The Council for Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms (CPHRF) has sent an open letter to human rights organizations, expressing its concern over the recent arrest of 10 Albanians in the Presheva Valley.
“The arrestees are suspected of committing crimes against Serbs in the region of Gjilan after the end of war, and figures of missing and killed Serbs are mentioned. This does not correspond with the figures made public of non-governmental organizations for human rights in Serbia and Kosovo, as well as other credible international human rights organizations,” reads the letter sent to the International Red Cross Committee, Amnesty International, International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, and other organizations.
“The arrestees are suspected of committing crimes against Serbs in the region of Gjilan after the end of war, and figures of missing and killed Serbs are mentioned. This does not correspond with the figures made public of non-governmental organizations for human rights in Serbia and Kosovo, as well as other credible international human rights organizations,” reads the letter sent to the International Red Cross Committee, Amnesty International, International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague, and other organizations.
The CPHRF asks the international human rights organizations to put
pressure and to raise their voice against physical violence the Serbian
authorities are using against the ten arrested Albanians.
Also, this Council asked for transparency during the investigations and trials so that the human rights guaranteed by international conventions are respected.
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander in charge of Gjilan region, Ahmet Isufi, denied allegations that Serb civilians went missing after the war. “The crimes are made up,” said Isufi.
UNMIK spokesperson denied that it has ever investigated the men or the crimes Serbia alleges were committed.
All leaders of the Presheva Valley Albanians in Southern Serbia have criticized the arrest of the 10 Albanians, which Serbia accuses for war crimes, at a time when war operations were over. Nader Sadiku, Mayor of Presheva Municipality, said that the operation was designed to spread panic among the Albanians there and force ethnic cleansing. About half of the Valley Albanians currently live in Kosovo, fearful to return to their homes in the Valley. Sadiku said that the 26 December operation was timed when Western ambassadors which have acted as intermediaries in the tense region would be out of Serbia. Serbia said the operation was being planned for months.
Riza Halimi, the only ethnic Albanian representative in the Serbian Parliament, said the arrests were made to justify the presence of the Serb Gendarmerie in the Albanian inhabited areas, a crack Serbian police force which has been building a massive base in the Presheva Valley. He accused the Serb police minister Ivica Dacic, a former Milosevic crony, for not involving the local multiethnic police in the operation.
Family members of the men arrested have spoken of beatings and other forms of terror used on the men and their families. The men were paraded in the arranged media-show in Belgrade while entering the courthouse.
Naxhije Hajdari, wife of one of those arrested, told how her husband was beaten in front of the children. Only hours later, at 9 o’clock, they started asking for weapons, said Naxhije. Another child’s face from the Hasani family was smashed on the cupboard.
Halil Selimi, a former negotiator in the talks that ended the 2001 Presheva Valley uprising of Albanians for more rights, said that only four of the arrested were participants in the Kosovo war, while others were 15-16 years old at the time of the alleged crimes. Selimi urged that if there is any basis for the crimes, International Tribunal in the Hague deal with it as an impartial party, which was echoed by other Albanian leaders in the Valley.
Also, this Council asked for transparency during the investigations and trials so that the human rights guaranteed by international conventions are respected.
Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commander in charge of Gjilan region, Ahmet Isufi, denied allegations that Serb civilians went missing after the war. “The crimes are made up,” said Isufi.
UNMIK spokesperson denied that it has ever investigated the men or the crimes Serbia alleges were committed.
All leaders of the Presheva Valley Albanians in Southern Serbia have criticized the arrest of the 10 Albanians, which Serbia accuses for war crimes, at a time when war operations were over. Nader Sadiku, Mayor of Presheva Municipality, said that the operation was designed to spread panic among the Albanians there and force ethnic cleansing. About half of the Valley Albanians currently live in Kosovo, fearful to return to their homes in the Valley. Sadiku said that the 26 December operation was timed when Western ambassadors which have acted as intermediaries in the tense region would be out of Serbia. Serbia said the operation was being planned for months.
Riza Halimi, the only ethnic Albanian representative in the Serbian Parliament, said the arrests were made to justify the presence of the Serb Gendarmerie in the Albanian inhabited areas, a crack Serbian police force which has been building a massive base in the Presheva Valley. He accused the Serb police minister Ivica Dacic, a former Milosevic crony, for not involving the local multiethnic police in the operation.
Family members of the men arrested have spoken of beatings and other forms of terror used on the men and their families. The men were paraded in the arranged media-show in Belgrade while entering the courthouse.
Naxhije Hajdari, wife of one of those arrested, told how her husband was beaten in front of the children. Only hours later, at 9 o’clock, they started asking for weapons, said Naxhije. Another child’s face from the Hasani family was smashed on the cupboard.
