[A-PAL] A-PAL NEWSLETTER 2/19/01

[Alice Mead]

A-PAL ALBANIAN PRISONER ADVOCACY
FEBRUARY 19, 2001


        STATEMENT ON CONDITION OF THE 650 REMAINING PRISONERS
      Today in Prishtina, the office of the Association of Prisoners 
is crowded with worried family members. According to some prisoners 
at Nis Prison, guards have entered the first and second floor and 
beaten the Albanians there in retaliation for the killings of Serbs 
in Kosova and Presevo during the past week. Sixteen family members 
who traveled with ICRC to Belgrade Prison were turned away, the 
director told them that the prisoners had the flu. Two prisoners 
recently released from Belgrade Prison said that conditions there 
were terrible-- that they don't have enough air to breathe, that 
prisoners are in weakened condition and talk openly of suicide, and 
are planning a hunger strike.

      While it still is impossible to know who, exactly, is 
responsible for the brutal bombing of the bus full of Serb civilians 
last Friday, three points remain consistently clear:
1. the rights and survival of the 650 prisoners are in constant jeopardy
2.  the prisoners are political hostages whose survival and freedom 
is completely dependent on events in and around Kosova and Serbia
3. the stability of Kosova, and the survival of the prisoners, can be 
threatened by the violent criminal acts of a few people, Albanian or 
Serb. It is the criminal violence that is destabilizing, not the 
ethnicity of the perpetrator.

    While we deplore the recent bombings, we must continue to urge the 
FRY and Serb Parliament to continue its process with regard to the 
amnesty law. The plans for the release of the prisoners cannot be 
contingent upon criminal acts of violence by others. Consider this: 
if an Asian gang committed a string of murders in Atlanta, would the 
U.S. courts and prisons then be justified in prolonging and even 
torturing all Asian prisoners in Los Angeles and Washington, DC? As 
long as one member of an ethnic group is viewed not as an individual 
with inviolable rights but as a stand-in for an entire population, 
the future of both Serbia and Kosova (and therefore the NATO nations) 
will be hostage to ethnic violence.

Detaining the 650 prisoners further will not halt this kind of 
violence. Further well-considered steps down the road to protection 
of human rights eventually will. We must urge the Serb Parliament to 
take this step forward towards justice and normalization and not 
backwards towards ethnic retaliation. Readers' comments are 
reassuring  in showing that people all over the world are committed 
to establishing justice and human rights in both Kosova and Serbia. 
Our hope lies in their willingness to share their points of view for 
our consideration and in their, as well as our, persistence and 
belief in democratic principles in the face of difficulties and 
setbacks.

________________________________________________
      READERS' COMMENTS: "please do not give up."
                ******************************

Dear friend(s) at A-Pal,
                                         Please acknowledge that there 
is a more than 50 - 50 chance that serbian interior/inteligence 
agents are still acting and carrying out missions in Kosova. I 
strongly believe that the bus attack might have, I repeat might have 
been the work of serbian espionage agents attempting to de-rail the 
fragile success that UNMIK has so far achieved. I do not think that 
these people in power today in serbia rate life very highly (even 
their own nationality), as we saw with milosevc and his human shields 
and another example was hilighted recently when we found out that he 
had put his own TV journalists in the serbian TV building 
(headquarters) during the NATO bombing campaign knowing full well it 
was a targeted building.What do you think???
                                             Reguards
                                             Ilirian
                                             Australia.
_________________________________________________________

