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KOSOVO & YUGOSLAVIA: LAW IN CRISIS |
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KOSOVO & YUGOSLAVIA: LAW IN CRISIS |
An exclusive interview with the President of the Republic of Albania, Rexhep Meidani, plus academic commentary and reports from Albanian human rights workers interviewing Kosovo refugees... Voices from the Region: Albania
peace poll [June 10]
- reaction to the peace plan and the structure of the peacekeeping force [June 5]
- testimony from refugees, and a call for assistance [May 25]
- evidence for international tribunals [May 24]
- human rights monitoring unit [May 21]
- [Thursday, June 10] We made a general poll with Kosova's refugees and Albanian individuals, asking their opinion about the Agreement of Peace between ONU & Yougoslavia. The predominant opinion is largely positive, but it is to be mentioned that exists a general disbelief that even this time Milosevic is not going to keep the promises, as he already has done. Some people, think that the NATO bombing should continue till all the Serb forces completely back-up. One of the critical, most feared and discused points of the Agreement is the pressence of Russian troups in Kosova, furthermore when looking at their request of indipendent Actions from ONU Command. Most of Kosova's refugees are fearfull of returning in their homeland because of Russian forces,who, they belive will be hostile and dangerous. While Albanian individuals are more credent to the Agreement and they have great hopes in ONU & NATO Actions.
Co-ordinators
Monitoring Unit for Human Rights Violation
Tirana, Albania
- [Saturday, June 5] I have been very busy with activities of the Coordinating Council of the Albanian NGOs for Kosovo (CCANGOK). We are trying hard to bring all the parliamentarian parties to a "table of common understanding" on the Kosovo issue. On Tuesday, June 8th, at 19.00 hours, we are organizing a mass demonstration in the Scanderbeg Square, in the center of Tirana, in support of the Rambouillet Agreement and the NATO presence in Kosovo. We demand the US command of the NATO troops. At least all military presence in Kosovo should be under one, unified command: that of NATO. We not only disapprove of a seperate Russian command of a Russian military force in Kosovo, but we are altogether against the presence of the Russian troops in Kosovo,for we regard Russia as the traditional, closest ally of Serbia. We are against negotiations with Milloshevic, for he is unreliable, extremely unpredictable; besides, you can't negotiate with the defeated. We warn the public opinion against the Russian and Serbian plans to partition Kosovo. We suggest that Kosovars deserve their independence, that an independent Kosovo guarantees peace in the Balkans. Peace in Kosovo means peace in the Balkans, otherwise this troubled peninsula will continue to be "the powder-keg" of Europe.
Professor Refik Kadija
University of Tirana
- [Tuesday, May 25] [In answer] to your question we are sending you the types of crimes evidented in the testimonies we have collected by now:
- FORCED DEPORTATION (we have evidented 153 cases).
- EXTRAJURIDICIAL, SUMMARY AND ARBITRARY EXECUTIONS(30 precise and clear-including specifications,names of perpetrators and exact places&dates-cases).
- VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN(torture,killings, discrimination, rapes ect)16 cases, but it has to be said that this kind of crimes are very difficult to be evidented because of albanian mentality.
- PROPERTY ENCROACHMENT(house burnings, destructions of any kind, robbery,ect)67 cases.
- CRIMES AGAINST CHILDREN ( torture, terrorising, killings)12 cases.
Already we have talked at about 200 refugees and we plan a broader expand of our work.
Our needs basically are in intellectual assistence:
- where we can send our information except ICTY, with whom and how can we collaborate with them (address, web-site, E-mail ect)
- we need any kind of training and specialisation possibility for our staff on national and international Human Rights bases. Comming from a communist system in Albania there are a lot of human rights violations, thereby we aim to create a Monitoring and Documentation Center, directed by professionals.
- In order to increase our efficency in collecting testimonies and other information linked to human rights we need transport and monitoring facilities.
Co-ordinators
Monitoring Unit for Human Rights Violation
Tirana, Albania
Email: fgsh@icc.al.eu.org
- [Monday, May 24] [on the gathering of evidence and testimonies from Kosovar Albanian refugees] The information garethered until now is being elaborated by us in a juridical point of view.A part of it will be send to ICTY(the most precise, accurate and terrible evidences), the others will be sended to International Human Rights Organisms, such as UN (High Commission of Human Rights, Special Rapporteur on Extrajudicial, Summary and Arbitrary Executions, Working Group on Enforced on Involuntary Disappearances), C.A.T (Committee Against Torture),Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women ect, but we need more practical asistence in Human Rights Protection Environment.
Firstly we have gathered information with a own-made questionnaire similair to the ICTY-s one, than we have proceed with the original questionaire of ICTY. We have elalaborated the testimonies based on violation of human rights evidented. We are based on different convents and treaties such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, CEDAW, CRC, Convent Againts Torture. According to our data the violations have been all committed by Serb soldiers,Police and paramilitias....
Co-ordinators
Monitoring Unit for Human Rights Violation
Tirana, Albania
- [Friday, May 21] We are sending you a Brief Summary of MUHRV (Monitoring Unit for HUMAN Rights Violation) regarding our work.... MUVHR was created in March 31st of 1999. It is a merger of Albanian NGO-s:
- The Albanian Woman Federation (a coalition of 15 Albanian NGO-s);
- The Paneuropean Movement Albania;
- The Comittee againt Torture & Violencce;
- The Individual & Law.
Since the first days of refugee's arrival, the unit started its work with refugees placed in camps situated in Tirana, and later in Vlora, Durresi and Korca. The aim of MUVHR is to monitories the violation of human rights in Kosova. In the first stage our volunteers collected about 150 testimonies, which have been elaborated from from our staff in a juridical point of viw. The testimonies are grouped according to the type of violation of human rights consumed. To increase the level of efficiency and professionialism of our work, the interviwers have also followed a training course of 4 days organized by the Council of Europe, with the precious help of special reporters and experts from defferent International NGO-s and the UNITED NATIONS, OSCE and ICTY.
The experience obtained and exchanged from both parts in the training was fruitful.
A total of 50 participants, members of working groups of our Unit were trained. Furthermore, the members of the staff with a legal background are following a more professional training course regarding specific juridical and human rights issues. At the same time we have opened our home page with Web site: http://www.icc-al.org/~fgsh
The project supported by UNDP will help us to increase our professionalism and expand our activity.
The second stage of our work which has actualy started, with the information that is going to be collected in different districts of Albania, we think that will be helpful for the different international organisms structures which operate in the Kosova crisis and also for our future work, studies and documentation.
Dr. Lajla Pernaska
Co-ordinator
Monitoring Unit for Human Rights Violation
Tirana, Albania
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