From amead at mail.maine.rr.com Tue Aug 21 09:25:42 2001 From: amead at mail.maine.rr.com (Alice Mead) Date: Tue, 21 Aug 2001 09:25:42 -0400 Subject: [A-PAL] A-PAL NEWSLETTER AUG 21, 2001 Message-ID: ALBANIAN PRISONER ADVOCACY (A-PAL) AUGUST 21, 2001 A-PAL STATEMENT: HAEKKERUP, DJINDIC, AND KOSTUNICA TO BLAME FOR NOT TAKING STEPS TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM OF MISSING AND DETAINED, FAILING TO RESTORE BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE REGION. The NATO war of 1999 was fought to restore human rights and civil justice to Kosova and ultimnately Serbia. Yet the Kumanovo Agreement left civilians on the ground in Kosova, Albanian prisoners, Roma, Serbs, in grave danger. No basic human rights protections were established in that agreement. For the first three months after the war, there was no rule of law in Kosova. There were robberies, looting, arson, abductions, murders. 2,300 Albanian prisoners abruptly disappeared. Now the people on the ground are left traumatized and uncertain, still trying to sort out and resolve the results of these painful crimes. In that sense, the abduction and ongoing detention of the prisoners and the fate of the missing is the same. Leadership and resources have changed greatly in Kosova and Serbia since 1999. But UNMIK and the FRY and Serb government have completely failed to make resolving these issues their top priority, despite willingly receiving millions of dollars in financial aid, supposedly contingent on restoring justice, lawfulness, and human rights. Under Kostunica's government, only about 300 Albanian prisoners have received amnesty. The other 230 have been denied release by the same courts that Milosevic falsely set up during his unilateral transfer of "Serbian courts" from Kosovo to Serbia. Haekkerup has never challenged the role of these false courts. No one else has either. Yet these falsely created courts defy international law, UN law, the Kumanovo Agreement, and other international laws. This is an astounding piece of fiction that has continued unchecked during the Kostunica government. Djindic's efforts to release the prisoners is no better. But then, neither is Colin Powell or Tony Blair's. At the same time, no world leaders have led the way in resolving the painful matter of missing. Various committees here and there have sprung up in response to demonstrations, but it is an issue that, like the prisoner situation, must receive top priority from ALL involved to be resolved. The US has a special role in this problem. Having led the way in war, it should be prepared to lead the way in peace. That means letting people illegally detained or still in camps go home. It means there must be a comprehensive approach from heads of state to the smallest villages in locating and determining what happened to the missing. _________________________________________________________________ > FROM WOLFGANG PLARRE, European A-PAL : >> >><#RETURN AND EQUAL CIVIL RIGHTS FOR ALL IN KOSOVO >> >> Please think about: >>Of the thousands of missing persons from Kosov@ the remain of at >>least 230 is known since two years: they are yet detained in >>Serbian jails, among them Albin Kurti. >> >>Release the about 100 political Albanian prisoners ! >>Transfer the 130 Albanian prisoners convicted for ordinary crime to >>prisons in Kosov@ ! >>Faciliate the possibilities of their relatives and friends to visit >>them in the jails - without any discrimination and abuse. >> >>Some very ugly 'things' happened to them in the past. >> >>THERE IS A NEW CAMPAIGN DEMANDING INCREASED EFFORT BY UNMIK, KFOR, >>NATO COUNTRIES, AND SERB AUTHORITIES TO PROVIDE ANSWERS REGARDING >>MISSING AND DETAINED FROM THE 1999 NATO WAR. FURTHER INFO. ON THIS >>EFFORT AND A COPY OF A PETITION CAN BE FOUND AT THE WEBSITE OF >>WOLFGANG PLARRE and Grupa 484, email wplarre at bndlg.de. >>from the petition to Restore Peace and Justice In Kosovo: >> >>"IN RECENT YEARS, THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT ETHNIC AND >>RELIGIOUS BACKGROUNDS HAVE GONE MISSING IN KOSOVO! >> >>Watched helplessly by their loved ones, they were mercilessly taken >>away and the fate of most of them remains unknown to date. The pain >>of their families is the same and SO MUST BE THE EFFORTS to find >>them regardless of whether they are Serbs, Albanians, Roma, >>Ashkali, Muslims, Gorani or other. They deserve to be found and >>either decently buried or released. The families of the missing are >>seeking only truth and justice!" -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 5022 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.alb-net.com/pipermail/a-pal/attachments/20010821/600ac9d0/attachment.bin From amead at mail.maine.rr.com Tue Aug 28 10:39:37 2001 From: amead at mail.maine.rr.com (Alice Mead) Date: Tue, 28 Aug 2001 10:39:37 -0400 Subject: [A-PAL] A-PAL NEWSLETTER 8/25/01 Message-ID: > A-PAL NEWSLETTER (ALBANIAN PRISONER ADVOCACY) AUGUST 28, 2001 TWO NARRATIVES FROM ALBANIAN PRISONERS At this time, 120 Albanian political prisoners remained detained in Serb prisons. Some were arrested randomly, some based on their political beliefs. They were brutally arrested and tried under the Milosevic regime, the goal of which was to persecute ethnic Albanians, to force them from Kosova. These prisoners have the right to be immediately either pardoned or transfered to Kosova under the judicial jurisdiction of UNMIK as stated in UN 1244. Their continued detention reflects numerous broken promises by FRY leaders given to internationals such as Madeliene Albright, Kofi Annan, Chris Patten, the UN Security Council and many others who have petitioned for their release in accordance with international law. In order to keep them imprisoned, President Kostunica and Serb Prime Minister Djindic and the Serb Supreme Court have upheld the strange courts, transfered from Kosova to Serbia on June 9, 1999 by Slobodan Milosevic. These courts have denied amnesty or appeal to the remaining 120 prisoners. They have denied transfer to the UNMIK judicial system. Protection of these courts, outdated vestigial holdovers from the Milsoevic regime, has been deemed more important than protecting or promoting human rights---This is tragic. DEMAND FROM HAEKKERUP, DJINDIC, AND KOSTUNICA THAT THE PROBLEMS OF MISSING AND DETAINED BE RESOLVED AND THAT THIS BE THE TOP PRIORITY OF THE UNMIK AND SERB GOVERNMENTS BEFORE EITHER SIDE IS GIVEN MORE INTERNATIONAL AID MONEY. NEITHER SIDE IS MEETING EVEN THE MOST BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS REQUIREMENTS TWO YEARS AFTER THE WAR IN KOSOVA HAS ENDED. *********************************************************************** > >>from a prisoner sentenced to 15 years for terrorism- >now in Sr Mitrovica Prison in Northern Serbia. > >>>My brother is a poet . He has been a human rights activist and his >>>intellectual and political activities were based on human rights >>>principles of equal roghts for all nations and their peoples. >>>His activities and engagement in the field of human rights >>>including the protection of the rights of Albanians since this is >>>a basic right for all nations in the world,were seen by a Serb >>>regime,particularly by its instruments that is police forces and >>>secret service as an opportunity to accuse hom of terrorism in >>>order to deprive him of his right to life and freedom.It is in >>>fact the Serb regime with its agents that has terrorised him by >>>exercising the most appalling methods of torture .Therefore it is >>>absurd to keep my brother and other prisoners in Serb prisons for >>>TERRORISM in the period when Serbia has a new governement and in >>>the period when Milsoevic has been extradited to the Hague War >>>Crimes Tribunal.How is it that Albanians taken as hostages still >>>cannot breath freely or see the light of freedom?Is this new crime >>>against humanity seen by the world orhas its conscience been >>>killed? >>> >>>Statement given by Naim Zymberi from the village Varossh/Ferizaj > >>>____________________________________________________ >>> >>>Regarding the case of Besim Muhamet Zymberi from the village of >>>Varosh, human rights activist in Ferizaj, arrested on 28.6.1998 by >>>Serb police forces . He is currently in the prison in Sremska >>>Mitrovica. >>> >>>Besim Zymberi born in 1968 in Gjilan,living in the village Varosh >>>of the district of Ferizaj at the moment of his arrest. >>> >>>Besim was srrested on the 28.6.1998 by regular Serb police forces. >>>On this day at 5 am Serb police , consisting of 20 policemen have >>>surrounded our house in the village.The whole family was in the >>>house sleeping.The police secretly entered the yard and then >>>started in a brutal way to knock on the doors of the house.After >>>this we woke up and realized that the police have surrounded us.My >>>mother was the one who opened the door and the policemen with >>>three other civil inspectors entered the house.One of the >>>inspectors was Sergolub Vujoviq from Ferizaj and the other was >>>Nebojsha Gjorgjeviq from Neredimja who was leading the force.They >>>all behaved very badly.They were determined to find my brother >>>Besim who was sleeping in another part of the yard.The inspectors >>>beat up my father , mistreated my mother and threatened me that if >>>they will not find my brother , we would all bear the >>>consequences.Then the inspectors entered Besim's room where he was >>>badly beaten by the inspectors who were seeking weapons from him >>>and accusing him of having joined the KLA.They found no weapons. >>> >>>After this, they took Besim to the poice station. >>> >>>The following day , the 29.6.1998,more police arrived at 7.30 am , >>>consisting of an armoured car and 6/7 Serb police cars with 50 >>>armed police officers.This time they brought with them my brother >>>Besim who was in a terrible psychological and physical >>>condition.From his blackened face and the condition of his body, >>>we knew he had been terrible tortured.During the torutre , he was >>>forced to admit that in our yard were hidden 5 machine guns.After >>>they forced me and my father to search among the stones, they >>>realized there were no weapons there so this time they took me >>>along with Besim to the police station. >>> >>>Using violence and eletric shock,they were trying to get me to >>>tell them about the weapons and Besim,s activities and friends.But >>>I told them nothing because I knew nothing and those things that >>>the inspectors were trying to ascribe to Besim were not true.While >>>I was kept in one of the offices of the fifth floor of MIA >>>(Ministry of Interior Affairs -in Ferizaj, I could hear the >>>terrible screaming of my brother who was being tortured in the >>>office next door.I identified my brother,s voice only when they >>>stopped using violence and when he was forced to speak with a >>>calmer voice.One of the forms of violence that they used when >>>torturing Besim was burning him with cigarettes.I discovered this >>>only when I heard the inspector in the next door saying in >>>Serbian>Jel si probao cigaru? (Did you try the cigarettes?) >>> >>>Then around 14.oo pm, I was released. >>> >>>Although we thought it was over , regarding the police and that >>>our family would be spared from further maltreatment, the next >>>afternoon on 30.6.1998, at approximately 15.30,we were paid >>>another visit by another police group consisting of 7 /8 police >>>cars and 20 police officers.Again the police officers and their >>>inspectors led by Nebojsha Gjorgjeviq came to search for the >>>weapons that my brother, according to them had hidden in a bag in >>>the ceiling of the other house.This time Besim was not with >>>them.They made me climb up in to the attic with them but again >>>found no weapons.After this i told the police officers that in >>>order to avoid further torture, my brother was being forced to >>>think up places where weapons could be hid , because we never >>>had any weapons in the first place. They should realize this after >>>a three day raid when they had found nothing.If we really had >>>weapons, I would have run away with them and I would not have been >>>present in the house for three consecutive days.One of the police >>>officers , furious that they couldnt find weapons in the house , >>>hit me in the jaw as a result of which I collapsed.Afetr two hours >>>of the raid,they left threatening us , but that day they took my >>>father Muhamet into the MIA. >>> >>>According to my father,s statement, no physical violence was used >>>toward him but they used different forms of psychological torture >>>, saying that they were going to throw him from the fifth floor if >>>he did not tell them about the weapons and Besim.s connection with >>>the KLA.He was released after two hours. >>>This is briefly what the Serb police has done in our home and >>>plice station for three days. >>> >>>The inspectors and police officers continued with the tortures in >>>the prisons of Gjilane and Prishtina and we found out about this >>>from the lawyers Isak Neziri and Alissshefik Spahiu who were >>>representing Besim. >>>But despite the terrible torture that my brother underwent,he >>>never admitted to the the accusations that he was being charged >>>with because it was not true that he was involved in any terrorist >>>actions. >>>The whole process -not only the case of my brother but of the >>>whole group was a sham.This also applies to the trial