ -------------- next part -------------- An embedded message was scrubbed... From: ALICE MEAD Subject: Fwd: Albanian Prisoner problem Date: Sun, 8 Apr 2001 02:35:50 -0700 (PDT) Size: 10279 Url: http://www.alb-net.com/pipermail/a-pal/attachments/20010408/6f9f9cd6/attachment.mht From amead at mail.maine.rr.com Wed Apr 18 12:39:54 2001 From: amead at mail.maine.rr.com (Alice Mead) Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2001 12:39:54 -0400 Subject: [A-PAL] A-PAL Newsletter 4/18/01 Message-ID: A-PAL NEWSLETTER (ALBANIAN PRISONER ADVOCACY) April 18, 2001 RELEASE BEDRI KUKALAJ AND KUMRIE VOCAJ! At this point, it seems that all those were to be released from Serbian prisons under the Amnesty Law have arrived home. This leaves approximately 70 to 80 political prisoners, many of them from the Rahovec area, arrested in 1998. There are also about 100 prisoners detained on criminal charges from before the NATO war. We hope and expect that the 143 Gjakova prisoners will be released soon after their appeal in the Serb Supreme Court April 23-26. Until now, we did not advocate for the release of specific prisoners. But now that approach seems useful. There are certain cases we feel that warrant immediate action. Please forward this information to your local and international leaders, as well as human rights NGO's. 1. Kumrie Vocaj-age 22. Female prisoner in Pozharevac Prison. Arrested at age 14 in 1992, imprisoned for eight years, she has never been on trial. She has had no family contact. She should be released immediately. 2. Bedri Kukalaj-age 23. Sentenced to 10 yrs. for terrorism. Shot in the head at the Dubrava Massacre in May, 1999, shattering his jaw and eye. He has had two operations, but has sent a desperate plea for release. He is in Belgrade Prison. Periodically has to receive IV treatment because he is unable to eat. He fears for his life. He should be released immediately for humanitarian reasons. Other individual cases that warrant dismissal- 1. Bekim Kastrati-age 33. Worked for OSCE in Prishtina. Arrested 3 days after the NATO war began. Sentenced to 14 yrs. for terrorism. The EU wrote asking for his release on 11/16/00. He is in Prokuplje Prison. 2. Luan and Bekim Mazreku-cousins. Nish Prison. Both in Dubrava Massacre. Now on trial but arrested in 1998. How can anyone provide a fair trial to those persons who they tried to massacre? Are they innocent until proven guilty? Or guilty until proven innocent? 3. Ismet Berbati-age 31. Peje. Father of five. In Dubrava Massacre. Arrested in 1998. Investigated but never tried. 4. Nexhat Brahimi-age 27, In very poor health. Nish Prison. No sentence? 5. Naim Haziraj-age 29. Arrested in 1998. Zajecar Prison. No sentence? 6. Albin Kurti-age 26. Convicted without evidence. Irregular trial. Sentenced to 15 yrs. Dismissal recommended by Yugoslav Lawyers for Human Rights on April 4, 2001. 7. Besim Zymberi-age 33. In Dubrava Massacre. Poor health. Belgrade Prison. Sentenced to 14 yrs. 8. Nexhmedin Berisha-age 48, arrested 1998. No trial? Arrested in 1998 and sentenced to 3 years: 1. Daut Mustafa-age 42. Believed to be in Nish or Vranje Prison. 2. Nazmi Ahmeti-age 38. Nish Prison. 3. Xhalim Mustafa-age 51. Vranje Prison. In Nish military prison?-Asllan Sopi-age 21. From Gjilan. Sentenced to 20 yrs. Transfer to a regular prison pending review. No one has been allowed access to military prisons. Two women in Pozharevac on criminal charges-Transfer to Kosova. Harassment and ethnic discrimination are constant in Pozharevac. DUBRAVA MASSACRE SURVIVORS STILL IN PRISON: 1. Nait Hasani-age 36. Wounded badly. Sentenced to 20 yrs. 2. Xhavit Kolgeci-age 27. Sentenced to 11 yrs. Nish Prison. 3. Milazim Kolgeci-age 40. Sentenced to 12 yrs. Nish Prison. 4. Aslan Lumi-age 48. Sentenced to 12 yrs. Nish Prison. 5. Besim Rama-age 36. Sentenced to 20 yrs. Nish Prison. 6. Ismet Berbati-age 31. No trial. Nish Prison. 7. Besim Zymberi-age 33. Sentenced to 14 yrs. Belgrade Prison. 8. Agim Recica-age 38. Sentenced to 13 yrs. Belgrade Prison. 