Halil Selimi, a former negotiator in the talks that ended the 2001 Presheva Valley uprising of Albanians for more rights, said that only four of the arrested were participants in the Kosovo war, while others were 15-16 years old at the time of the alleged crimes. Selimi urged that if there is any basis for the crimes, International Tribunal in the Hague deal with it as an impartial party, which was echoed by other Albanian leaders in the Valley.
Comments (12)
BB
said:
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... All these seems to me like this:a new war is emerging and for the change i will use my military skills on the fight against serbian regime. |
Adrian
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... lol MM, if you would like to compare numbers, do a google search on the "estimated" victims that the Serbs have caused (Croatians, Bosnians, Albanians). Also, don't mask the fact that this whole thing started because of Serbs, not Albanians. Kosovo had its autonomy and there was no KLA. You nutjobs with Milosevic decided you wanted to take that away (along with depriving the Croats and Bosnians of their own right as well) and you digged a big whole for yourselves. Now you come here and you list numbers of some 300 Serbs that died!? Awww, that's sad! Poor 300 Serbs, I feel pitty for them considering that a simple Google search reveals 7 digit numbers of people that the Serbs are responsible for killing or displacing in ex-Jugoslavia. It is people like you that are leaving Serbia behind, and I don't pretend to care about Serbia, just a simple observation. |
AR
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... I can't belive that you are defending serbs. It just like you defending Nazi. Who started the War in Yugoslavia? The SERBS!!! Who killed ten of thousands of civilian in Croatia? SERBS!!!! Who killed hundred of thousands of civilian in Bosnia? And they are still finding mass graves even today. SERBS!!!! Who killed thousands of civilian in Kosovo? And a million albanian people deported in the war. And again gess who? SERBS!!!! So please guys Its like denying the Holocaust |
MASSIMO
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... jao, what an article, was the writer himself (or herself) an uck member? shame on you, you got your country, full of gas station and autolarje, so come on , go on, next autolarje is waiting for an ultra waste of water; i propose immediate entrance of kosovA in EU, with an autolarje banner in the flag ciao dall'italia |
MM
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... "To the #1 " hang terrorist" no dummy no albanian are known as a terrorst in kosova war but serbians are known as a BABY KILLERS and most vicious people in Europe after the Nazi" - Ernie You know why Albanians are not know as terrorists, because Mr. Clinton got couple millions $$$ and others from your mafia in Lazarat. Well there is no proofs that we are baby killers. And Albanians from Kossovo and Albania were in SS Skenderbeg along Nazi Germany side, yeah the truth hurts right. Your are forgetting that your KLA killed innocent children in Klina while they were swimming. We I got few responds to text: 1. Everybody in Serbia knows that they found a mass grave near Kamenica and Gnjilane this year. They estimated 100 - 300 bodies. There was big deal to blame Serb for crime, when they found out they are not Albanian, the media tension disappeared. 2. Everyone knows what KLA was doing when Yugoslavia at that time removed Police and Army from Kossovo. They were hot fire, they wanted to avenge fallen brothers, so they went on spree killing, raping, house torching in Pec, Djakovo, Prizren, Vitina, Leposavic, Kamenica, Mitrovica, Pristina, Istok, Klina, Gnjilane and Podujevo municipalities. And in 2003/2004 Obilic, Strpce, Kosovo Polje, Mitrovica and few incidence in Zubin Potok region. 3. Please typical propaganda material so you guys can go wild. You guys can go to trial or visit this guys in jail to see if they got beat up. Little kids saw, their father getting beat up. If he gets not guilty he can sue for betting on International Court in Strasbourg. If he is guilty he deserve more Belgrade police brutality. 4. Presevo Municipality Demographic Statistic: Year Serbs % Albanians % 1981 4,200 apx. 12 29,000 apx. 87 1% others 1991 3,200 apx. 8 35,000 apx. 89 2% others 2002 3,000 apx. 8 31,100 apx. 89 2% others Bujanovac Municipality: Year Serbs % Albanians % 1981 15,900 apx. 34 25,800 apx. 55 11% Roma, and others 1991 14,600 apx. 30 29,500 apx. 60 10% others 2002 14,700 apx. 34 23,600 apx. 55 10% others Medvedja Municipality: Year Serbs % Albanians % 1991 7,205 apx. 68 2,800 apx. 28 4% Montenegrin, Roma and other. 2002 6,100 apx. 66 1,800 apx. 26 5% Montenegrin, Roma and other. Yeah the half of Albanian population flee to Kossovo. Almost half from Medvedja, but Albanians are returning there so now in Sijarinska Banja and Medvedja there will be soon more Albanians than Serbs. I know cause I live near and I go now and then often. Maybe this Albanians didn't flee to Kossovo, maybe to Italy, Greece, and Germany, and USA. 5. "Naxhije Hajdari, wife of one of those arrested, told how her husband was beaten in front of the children. Only hours later, at 9 o’clock, they started asking for weapons, said Naxhije. Another child’s face from the Hasani family was smashed on the cupboard." - Who ever wrote this text Well why you don't finish the paragraph the way you started. What happen with weapons, o yeah they found it in barn. Smashing kids head and getting beat up, this would got world media attention if the cops did this, and Serbia would be in deep you know what, be now. CNN, NBC, SKY, EUROnews, and other media houses would be there just like in Racak after 2 days. Really primitive for author to write this. |
