[A-PAL] a-pal newsletter 6/14/01

[Alice Mead]

A-PAL (ALBANIAN  PRISONER ADVOCACY)
June 14, 2001

15 more Albanian political prisoners have been released. Approx. 120 
are left. In the first six months of 2001, about 600 Albanians have 
been released. Yet none have sued for damages, reparations for false 
arrest, or torture through UN Committees, the OSCE, or EU 
international courts. Instead, only the Humanitarian Law Center in 
Belgrade has followed through on such charges on behalf of both 
Albanian and Serb prisoners, who suffered severe torture under the 
Milosevic regime. Were the released Albanians, and even those still 
in prison, to file such claims of abuse, it would greatly aid those 
others who remain wrongly imprisoned now. Justice may be the key to 
peace in the Balkans-but only Serb groups have helped advocate for 
this group of prisoners. Albanian human rights lawyers have done 
nothing. Their political leaders have done nothing. OSCE has failed 
to launch an investigation into the Albanian prisoner situation, 
despite its mandate to uphold the Helsinki Conventions. The UN 
Committee on Torture has not looked into the Dubrava massacre, the 
torture at Lipjan Prison, the Prishtina police station. And NATO 
failed to provide protection under the Geneva Conventions for this 
group of 2,000 people at the end of the NATO war.
So the remaining prisoners will continue to be released, one or two 
at a time. In that way, no one will ever press for the truth about 
what they went through since their arbitrary and brutal arrests, over 
two years ago. And there will be no pressure for the West to develop 
a regional  human rights policy.
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"Justice is the key to peace in the Balkans."-Holly Cartner, Human 
Rights Watch.     "NATO and its member states have invested heavily 
in the Balkans," said Holly Cartner, executive director of Human 
Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia division. "But they have 
failed to insist on accountability and respect for human rights, 
bringing us to the brink of yet another Balkan conflict. This time 
it's Macedonia."


Reminder: The FRY donor's conference is in Brussels on June 29th. 
Insist that before releasing the proposed new economic aid to former 
Yugoslavia, that the prisoners be released.
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Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001 09:24:07 +0300
Reply-To: balkanhr-owner at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [balkanhr]       NATO: Unfinished Business in the Balkans

(New York, June 13, 2001) As NATO leaders convened in Brussels today, 
Human Rights Watch pressed for steps to curb the mounting violence in 
Macedonia. Peacekeeping efforts in the Balkans, NATO expansion, and 
missile defense are expected to feature prominently at the NATO 
meeting, which marks the second stop on U.S. President George Bush's 
European tour.

"NATO and its member states have invested heavily in the Balkans," 
said Holly Cartner, executive director of Human Rights Watch's Europe 
and Central Asia division. "But they have failed to insist on 
accountability and respect for human rights, bringing us to the brink 
of yet another Balkan conflict. This time it's Macedonia."

Human Rights Watch researchers recently returned from Macedonia where 
they documented serious human rights abuses by both sides. They 
reported that the rebel Albanian National Liberation Army (NLA) had 
physically abused eight ethnic Serb civilians whom it arbitrarily 
detained in the Macedonian village of Matejce. Human Rights Watch 
also reported that Macedonian forces have begun separating out 
Albanian men fleeing the fighting, and have subjected some of them to 
severe abuse in detention.

"Each of these incidents risks escalating the conflict," Cartner said.
"NATO should send a clear and unequivocal message that such abuse must stop."
Human Rights Watch also urged NATO member states to recommit to
accountability for war crimes committed during all of the Balkan wars.

"Justice is the key to peace in the Balkans. That's why the United
Nations set up a war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia,"said
Cartner. "But there can be no justice until NATO arrests the war
criminals who have run circles around its Bosnia mission for years, and
the international community insists that all of the countries of the
former Yugoslavia cooperate fully with the tribunal."

Human Rights Watch called on the international community to postpone 
a June 29 aid conference for Yugoslavia until the new Belgrade 
government turns over more war criminals to the Hague Tribunal.

_____________________________________________________

UN COMMITTEE AGAINST TORTURE FINDS YUGOSLAVIA VIOLATED CONVENTION

  Considering a communication with regard to the case of Milan Ristic 
submitted through the Humanitarian Law Center, the UN Committee 
against Torture on 11 May this year found FR Yugoslavia in violation 
of its obligations under the Convention against Torture and Other 
Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Punishment.  This was the first decision 
to be taken by an international human rights body on an application 
submitted by an individual who alleged that Yugoslav government 
agencies had violated the Convention.

On behalf of Radivoje Ristic, the father of the late Milan Ristic, 
the Humanitarian Law Center turned to the Committee because of the 
failure of the police and judicial authorities in Yugoslavia to 
conduct a prompt, impartial and effective investigation into the 
death of his son, thereby violating Articles 12 and 13 of the 
Convention.

Milan Ristic died a violent death on 13 February 1995 in Sabac, 
western Serbia.  Suspecting the police of responsibility for their 
son's death, his parents requested a judicial investigation.   The 
case wound its way through the system and ended with a Serbian 
Supreme Court decision of 18 March 1997 without anyone being found 
responsible for Ristic's death.

On 11 May this year, the Committee Against Torture accepted the 
arguments set out in the communication and concluded that Yugoslavia 
had violated its obligations under Articles 12 and 13 of the 
Convention since its government agencies had failed to investigate 
promptly and effectively allegations of torture or severe police 
brutality.  The Committee therefore urged Yugoslavia to provide the 
applicants with an appropriate remedy and to inform it, within 90 
days, of the steps taken in response to the Committee's observations.

In accordance with the Committee's decision, the Humanitarian Law 
Center calls on the competent Yugoslav government agencies to provide 
appropriate legal remedy to the parents of Milan Ristic, including a 
prompt, impartial and effective investigation, and to inform them 
about the steps taken in response to the Committee's observations.

  _______________________________________________
  June 8, 2001
SERBIA SUED FOR FALSE ARREST OF THREE ETHNIC ALBANIANS

As legal counsel for three Kosovo Albanians, Humanitarian Law Center 
attorneys have filed a civil action against Serbia seeking 
compensation for their false arrest and the torture they were 
subjected to.
Pristina University students Idriz Cufaj, Asllan Zekaj and Erdogan 
Dautaj were arrested in their homes in May 1999.  When the NATO 
intervention ended on 10 June, all three were transferred to prisons 
in Serbia and were not released from custody until early June last 
year.  No proceedings were ever instituted against them.  At the time 
of arrest, police presented them with 30-day detention orders, which 
were subsequently taken from them.  While being unlawfully held, the 
three students were frequently beaten by police and prison guards. 
For some time, they received only one meal a day consisting of a 
cupful of tea and a quarter of a loaf of bread.
The aim of the action, which was filed with the First Municipal Court 
in Belgrade, is not only to see justice done but also to bring out 
the truth about human rights violations in the past.




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