9. Ejup Salihu-age 27. Sentenced to 5 yrs. Belgrade Prison. 10. Luan Mazreku-age 23. Still on trial. Nish Prison. 11. Bekim Mazreku-age 23. Still on trial. Nish Prison. 12. Idriz Asllani- age 48. Sentenced to 15 yrs. Location unknown. 13. Bedri Kukalaj-age 23. Sentenced to 10 yrs. Belgrade Prison. The Dubrava Massacre took place near Istok, Kosova, May 21-23, 1999. The ICTY investigation on this massacre will be out in a few months. Hopefully these prisoners will be free when that happens. The problem of prisoners from Rahovec: Mostly arrested in 1998, many of the remaining 25-30 prisoners from Rahovec are without court documents or clear record of what is going on with them. Listed here are the ones we know about: 1, Arif Morina-age 25. Arrested 1999. 5 yrs. Vranje Prison 2. Agim Kastrati- 3. Bilall Durguti-age 27. Arrested 1998. 5 yrs. Nish Prison? 4. Daut Bytyqi 5. Daut Mustafa-age 42. Arrested 1998. Sentenced to 3 yrs. 6. Fadil Morina-age 42. Arr. 1998. Sentenced to 5yrs. Vranje Prison. 7. Gezim Krasniqi-age 39. Arr. 1998. Sentenced to 5 yrs. Vranje. 8. Hajredin Zyberaj-age 32. Arr. 1998. Sentenced to 10 yrs. Smedereve Prison. 9. Isak Hoti-age 27. Arr. 1998. Sentenced to 5.5 yrs. Nish Prison. 10. Imer Nitaj-age 32. Arr. 1999 in Montenegro. Sentenced to 15 yrs. Zajecar Prison. 11. Milazim Morina-age 39. Arr. 1998. Sentenced to 5 yrs. Vranje. 12. Murteza Hoti-age 37. Arr. 1999. Sentenced to 5 yrs. 13. Mazulum Hoti-age 40. Arr. 1998. 5 yrs. Vranje Prison. 14. Nexmedin Berisha-age 48. Arr. 1998. No sentence? Vranje Prison. 15. Nisret Hoti-age 29. Arr. 1998. 4 yrs. Belgrade Prison. 16. Qazim Morina-age 47. Arr. 1998. No sentence? Vranje Prison 17. Rashit Morina 18. Safet Kabashi-age 29. Arr. 1998. No sentence? 19. Shefqet Makshana-Arr. 9/1999. Sentenced to 15 yrs. Nish. 20. Syleman Morina- 21. Sokol Morina- age 55. Arr. 1998. Sentenced to 5 yrs. Nish. 22. Tahir Ibrahimaj- age 26. Arr. 1998. Sentenced to 12 yrs. Nish. 23. Vehbi Muhareni-age 33. Sentenced to 8 yrs. Nish Prison. 24. Ylber Zyberaj- age 34. Sentenced to 10 yrs. In Prokuplje Prison or Nish Prison 25. Xhalim Mustafa-age 51. Arr. 1998. Sentenced to 3 yrs. Vranje Prison. 26. Xhemali Berisha-age 47. Arr. 1998. Sentenced to 10 yrs. Leskovac Prison. Also-Nazmi Ahmeti, Lufti Vocaj, Xhavit Kolgeci, Aslan Lumi -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 7665 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.alb-net.com/pipermail/a-pal/attachments/20010418/2d987c2f/attachment.bin From amead at mail.maine.rr.com Mon Apr 23 09:58:46 2001 From: amead at mail.maine.rr.com (Alice Mead) Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2001 09:58:46 -0400 Subject: [A-PAL] Albanian Prisoner Newsletter Message-ID: FROM A-PAL: ALBANIAN PRISONER ADVOCACY April 23, 2001 ******** A-PAL STATEMENT ************ This week is the review of the appeal of the 143 Gjakova prisoners detained in Serbia since June, 1999 in violation of the Geneva Accords, UN 1244, the Yugoslav Constitution, and international laws and protocols. Their crime-their collective ethnic identity. Evidence of their acts of terrorism? None. Therefore it is the responsibility of all of us to demand the release of all the remaining Albanian prisoners and the transfer of the criminal cases to jails in Kosova for review in accordance with the UNMIK mandate for all Kosova citizens. The case against Luan and Bekim Mazreku sentenced to 20 years each just last week based only on their forced confessions should be dismissed. Kumrie Vocaj, a young woman arrested at age 14 in 1992 and never charged should be released. Albin Kurti tried and convicted to 15 years for saying that the courts were a tool of the Milosevic regime should be released. Bekim Kastrati, an OSCE worker, sentenced to14 years for "acts of terrorism" should be released. Ismet Berbati, arrested in 1998 but never tried should be released. Asllan Sopi sentenced to 20 years but believed to be held in Nish Military Prison in unknown conditions should be released. The legal machinations that the Serb Ministry of Justice are now