[Prishtina-E] The outrage continues...

[kosova at jps.net]

Do something about it.

http://www.khao.org/appkosova.htm
http://www.bndlg.de/~dbein/APP/



-----Original Message-----
From: a-pal-admin at alb-net.com
Sent: Monday, September 10, 2001 7:00 AM
To: a-pal at alb-net.com
Subject: [A-PAL] a-pal newsletter 9/10/01


Albanian Prisoner Advocacy
September 10, 2001


A-PAL STATEMENT
The outrage continues.

Despite renewed efforts at obtaining the release or transfer of the
remaining Albanian prisoners, the so-called District Courts of Kosova (now
operating without UNMIK jurisdiction in Serbia) are still denying justice
for Albanians accused of terrorism during the hostilities in Kosova. These
particular prisoners have been illegally detained since 1998. There is no
valid evidence against them. They were denied the right to defend
themselves. All were severely tortured. Two prisoners were killed at
Dubrava.

Is not the Pristina District Court located in Pristina? If you answered yes,
you would be wrong. The Pristina Court claims itself to be located in Nis,
Serbia! It also claims to have sole jurisdiction over the citizens of
Kosova. This is the court that sentenced Flora Brovina to 12 years for
terrorism because of some bags of yarn in her office.

It is equally stupefying that Hans Haekkerup, Ibrahim Rugova, Hasim Thaci,
Amnesty International, UNHCHR, ICRC, Human Rights Watch have no comment to
make about the continued defiant operation of these courts arbitrarily set
up by Slobodan Milosevic to prosecute the cases of the Albanians he brought
into Serbia on June 10, 1999.


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

Date: Mon, 10 Sep 2001 10:07:35 -0700
From: humanitarian law center <office at hlc.org.yu>
Subject: HLC - PRESS - JUDGMENT DELIVERED TO KOSOVO ALBANIANS TWO AND A HALF
YEARS AFTER BEING PRONOUNCED


Another four Kosovo Albanians - Sulejman Bytiqi, Besim Zumberi, Skender
Ferizi and Agim Rechica - who are charged with of acts of terrorism, are
still in the penitentiaries at Nis and Sremska Mitrovica.


JUDGMENT DELIVERED TO KOSOVO ALBANIANS TWO AND A HALF YEARS AFTER BEING
PRONOUNCED

Four Kosovo Albanians from the so-called "Urosevac Group" received the
judgment handed down against them by the Pristina District Court two and a
half years after the event. The Court thus denied these four men, who have
been illegally held since June 1998, the right to defend themselves. Their
defense counsel, including Humanitarian Law Center attorneys, can only now
lodge an appeal with the Serbian Supreme Court.

On 5 February 1999, a panel of the Pristina District Court presided by Judge
Dragoljub Zdravkovic found 26 Albanians from the Kosovo town of Urosevac, 17
of whom were tried in absentia, guilty of seditious conspiracy and/or
terrorism and sentenced them to prison terms ranging from two to 15 years.

The Court's decision was based on confessions extracted by torture. Cen
Dugolli and Rexhep Bislimi died in July 1998 after being tortured by State
Security inspectors at the police station in Gnjilane and the Pristina
prison. Xhavit Zariqi was severely beaten and subjected to electric shocks
almost every day from 28 June to 20 July 1998 by State Security Inspectors
Rajko Doder and Radovan Klaric and some 20 police officers. As a result of
this brutal treatment, Zariqi, who was sentenced to three years in prison,
is now unable to move about without assistance.

Zariqi and Haxhi Bytiqi were released until their sentences become final as
they received terms of less than five years. Enver Topalli and Ahmet Hoxha
were killed during the NATO bombing of the Dubrava Penitentiary in Kosovo.
Ilber Topalli was released in March 2001 under the Amnesty Act.

Another four Kosovo Albanians - Sulejman Bytiqi, Besim Zumberi, Skender
Ferizi and Agim Rechica - who are charged with of acts of terrorism, are
still in the penitentiaries at Nis and Sremska Mitrovica.

For more information please contact Mojca Sivert
Tel./fax: 381 11 444-3944, 381 11 444-1487;
e-mail: mojca at hlc.org.yu