Geri
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... Colin, there is yet no plausible proof that these men have done anything wrong, while there has been again unrestrained aggression from serbia. basing one's judgement over the events of the not too distant past and serbia's unconstructive approach at present, serbia cannot be trusted to give these albanian men a fair trial. the leaders of the KLA were cleared of misconduct during the war. These men are innocent until proven guilty by an unbiased tribunal i.e. hague. |
ernie
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... To the #1 " hang terrorist" no dummy no albanian are known as a terrorst in kosova war but serbians are known as a BABY KILLERS and most vicious people in Europe after the Nazi |
JJ
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... Sebaneau - That explains why Serbia is such a huge country. Perhaps you're mistaken...? ;-) |
sasko
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... Serbian actions are just a justification of what Steven W. Sowards, Michigan State University, described when dealing with Garasanin's Program "Nacertanije" of 1844 - Serbian territorial ambitions - stating: "Recall that the Serb state was revived in the revolts of 1804 and 1816, which led to a period of autonomy. In 1843, Ilija Garasanin became Minister of Internal Affairs in the government of a new Serbian prince. In 1844 Garasanin sent a secret Memorandum to Prince Alexander.Program). In this document, Garasanin speculated on a revival of Serbia's fortunes. He recognized that Serbian expansion implied not only the destruction of the Ottoman Empire in Europe, but also Serbian conflict with the Austrian Empire. Garasanin called Austria "the eternal enemy of a Serbian state." Garasanin went on to list potential territories for future Serbian rule. Of primary interest were Bosnia-Hercegovina, Montenegro and northern Albania, all Turkish possessions with Serbian inhabitants. Albania was also important because it offered an outlet to the sea, a necessity to prevent an Austrian stranglehold over Serbian foreign trade. Garasanin was also interested in Serbs living in Banat, Backa and the Vojvodina (districts in southern Hungary across the Danube from Belgrade). For pragmatic reasons, Garasanin argued against any early effort to unite with these areas, because they belonged to Austria, a state better able than Turkey to resist Serbia. The same caution applied to Croatia, Slavonia and Dalmatia. Garasanin wanted more information about the Croatian lands, although he clearly thought of them as inhabited by related South Slavs who should have some relationship with Serbia. The Nacertanije is remarkable as the first elaboration of themes that drive Serbian politics even today. Garasanin identified the core areas of Serbian interest.In practice, Garasanin and the Constitutionalists had little opportunity to carry out his ideas. Russia was Serbia's patron, and Russian leaders constantly tried to dictate policy to Serbian leaders. Nationalist tensions also dominated Serbia's foreign relations. In Macedonia, Serbia competed against Greece and Bulgaria for the loyalty of Christian peasants, first by building schools, later by sending in armed guerilla bands (known as "chetas," and the men in them as "chetniks"). After the civil war in Macedonia helped trigger the 1908 Young Turk Revolution, Austria-Hungary annexed Bosnia-Hercegovina because a reformed Young Turk regime might have eliminated the excuse for Habsburg administrative control. Serbia increased in size by 82 percent, the greatest single step so far toward Garasanin's Great Serbian vision in the Nacertanije. Because of an inability to compromise, Great Serbian nationalism created dangerous forces that eventually undid the successes of the nineteenth century, the Balkan Wars and World War I. King Alexander was assassinated in 1934 by a Macedonian terrorist with Croatian connections. The post-1945 Communist regime explicitly rejected Serbian nationalism and suppressed it until 1989, when its revival led to ongoing crises and more war. It remains to be seen whether today's Serbian leaders will have to pay too high a price for reviving ideas first laid out by Garasanin 150 years ago. |
colin
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... A war crime is a war crime irrispective of weather one or thousands on people died the Kosovan government should applaude the serbian government for catching suspected war criminals whatever thier ethnic origin because the law should be blind to a persons race or creed. The politicians rather than spouting retoric should be assisting the serbians in compiling evidece and ensuring that the due process of law is carried out. After all no country should be a refuge for people who have committed such crimes |
Sebaneau
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... The Serbian political tradition since the end of the 19th century: Grab as much land as possible and exterminate its legitimate owners. |
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