inventing for the "review" of these cases (not their dismissal as previously promised) are ludicrous efforts to evade the normal application of international and Yugoslav and UN1244 law. ******************************************** WE AGREE WITH THE U.S. SENATE IN THE RESOLUTION ON ALBANIAN PRISONERS-THE EU AND U.S. MUST ACT COLLECTIVELY TO OBTAIN FREEDOM FOR THESE PEOPLE AND THEIR WAITING FAMILIES. PLEASE WITHHOLD ALL FUTURE ECONOMIC AID TO THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA UNTIL THE PRISONERS GO HOME. Prisoner of the week: BEDRI KUKALAJ- age 23. Arrested in 1998, he was imprisoned in Istok during the NATO war, where he was shot in the head during the Dubrava Massacre of May 23, 1999. His jaw and eye were shattered. He has had two operations, but sent a desperate (and we believe unanswered) plea for his release the the UN Sp.Envoy for Prisoners, Henrik Amneus. Periodically he has to receive IV transfusions because he is unable to eat. Requests by the Humanitarian Law Fund to have his case dismissed have failed. Four other prisoners have died in Serbian prisons so far. Don't let him become the fifth. He is now in Belgrade Prison, where released Albanian prisoners report being held in appalling conditions without even enough air to breathe. Demand that diplomats, internationals, media, the ICRC, and human rights groups immediately visit him and the appropriate ministry officials needed to both release him and provide the operations he needs to survive. _______________________________________________________ Calendar No. 28, 107th CONGRESS, 1st Session Sen. RES. 60 APRIL 3, 2001: RESOLUTION OF THE U.S. SENATE Urging the immediate release of Kosovar Albanians wrongfully imprisoned in Serbia, and for other purposes. (2) urges the immediate release of all Kosovar Albanians wrongfully held in Serbia, including the immediate release of all Kosovar Albanian prisoners in Serbian custody arrested in the course of the Kosovo conflict for their resistance to the repression of the Milosevic regime; and (3) urges the European Union (EU) and all countries, including European countries that are not members of the EU, to act collectively with the United States in exerting pressure on the government of the FRY and of Serbia to release all prisoners described in paragraph (2). IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES March 14, 2001 Mr. SMITH of Oregon submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations April 3, 2001 Reported by Mr. HELMS, without amendment RESOLUTION Urging the immediate release of Kosovar Albanians wrongfully imprisoned in Serbia, and for other purposes. Whereas the Military-Technical Agreement Between the International Security Force (`KFOR') and the Governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia (concluded June 9, 1999) ended the war in Kosovo; Whereas in June 1999, the armed forces of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) (in this resolution referred to as the `FRY') and the police units of Serbia, as they withdrew from Kosovo, transferred approximately 1,900 ethnic Albanians between the ages of 13 and 73 from prisons in Kosovo to Serbian prisons; Whereas some ethnic Albanian prisoners that were tried in Serbia were convicted on false charges of terrorism, as in the case of Dr. Flora Brovina; Whereas the Serbian prison directors at Pozarevac prison stated that of 600 ethnic Albanian prisoners that arrived in June 1999, 530 had no court documentation of any kind; Whereas 640 of the imprisoned Kosovar Albanians were released after being formally indicted and sentenced to terms that matched the time already spent in prison; Whereas representatives of the FRY government received thousands of dollars in ransom payments from Albanian families for the release of prisoners; Whereas the payment for the release of a Kosovar Albanian from a Serbian prison varied from $4,300 to $24,000, depending on their social prestige; Whereas Kosovar Albanian lawyers, including Husnija Bitice and Teki Bokshi, who are fighting