Now when I hear on the news about the revenge attacks happening
there, it makes me very sad. Insted of trying to build the future of 
Kosova, people there are attacking each other. Instead of trying to 
convince international community that the only solution for Kosova's 
future is Independence, they are doing the opposite.
     But, I am still hopeful that one day Kosova will be free, that people
will live in harmony with each other, that children will be able to go to
school happy and free. Thank you,
       Kujtim
Princeton New Jersey
____________________________________________
"The violence has to stop immediately because that undermines all
efforts made by the Kosovo people and the international community to 
build a tolerant and democratic society for all citizens," said a
statement issued by Rugova's office in Pristina.
      Democratic Party of Kosovo, the second party derived from ex-KLA
members, also strongly condemned the killings, calling it a "criminal
act" and urged NATO's Kosovo Force and U.N. police to find and punish 
the criminals, whether they are Albanians or Serbs.
      "We strongly condemn this criminal act and ask the legal
authorities to investigate as soon as possible so that the criminals
face with justice. These criminals do not have (the protection of) a
nationality, they are criminals and have to be sentenced," says Fatmir
Limaj, a DP leader.
      Seven Serbs were killed, 10 critically injured and 33 others hurt
by a remote control bomb exploded when a Serb convoy crossed Kosovo 
border close to Podujeva Friday.
      This is the second violent attack against Serbs within three days
in Kosovo.A KFOR spokesman said they have arrested two people in 
connection with the bombings, and KFOR has increased security 
measures to avoid clashes between Serbs and Albanians.
--AUGUSTE GUILLIAME
   EDMONTON, CANADA
--_________________________________________
Dear A_PAL
this morning - more brutal attacks in South Serbia, and presently 
there is a press conference holding in Bujanovac. My people down 
there is too sad to hate anybody today, as I felt talking to some of 
my friends from Bujanovac this morning. Yesterday my state proclaimed 
18 February as The Day of Mourning for the dead in buss near 
Podujevo. And todayŠ.This is beyond reasonable line of understanding, 
but knowing Albanian terrorists, they will keep doing it until their 
political leaders stop them, and they are not doing it at all.

Blown up and killed at the spot near village of Lucane by Albanian 
terrorist mine when delivering food to the police positions there. 
Three dead policemen are from Belgrade, Vozdovac, their names are: 
Miomir Jeremic, Milenko Zivotic, Boban Mitic.

Please mention their names in your prayer.
Jovana, belgrade
  _________________________________________________


DEAR A-PAL,
I TOTALY AGREE WITH YOUR OPINION ABOUT WHAT HAPPEND IN PODUJEVA (KOSOVA).
I DO NOT SEE ANYTHING WORSE IN THIS WORLD THAN THESE ACTS.
(BUT MILLOSEVIC-ES AKTS).
HOWEVER, I SEE AND I KNOW, THAT, THERE ARE TO MANY PEOPLE IN KOSOVA WHO LOST
A FAMILY MEMBERS, OR HAVE THEM STILL, IN SRBIAN PRISONERS, SO (I BELIVE) THAY
DO NOT CARE ABOUT POLITICS,WRIGHTS,
HUMAN WRIGHTS, OR ANYTHING ELSE. THAY CONSIDER THEMSELFS PEOPLE WITH NO
FUTURE.
IN THIS CASE I THINK, WE, YOU AND ALL HUMMAN WRIGHT ORGANIZATIONS
IN THE WORLD, EROPIAN COUNTRYES NEED TO WORK LITTLE BIT MORE ,
TO DO MORE AND REAL PRESSURE TO KOSTUNICA TO FINALY AND URGENTLY BRING
AMNESTY LAW AND RELISE ALBANIAN PRISONERS.
I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GOOD STEP TO BRING EVERYBODY IN  LEVEL, IN WHICH THAY
CAN COUNT IN THEIR FUTURE.
THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT MOMENT.
WE CAN NOT BUILD A REAL KOSOVA WITH THESE ACTS.
SO, PLEASE DO NOT GIVE UP.

LUIGI, Michigan, USA
____________________________________________________
Submitted by Mr. Bart Staes, Member of EP, Feb. 13, 2001
Brussels.

Mr. Kinnock, E.C. : " The honourable Member is correct in stating that the
proposed amnesty law, wich is still only a proposal before both the Serbian
Parliament and the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, will
not cover anyone convicted of offences considered to be acts of terrorism.
The European Union has already repeatedly called for the release of all
Kosovo Albanian prisoners. The EU ministerial troika which visited Belgrade
on 8 February also expressed concern at the fact that the proposed amnesty
law will not cover all those convicted of political offences by the
Milosevic regime.

The Commission has been fully involved in these initiatives, and the
European Parliament's ad hoc delegation, which visited from 8 to 10
February, also raised this issue in the relevant quarters. The Serbian and
federal authorities have indicated their intention to urgently re-examine
the cases of those not covered by the law, particularly to ascertain
whether the convictions are sound or not. As of today, the prisoners have
still, regrettably, not been released. The EU will keep up the pressure to
ensure that they are. "
_______________________________________________________
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