that started >>>in a Serb court in Prishina where Besim and the others denied all >>>the accusations against them.Many organizations ,including >>>different international organizations that were monitoring the >>>trial , and also a human rights serb organization,the Humanitarian >>>Law Fund,led by Natasha Kandiq and the lawyers of the >>>organization, Milan Vukoviq and Dragolub Toddorroviq, OSCE >>>representatives, Veronique Lasserre, Michael D Pedersen, UN Human >>>Rights Representative Sylvain Roy and Misho Lukiq etc -all had an >>>opportttunity to see how this trial was constructed. >>> >>>I declare with full resonsibility that my brother Besim has been >>>accused and sentenced by a district court for a charge of >>>TERRORISM without any proof or foundation.And this is best >>>illustrated by the fact that he has denied accusations during >>>detention but also in his defence declaration in the court and on >>>the above mentioned information. >>> >>STATEMENT OF AGIM RECICA: >>------------------------ >>AGIM RECICA:DATE OF BIRTH:4.6.1963. >>----------- >>Born in Ferizaj.Political activist. Arrested by the Serbian police >>on the 30th July 1998.He was tried by the regional court in >>Prishtina, presided over by the Serbian judge, Dragoljub >>Zdravkovic.Sentenced to 13 years in prison. >> >>About his arrest,his wife Makfire has given the following statement: >>"My husband , Agim was arrested by the Serbian police on the 30th >>of July 1998 in our house in Ferizaj.At 16.00 hours,six Serbian >>police officers arrived in our house, very heavily armed and they >>were accompanied by two inspectors - Rajko Doder from Ferizaj and >>Nebojsha Gjorgjevic from Nerodime village.The inspector, Rajko >>Doder led the others. >> >>As soon as they entered, they headed towards Agim's father,Shaban >>with the words:"We need Agim.Where is he?" Agim who was with us >>and our guests didn't know what was going on and he went out to >>them.The police officers and inspectors then ordered Agim's oldest >>brother Hajriz and my brother-in-law's guests to leave while all >>the members of our family - myself and our three children,Agim's >>parents and brothers were all closed up in one room on the first >>floor of our house. One policeman watched us with his rifle pointed >>at us.They took Agim to the 2nd floor and kept him for one hour and >>15 minutes.During this time, they beat him brutally and then >>searched all the rooms under the pretext of looking for weapons. >>But they couldn't find any weapons there.They then ordered Agim's >>oldest brother and his son Lulzim to remove the stones that they >>had in the yard and to check also in the well for weapons.They >>forced Hajriz and Lulzim to dig up parts of the garden to see if >>there were weapons hidden there.But they couldn't find anything. >> >>The Serbian police then began to leave with Agim.At that moment, >>Agim's father intervened and asked the inspectors:"What are you >>taking Agim for ?He is not guilty. He has done nothing." The >>Inspector, Rajko Doder who was supervising everything turned to him >>and said :"You will not see Agim alive anymore."This Inspector's >>answer confused and scared us all. >> >>We had been so cruelly treated that our children began to cry.Then >>the Serbian police and the inspectors left with Agim at about 18.00 >>hours. >>We were very sad and worried about what would happen to >>Agim.Immediately on the same day of this incident, we went to the >>Ferizaj police station and requested an explanation but they didn't >>give us any. >> >>Later on , we discovered from Agim's lawyer,Rexhep Haxhimusa,that >>in the Ferizaj police station and in Gjilan prison also, the police >>tortured him badly and accused him of being involved in terrorist >>actions - things that Agim would never have dreamt of doing - and I >>, with full conviction , can say that none of those accusations are >>true. >>My husband was only involved in political activities.He was never >>involved in terrorist actions as they charged him. The Serbian >>Security police couldn't find even the smallest proof of his guilt. >> >>Ferizaj Statement given by : >>30.7.2001. Makfire Recica >> >> >>_________________________________________________________________ >> -------------- next part -------------- A non-text attachment was scrubbed... Name: not available Type: text/enriched Size: 12594 bytes Desc: not available Url : http://www.alb-net.com/pipermail/a-pal/attachments/20010828/cb69964c/attachment.bin