[A-PAL] A-PAL NEWSLETTER 8/25/01

[Alice Mead]

>  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 Protection of these courts, outdated vestigial 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
>>
>>
>>_________________________________________________________________
>>
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