[Kcc-News] KOSOVA PRISONERS TRANSFERRED: HOME AT LAST! (A-PAL NEWSLETTER 3/26/02)

[Mentor Cana]

-------- Original Message --------
Betreff:  [A-PAL] A-PAL NEWSLETTER 3/26/02: KOSOVA PRISONERS TRANSFERRED
Datum: Tue, 26 Mar 2002 14:20:25 -0500
Von: Alice Mead <amead at maine.rr.com>

A-PAL (ALBANIAN PRISONER ADVOCACY)
March 26, 2002

A-PAL STATEMENT

HOME AT LAST!

At long last, the remaining Albanian prisoners crossed the border into
Kosova today, ending nearly three years of intensive international
advocacy on their behalf. We can only imagine the relief the remaining
families must feel at this moment to finally have contact with their
loved ones again. We want to thank all the families for their
extraordinary patience during this period.

*** THANKS TO EVERYONE EVERYWHERE WHO HELPED ****

The European A-PAL email action campaign--run by Divi Beineke in Germany
and her team of translators- sent over 38,000 emails to world leaders on
the prisoners' behalf. Wolfgang Plarre compiled daily articles and
reports on human rights, missing and detained. In the USA, Naida Dukaj
set up the first A-PAL website and ran the mail list for two years.
Mentor Cana set up the mail administration. In Washington, Richard Lukaj
and Ilir Zherka met with State Department staff and Senate foreign
affairs staff. In Ireland, Valerie Hughes was our most resourceful
campaigner, calling members of EP and UK and Irish foreign offices and
embassies. Brendan Moran of Ireland Foreign Office assisted in raising
the issue with other foreign offices. Bernie Sullivan of UK followed the
UK foreign office and NATO.

Suzy Blaustein wrote the first comprehensive report for ICG in 1999.
Laura Rozen wrote articles. Bob Hand. Jason Steinbaum, and Kelly Siekman
staff members from the House and Senate, were supportive in raising the
issue at OSCE and State Dept meetings. Albert Cevallos and Kurt
Bassuener helped advance awareness both in DC. Eric Witte and Nina
Bang-Jensen led the difficult effort to include the transfer of
prisoners in the bill passed by the US Congress to condition future aid
to the FRY.  In Serbia, Natasa Kandic and Teki Bokshi of the
Humanitarian Law Center visited prisoners, defended the 143 member
Gjakova group, and monitored trials.

Teki Bokshi also managed the arrangments in releasing nearly forty minor
children in November, 1999. Fred Abrahams and Bogdan Ivanisevic of HR
Watch monitored trials. Paul Miller and Sian Jones of Amnesty helped
monitor trials. Jovana Krstic and Jelena Milic of Grupa 484 assisted
A-PAL frequently. Patrick Gavigan of UNHCHR helped keep track of
prisoner transfers and conditions. Stefano Valenti of Council of Europe
helped forward information on trials.

MP Bart Staes was our most dedicated EP member. MP Emma Bonino and
Olivier Dupuis also forwarded resolutions and sent letters. In Sweden,
Anders Wessman and Idriz Zogaj provided early support in Brussels, ran
four hunger strikes, and filed suit for kidnapping against President
Kostunica. Judge Richard Goldstone included the prisoner issue in his
report on Kosova. Mary-Teresa Moran in Chris Patten's office followed
the situation diligently and persistently. MP's Doris Pack and Elmar
Brok passed a resolution on prisoner release in EP Brussels.

In NY, lawyers Lisa LaPlante and Marko Maglich worked on the Albanian
Prisoner Advocacy Guide and wrote the comments of Flora Brovina's trial.
Also, Ambassador Ryan of Ireland and the Ambassador of Bangladesh raised
the issue in the UN Security Council. In DC, Senators Smith, Leahy,
Helms and McConnell repeatedly raised the issue in Congress and
coordinated the effort to condition aid if the prisoners were not
transfered by March 31, 2002, as did Reps. Engel and Cardin. At the US
office in Prishtina, Julie Winn, Karen Levine, Laurie Dundon,and John
Menzies offered support along the way. At the UK office, Victoria
Whitford coordinated efforts in Belgrade and Prishtina. US A-PAL
advocates Jane Stevenson and Trish Porter wrote to prisoners in Sremska
Mitrovica and assisted in advocating the release of Bedri Kukalaj.
Madeleine Albright and Colin Powell of the US State Dept. supported our
efforts at crucial moments.