for fair trials of the imprisoned have been severely beaten; Whereas approximately 600 Kosovar Albanians remain imprisoned by government authorities in Serbia; Whereas the Geneva Conventions of August 12, 1949, and their protocols give the international community legal authority to press for, in every way possible, the immediate release of political prisoners detained during a period of armed conflict; Whereas, on July 16, 1999, the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) Special Representative to the Secretary General, Bernard Kouchner, formed an UNMIK commission on prisoners and missing persons for the purpose of advocating the immediate release of prisoners in four categories: sick, wounded, children, and women; Whereas on March 15, 2000, the Kosovo Transition Council, a co-governing body with the Interim Administrative Council in Kosovo, repeated an appeal to the United Nations Security Council requesting the release of Kosovar Albanians imprisoned in Serbia; Whereas on February 26, 2001, the FRY Assembly enacted an Amnesty Law under which only 108 of the 600 prisoners are eligible for amnesty; and Whereas Vojislav Kostunica, as President of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro), is responsible for the policies of the FRY and of Serbia: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, SECTION 1. URGING THE IMMEDIATE RELEASE OF ALL KOSOVAR ALBANIAN PRISONERS WRONGFULLY IMPRISONED IN SERBIA. The Senate hereby-- (1) calls on FRY and Serbian authorities to provide a complete and precise accounting of all Kosovar Albanians held in any Serbian prison or other detention facility; (2) urges the immediate release of all Kosovar Albanians wrongfully held in Serbia, including the immediate release of all Kosovar Albanian prisoners in Serbian custody arrested in the course of the Kosovo conflict for their resistance to the repression of the Milosevic regime; and (3) urges the European Union (EU) and all countries, including European countries that are not members of the EU, to act collectively with the United States in exerting pressure on the government of the FRY and of Serbia to release all prisoners described in paragraph (2). April 3, 2001 Reported without amendment -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 8097 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.alb-net.com/pipermail/a-pal/attachments/20010423/492fc2e5/attachment.bin From amead at mail.maine.rr.com Wed Apr 25 19:59:29 2001 From: amead at mail.maine.rr.com (Alice Mead) Date: Wed, 25 Apr 2001 19:59:29 -0400 Subject: [A-PAL] A-PAL newsletter 4/25/01 Message-ID: A-PAL NEWLSETTER --ALBANIAN PRISONER ADVOCACY APRIL 25, 2001 A-PAL STATEMENT After nearly two years, the 143 prisoners of the Gjakova group are back home. There are many individuals who worked long and hard on their behalf-Natasa Kandic and 8 HLC lawyers, Patrick Gavigan of UNHCHR, the Yugoslav Lawyers for Human Rights, the ICRC staff, Shukrie Rexha, the Gjakova parents association, Teki Bokshi, MEP Bart Staes, Senator Gordon Smith, Representative Eliot Engel, OSCE staff among them. Releasing the Albanian prisoners has taken a multinational, multiethnic effort , two years of public pressure to gain the very basic level of justice for these Albanians. Yet, even now, more than 250 prisoners remain deprived of liberty in Serbian prisons. It is not clear what sort of judicial "review" is in store for these cases, nor who will observe this process, nor what schedule there is, nor who will advocate for the prisoners. Therefore, we still cannot relax our public pressure campaign in demanding basic human rights and justice for the remaining cases. Our email action is still in operation. A sample letter and the website address are included at the end of the newsletter. We still need your help! Think of how happy the families of these prisoners are tonight. The other families are still waiting. ********************************* PRISONER OF THE WEEK: NEXHAT BRAHIMI, age 27. Nish Prison(zvator), Nis Serbia. In very