MILS: News from the FYROM, 97-01-17

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From: "Macedonian Information Liaison Service" <mils@mils.spic.org.mk>

CONTENTS

[01] COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO OPEN A HUMAN RIGHTS CENTRE IN MACEDONIA

[02] USA ALSO ATTENDING DONORS' CONFERENCE IN BRUSSELS

[03] DNEVNIK: `MACEDONIAN VERSION OF BORDER DEMARCATION WITH SR YUGOSLAVIA OUTLINED'

[04] STUDENTS REVOLTED BY MEDIA COVERAGE

[05] PARTY REACTIONS TO STUDENT PROTESTS

[06] `PDPA' AND `NDP' REPRESENTATIVES BACK IN PARLIAMENT

[07] `SANCTION LAW' RATIFIED

[08] MINISTER FITI: `GOVERNMENT TO DISCUSS DENATIONALIZATION LAW NEXT MONTH'

[09] INSPECTION FINDINGS ON `DUBIOUS' PETROL

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[10] `ANNUAL REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN MACEDONIA'

MILS NEWS

Skopje, 17 January, 1997

[01] COUNCIL OF EUROPE TO OPEN A HUMAN RIGHTS CENTRE IN MACEDONIA

According to sources in the Macedonian Foreign Office the initiative for the opening of such a centre has been launched by Macedonia.

[02] USA ALSO ATTENDING DONORS' CONFERENCE IN BRUSSELS

Concerning the current political crisis plaguing the Balkans, Ambassador Hill stressed that the US is willing to support the endeavours of the Republic of Macedonia for complete stabilization - which would embody a considerable incentive to the private business sector for increasing donations. H.E.Amb. Hill also exhibited interest in the legislation covering issues of religious communities and associations in Macedonia.

[03] DNEVNIK: `MACEDONIAN VERSION OF BORDER DEMARCATION WITH SR YUGOSLAVIA OUTLINED'

[04] STUDENTS REVOLTED BY MEDIA COVERAGE

In addition to this, yesterday's protests were `scored' by paroles of the kind `Macedonia, Macedonia', `This is not Rechica', `Sophie (`Sofia') in Albania' or the singing of the Macedonian Anthem, the reciting of the alphabet...

Students have also loudly voiced their discontent with media coverage, particularly with `Macedonian National Television', `Dnevnik', `Nova Makedonija'.

[05] PARTY REACTIONS TO STUDENT PROTESTS

SDSM: In the opinion of the party's Secretary-General Ljupcho Popovski, Macedonian students are demonstrating for the implementation of somebody's democratic rights.

According to him it is quite possible that political interests may be involved. Popovski stated that the bill affecting the PF is within the boundaries of fundamental constitutional provisions and the high international standards on minority rights. The constitutionally guaranteed right on (elementary and secondary) education has to be implemented through specific legal regulations - as in this case for the education of teaching staff... claims Ljupcho Popovski.

DP: party leader Petar Goshev evaluated that the Government is attempting to force certain educational institutions into abandoning legal and constitutional boundaries with political opinions - instead of resolving the issue within the law, within the Parliament. According to him the complicating of affairs is to be attributed to the hesitation exhibited by the Government, and its unpreparedness to air an open opinion on solving the issue on languages in higher education. It is not due to the attitude of the faculty or university staff who refused to implement a political solution. He also assessed that current conditions reminded him of the `unanimous thinking' era, when the political party leadership aired what had to be implemented, regardless of the Constitution and legal provisions.

VETERANS' ASSOCIATION: The Veterans' Association of Macedonia estimated that protest staged by a segment of the students of the Skopje University - supported by several structures of the latter - in opposition to the PF bill, has been abused by certain political factions and individuals and needlessly `politicized' which is conducive to the further tightening of inter-ethnic relations. An analogical abuse and manipulating is also encountered in certain economic - social domains. There several party and Trade Union elements are affecting the unjustifiable labour unrest, connected to conditions in certain firms, and requests for measures of stabilization - are offering outdated populist methods, civil resistance and the use of violence... states the release of the Veterans' Association.

PDP: `This is a precedent unique for Macedonia. I have never heard that anywhere in the world students are demonstrating against other students because the latter wish to receive education in their native language. Most probably they have been propped by political parties of anti-Albanian orientation. This can be concluded upon analyzing some of their slogans... claimed PDP representative Ismet Ramadani. According to him, the key amount of blame falls off to a few university readers who told students what actions to take. Ramadani thinks that students should not be concerned with assessments on the legality and constitutional compatibility - as the state possesses competent structures for this.

PDPA: `The students are being manipulated by the Government which - after a lot of reluctance, many actions, the uncontrolled use of violence, pressure exerted by international factors - has been caught in the trap of its own ridiculous nationalism. These days it is attempting to pass the law on languages of instruction', states the release issued by the PDPA yesterday. This party considers that the Government attempts to legalize the PF as a substitute for the `University of Tetovo' which would decrease Albanian student protest and international pressure, in addition to withdrawing the democratic legitimacy of an already animate concept of an Albanian-language university.

