[A-PAL] A-PAL URGENT! KOSTUNICA IN USA, AT UN!!

[Alice Mead]

A-PAL ALBANIAN PRISONER ADVOCACY
MAY 8, 2001


                 USA MUST PRESSURE KOSTUNICA ON PRISONERS

WE NEED YOUR HELP THIS WEEK--PLEASE WRITE TO SECRETARY POWELL AND 
YOUR LEGISLATORS, URGING THEM TO WITHOLD FINANCIAL AID UNTIL THE 
REMAINING 250  ALBANIAN PRISONERS GO HOME.
June 10, 1999: For prisoners and their families, a day they will 
never forget. On that day, two years ago, President Milosevic and his 
Ministry of Justice brought 2,000 Albanians to Serb prisons. Bedri 
Kukalaj, shot in the head at the Dubrava massacre, is still there, in 
desperate need of medical intervention. Asllan Sopi, age 21, is 
believed to be in Nis Military Prison, in violation of the UN 
protocols. In fact, all the prisoners' human rights have been 
grievously violated innumerable times. Under Milosevic, and now under 
his successor Kostunica, working for OSCE was a terrorist act. Just 
ask Bekim Kastrati, age 33, sentenced to 14 years for terrorism.

The amnesty law released 30,000 Serbs and 200 Albanians. There has 
been no move to release the remaining prisoners. Twenty or more are 
from Rahovec, their court records were in Prishtina, but apparently 
may be lost. No problem. They were sentenced to terms of 13 or even 
20 years without documents.

And this justice system, which violates every UN protocol and the 
Geneva Conventions and UN1244, which says Kosovars shall be tried in 
Kosova, and the Yugoslav Constitution which forbids the use of forced 
confessions and torture, is worthy of international support?

WRITE OR CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES! DEMAND THE RELEASE OF THE 
REMAINING PRISONERS!

*************************************************************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Human Rights Watch-NY
YUGOSLAVIA: U.N. MUST PRESS KOSTUNICA ON TRIBUNAL
Donors’ Conference Should Depend on Cooperation, Arrest of Indictees

(New York, May 8, 2001)—As Yugoslav President Vojislav Kostunica arrived
in the U.S., Human Rights Watch urged U.N. and U.S. officials to press
him to cooperate fully with the International Criminal Tribunal for the
Former Yugoslavia (ICTY). Kostunica is slated to meet U.N. Secretary
General Kofi Annan on Tuesday.

“Last fall, Yugoslavia was admitted to the U.N. with the expectation
that it would abide by U.N. commitments -- including the requirement
that member states cooperate with the tribunal,” said Richard Dicker,
head of Human Rights Watch’s International Justice program.
“Unfortunately, cooperation has been halting and President Kostunica
himself has done little but denigrate the tribunal.  Indeed, he has said
point blank that Milosevic should never be sent to The Hague.  U.N.
officials should make clear that this approach is completely
unacceptable.”

Human Rights Watch called for the Secretary General and other officials
to raise Hague Tribunal cooperation as a central focus of the meeting.

Following meetings at the U.N. Tuesday, Kostunica will travel to
Washington, D.C., coincidentally crossing paths with Tribunal Prosecutor
Carla Del Ponte, who is also in Washington this week.  Kostunica will
have meetings with senior U.S. government officials and representatives
of the international financial institutions, where discussions will
likely focus on a donors’ conference for Yugoslavia, which the World
Bank and the E.U. have proposed for June 1, but the U.S. has suggested
be postponed until Yugoslavia demonstrates further commitment to
cooperate with the tribunal.

In a letter sent to U.S. Secretary of State last week, Human Rights
Watch urged that the setting of a date for a donors’ conference on
Yugoslavia should be tied to specific benchmarks. “No donors’ conference
should be scheduled until Yugoslav citizens who have been indicted by
the tribunal are sent to The Hague,” said Dicker. “Kostunica must also
make a public commitment that Milosevic himself will be transferred to
the custody of the tribunal.”

A copy of the letter to Secretary Powell can be found at
http://www.hrw.org/press/2001/04/powellet0430.htm.
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