poor health. Not sentenced after two years. Please send letters both to Nexhat at the above address, to the Serb Ministry of Justice , and to the prison director urging his release. From last week---Bedri Kukalaj -Belgrade Zvator, Belgrade, Serbia. Age 23. Severely injured. Needs immediate release. Please write to him. ____________________________________________ ICRC NEWS-Caroline Michele Pristina, 25.04.01 ICRC ACCOMPANIES THE GJAKOVA GROUP BACK TO KOSOVO Today the ICRC accompanied 143 released detainees back to their home in Gjakova/Djakovica under the protection of the Red Cross emblem. The ICRC buses picked up the detainees in the morning in several detention places, Belgrade Central Prison, Vranje, Cupria, Zajecar and Nis where most of them were detained. At 2.30 they crossed the boundary in Merdare and arrived at a meeting site in Bec near Gjakova/Djakovica around 5.30 where their families and thousands of friends were waiting for them. It was a beautiful moment of emotion and happiness for all, families, relatives, friends and the red cross/red crescent staff. 1755 detainees have been released since June 99 and 281 still remain in detention places in Serbia. The ICRC will continue to visit them, facilitate family visits, exchange Red Cross messages with their families and accompany them back home . ______________________________________________________ http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010423/wl/yugoslavia_kosovo_dc_14.html Monday April 23 4:24 PM ET Serb Court Orders Release of 143 Kosovo Albanians By Fredrik Dahl BELGRADE, Yugoslavia (Reuters) - Serbia's Supreme Court Monday ordered the release and retrial of 143 Kosovo Albanians jailed on terrorism charges during the rule of former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic (news - web sites). The official Tanjug news agency said the Djakovica group, named after a town in western Kosovo, would be released on Tuesday. They were arrested almost two years ago. ``It has been decided that due to fundamental violations of criminal proceedings, erroneous and incomplete collecting of evidence, that the verdict be reversed and the case returned to a lower court for a retrial,'' the court said in a statement released to local media. Sentenced last May to prison terms ranging from seven to 13 years, the group was among some 2,000 Kosovo Albanian prisoners taken to Serbia proper when Yugoslav forces withdrew from the province in June 1999 at the end of NATO (news - web sites)'s bombing campaign. The sentences of the Djakovica group totaled 1,632 years in what was the biggest mass trial in Yugoslav history. Their release would be welcomed by Western governments, human rights groups and Kosovo Albanian leaders, who had condemned their convictions as groundless. ``The thing that was indispensable has been done, the ruling has been overturned and a decision made to release them. They will go home now,'' said human rights activist Natasa Kandic of the Belgrade-based Humanitarian Law Fund. It would also be seen as a further sign that Yugoslavia's new authorities are distancing themselves from the country's turbulent past under Milosevic, ousted in a popular uprising last October. Reaction Positive ``We do regard it as a very positive development,'' said Claire Trevena, a spokeswoman for the Kosovo mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation (news - web sites) in Europe. Teki Boksi, lawyer for many of the Djakovica group, said their release would promote reconciliation in Kosovo, where minority Serbs have been targeted in numerous revenge attacks by local Albanians angry at years of Serb repression. ``I think this is a real step in the right direction toward the start of national reconciliation in Kosovo,'' Boksi said. The 143 people to be released were accused of having formed a unit of the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) in Djakovica in April 1999 that was involved in attacks on Serb forces during the 11-week NATO bombing campaign that year. Human rights lawyers have said the defendants were picked up arbitrarily during a sweep of Djakovica by Serb forces that began a day after fighting with the KLA ended and the guerrillas had taken to the hills. (Additional reporting by Beti Bilandzic in Belgrade and Beth Potter and Edita Bucinca in Pristina) Copyright ? 