In Kosova, we want to thank Rizah Xhakali, Gani Krasniqi, Avni Klinaku,
and Nexhmi Kelmendi of the APP office, and Ibrahim Makolli, Payazit
Nushi, and Adem Demaci of the CDHRF office, as well as Shukrie Rexha who
represented the prisoner issue on KTC. At UNMIK, Elizabeth Presse, John
Christian Cady, and Clint Williamson were negotiators. Sarah Bascheti
and Mary Elena Andreotti were helpful to families in need and to the
Dubrava hunger strikers. Albin Kurti wrote letters to foreign
governments and met with foreign office officials. Liburn Aliu helped
ill prisoners who had returned home. Enver Dugolli met with UNMIK
officials. The Gjakova Families petitioned internationally and did a lot
to raise awareness. The Released Dubrava Prisoners insisted on the
creation of an UNMIK department of Missing and Detained and the repair
of the mass grave at Dubrava. Blerim Shala, Isuf Hajrizi and Halil
Matoshi kept the prisoner issue alive and in the news. Over 75,000
Albanians signed the first petition we delivered to NATO. Thousands
demonstrated in rain, heat, and snow. Six prisoners died in detention.
But the other 2,000 plus have now returned home.

Best wishes to this last group,

Your A-PAL Coordinators-

Alice Mead    Mentor Cana      Anders Wessman
Divi Beineke  Valerie Hughes
Naida Dukaj   Wolfgang Plarre

    *****************************************

Agence France Presse March 26, 2002 Tuesday

Belgrade turns over Kosovo prisoners, meeting US condition for aid

DATELINE: NIS, Yugoslavia, March 26

Serbian authorities on Tuesday began a transfer of ethnic Albanian
prisoners held in Serbian jails to Kosovo, meeting a key US demand for
extending aid to Yugoslavia.

A convoy of four buses, escorted by two UN vehicles and Serbian police
cars, was seen leaving a prison in the southern Serbian town of Nis
around 2:10 pm (1310 GMT).

A total of 145 ethnic Albanian prisoners, 104 from Nis prison and 41
from Sremska Mitrovica, were to be transferred to Kosovo, the Beta news
agency reported quoting the Serbian justice ministry. Seven ethnic
Albanian prisoners wanted to serve their sentence in Serbia and not to
be transferred to Kosovo, Bruno Vekaric of the ministry told Beta.

The US Congress had made the transfer of ethnic Albanian prisoners to
Kosovo from other parts of Serbia before March 31 a condition for
receving 40 million dollars in aid to Belgrade.

Washington is also demanding cooperation from Belgrade in arresting and
turning over suspects wanted by the UN war crimes tribunal in The Hague.

The transfer was in accordance with an agreement reached last week by
the Serbian government and the UN mission in Kosovo on an exchange of
prisoners captured during the Kosovo war.

Under the agreement ethnic Albanian prisoners held in Serbian prisons
will continue to serve out their sentences in Kosovo, while Serb
prisoners held in Kosovo will in return be sent to jails elsewhere in
Serbia.

The agreement was signed Friday by Serbian Prime Minister Zoran
Djindjic, Deputy Prime Minister responsible for Kosovo Nebojsa Covic and
Yugoslav Prime Minister Dragisa Pesic, and the UN administrator for
Kosovo, Michael Steiner, signed the accord on behalf of the province.

Over 2,100 detainees were sent to central Serbia during the June 1999
pullout of Yugoslav forces from the southern Serbian province of Kosovo.

Most of the prisoners stand accused of terrorism and murder during the
1998-1999 war in which Yugoslav forces fought ethnic Albanian guerrillas
in Kosovo.

Some prisoners were released due to lack of evidence or after serving
some time and others were sentenced to prison for 10 years or more.