August 3, 1999 |
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ABUSES AGAINST SERBS AND ROMA IN THE NEW KOSOVO Human Rights Watch Report PUBLISHED August 3, 1999 Text of the Report Kosovo has undergone profound changes in the seven weeks since the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) entered the province and Yugoslav Army and Serbian police units withdrew. After a decade of repression that culminated in a three-month killing spree by the Yugoslav army and Serbian security forces and the expulsion and displacement of more than half of the ethnic Albanian population, most of Kosovo's Albanians are finally able to live without fear of discrimination or violence by the Serbian state. Life is returning to normal as refugees return from Macedonia and Albania. Yet for the province's minorities, and especially the Serb and Roma (Gypsy) populations, as well as some ethnic Albanians perceived as collaborators or as political opponents of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), these changes have brought fear, uncertainty, and in some cases violence. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 164,000 have left Kosovo altogether. Many others have moved to Serb or Roma enclaves under KFOR protection within Kosovo. This report focuses on the wave of arson and looting of Serb and Roma homes throughout Kosovo that has ensued and on the harassment and intimidation, including severe beatings, to which remaining Serbs and Roma have been subjected. Most seriously, there has been a spate of abductions and murders of Serbs since mid-June, including the massacre of fourteen Serb farmers on July 23. Continue
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Human Rights Watch Report Flash #51 Large-Scale Massacre in Pusto Selo (Postoselo) Serbian Forces Removed Bodies after Release of Satellite Photos (July 2, 1999) Flash #50 Violent Abuses by KLA Members (June 25, 1999) Flash #49 Concern about Fate of Detained Kosovar Albanian Men (June 21, 1999) Flash #48 Burnt Remains of Korenica Villagers Found (June 18, 1999) Flash #47 Elderly Serb Civilian Brutally Beaten by KLA Soldiers (June 18, 1999) Flash #46 Bodies Discovered at Massacre Site in Meja, Kosovo (June 18, 1999) Flash #45 Newspaper "Koha Ditore" Publisher and Editor Safe in Kosovo (June 15, 1999) Flash #44 Kosovar Albanian Journalist Beaten but Safe (June 7, 1999) Flash #43 Human Rights Protection and Accountability Central to Kosovo Peace (June 4, 1999) Flash #42 Reported Milosevic Indictment Welcomed (May 26, 1999) Flash #41 Ex-Detainees Recount Ill-Treatment in Smrekonica Prison (May 20, 1999) Flash #40 Separation of Men and Mass Killing Near Vucitrn (May 20, 1999) Flash #39 Witness to Izbice Killings Speaks Possibly Largest Massacre of Kosovo War (May 19, 1999) Flash #38 Arrests in Kosovo (May 14, 1999) Flash #37 Growing Concern about NATO Violating the Laws of War (May 13, 1999) Flash #36 NATO Use of Cluster Bombs Must Stop (May 11, 1999) Flash #35 Ethnic Albanians in Kosovo Face Hunger, Overcrowding and Forced Labor (May 8, 1999) More Flashes... Related Information || Focus on Human Rights Home || Back to Top || Send us a Message ©Human Rights Watch 1999 |