2001 Reuters Limited. _______________________________________________________________________ Betreff: HLC-HLC INITIATIVE FOR ADDITIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS GUARANTEES Datum: Tue, 24 Apr 2001 15:40:45 -0700 Von: humanitarian law center HLC INITIATIVE FOR ADDITIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS GUARANTEES The Humanitarian Law Center (HLC) urges FR Yugoslavia to promote protection of fundamental human rights by making it possible for victims of violations to address United Nations bodies, in particular the Committee against Racial Discrimination and the Human Rights Committee. The HLC calls on the Federal Government to make a declaration recognizing the competence of the Committee against Racial Discrimination to receive and consider applications by individuals and groups who allege that the state has violated any of the rights guaranteed by the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The HLC further calls on the Federal Parliament to ratify the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights under which the state parties recognize the competence of the Human Rights Committee to receive and consider applications by individuals who allege that their rights guaranteed by the Covenant have been violated. FR Yugoslavia would thus ensure to its citizens additional guarantees for the protection of human rights in its territory, and confirm its commitment to apply international standards in this field. ******************************************************* -EMAIL-ACTION: RELEASE THE PRISONERS NOW! T? LIROHEN MENJ?HER? T? BURGOSURIT! ODMAH OSLOBODITE ZATVORENIKE! http://www.kosova-info-line.de/APP/ NEW MAILTEXT _____________________________ -- Open letter to politicians all over the world -- Dear Ladies and Sirs, The 281 Albanian prisoners still in Serbian prisons need your help. We remind you that President Kostunica promised the release of all the prisoners on October 5, 2000 and again in early January, 2001. Who are those Albanian prisoners still in Serbian prisons? One is Bedri Kukalaj, serving a 10 year sentence, shot in the head at the Dubrava Massacre who is now in Belgrade Prison pleading for his life because he cannot eat. Bekim Kastrati, who worked for OSCE, sentenced to 14 years for terrorism. Three men who have already served the three years they were sentenced for--Daut Mustafa, Nazmi Ahmeti, and Xhalim Mustafa. A young woman arrested at age 14 and held for over 8 years without a trial. Albin Kurti, sentenced to 15 years without a shred of evidence. He was convicted for saying that the Serb Justice system served the political purposes of the Milosevic regime and that he had a right to a trial by his peers. And then there are the 30 or more men from Rahovec, the so-called "real terrorists." If that is the truth, where is the evidence? Why are there only forced confessions used to convict these people? Using forced confessions is prohibited by the Yugoslav Constitution as it is by international law. Typical of their situation is the recent trial and conviction of Luan and Bekim Mazreku, judged "guilty" by Serb public opinion, convicted by forced confession to 20 years each. Only by intense political pressure from outsiders will these people be released. We urge you to withold future financial aid to Serbia and to send OSCE representatives and diplomats to the prisons to talk with prisoners and to monitor their case reviews. Thank you. Sincerely, ........................................ (don?t forgot to sign with your name, please!) -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 9766 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.alb-net.com/pipermail/a-pal/attachments/20010425/eba189c6/attachment.bin