`To that purpose the Government of Macedonia has abused Macedonian students - who are protesting against the law - and Albanian MPs who are to cat their votes on this act of law based on preceding decisions. The objective of this manipulation is to create artificial tension with respect to inter-ethnic relations, to strengthen the democratic image of the `Gligorovian' neo-communists who - supposedly - are bravely confronting their own extremism by enacting this law. The engagement of Albanian MPs has the objective to generate a similar atmosphere within the Albanian community, i.e. they will be facing their `extremism' (the Tetovo University) throughout voting. The PDPA is aware of the belligerent impact of such incomplete and temporary solutions offered by the Macedonian Government. To this purpose it is reminding all those involved in this perfidious undertaking that the Tetovo University has evolved as a result of the legitimate right of the Albanian people to education, to nurturing its language and its culture, to represent its unanimous will via political subjects in Macedonia who ratified the Founding Act of the Tetovo University.'

[06] `PDPA' AND `NDP' REPRESENTATIVES BACK IN PARLIAMENT

[07] `SANCTION LAW' RATIFIED

Thus the responsibility of the Executive Government component is completely abandoned in terms of granting parole to convicted individuals. The latter can also not be forced to engage in labour. It has furthermore been agreed to create a separate ward for convicts, alcoholics, drug addicts and psychopaths within the `Bardovci' clinic.

A prison hospital unit is to be established at the `Shutka' penitentiary on a temporary basis, until the new prison hospital is built.

With respect to legal provisions passed on grounds of a two-third majority (Law on Criminal Prosecution Procedures, Law on Suits, Law on Minor Offences) voting has not been conducted as a `quorum' could not be assembled yesterday. Ergo these matters are to be addressed during the next session, which is yet to be scheduled.

[08] MINISTER FITI: `GOVERNMENT TO DISCUSS DENATIONALIZATION LAW NEXT MONTH'

Yesterday representatives of the Denationalization Association have repeatedly aired their revolt with respect to the silence of authorities on details concerning the enactment of this law. According to statements given by members of this association, so far they have not been consulted by anybody on possible modalities outlined within this law - neither has any sort of draft been presented to the public, and debates on it encouraged.

[09] INSPECTION FINDINGS ON `DUBIOUS' PETROL

It has bee revealed that immediately after receiving analysis results - and due to the fact that the quality of that petrol did not concur with prescribed standards for its category - the entire supply had been withdrawn from the already-mentioned outlets, and replaced with petrol of adequate quality.

MILS SUPPLEMENT

[10] `ANNUAL REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS IN MACEDONIA - Cases and Responses - Capital Punishment AD HOC'

(`Helsinki Committee for Human Rights' - 10th issue, December 1996)

(SEQUEL OF `POLICE HARASSMENT')

Throughout the summer months of last year another `sudden sickness' during a similar police razzia created a permanent handicap for a seven-year-old Dzhavid of `Topansko Pole', i.e. the loss of one leg. Like Rakiba, he was earning his living by selling `knickknacks' at the Skopje markets. One day, among a crowd of peddlers fleeing the police in terror at `Bit Pazar', he found himself surrounded on the Stone Bridge - the small and inexperienced kid that he was. Having nowhere to run he saw salvation in jumping off the Stone Bridge, into the dried-up river bed of the Vardar. The `epilogue' to this tale is a young child mamed for life, in need of state support for the rest of his life. Dzhavid is once again out there: nowadays he makes a living by begging in front of the grocery stores in his suburb.

On 25th February this year two members of the police's special forces who were on training exercises on Popova Shapka, attacked two minors without any cause whatsoever.

Both adolescents suffered severe physical injuries - on which there are medical records. As their father attempted to find out what was going on, he was assaulted and heavily injured as well (again medical records are available). Criminal charges have been filed against the unidentified policemen.

On 16th May 1996 the flat of Ilija Sazdov (`Partizanski Odredi' No. 5) has been ransacked by the police, in connection with a robbery at an Exchange Office in Skopje.

This `search' entailed the apprehension of four young males (incl. one minor), their interrogation and identification. Once this had been done, they were released with the apology that `a mistake had been made'.

On 28th August, during the football match between `Rechica' and `Ilinden' and incident involving two of the football-players occurred. Upon this police constable Todor Pandurov wanted to enter the playing-field in order to intervene. Mr. Islami Dzhemalidin stressed the futility of such a step - on which the policeman, obviously agitated and offended, commenced swearing at and offending Islami. When the latter turned around in order to leave, Todor Pandurov hit him on the nape. The victim fell to the ground unconscious. Medical records reveal that Islami had been lightly injured, upon which he filed charges against this policeman at the Elementary Court of Tetovo.

On 16th October sixty-year-old Mitko Kitanovski was beaten up by police officer Dragan Angjelovikj - Arkan at the `Drachevo' suburb, while returning home from his vineyard in his carriage. On the narrow local road to Drachevo, on the bridge, Kitanovski suddenly had the police car approaching. Once the vehicle had gone by, it halted and Arkan got out of it - first cursing and then also clobbering the old man with his fists. Then he changed to kicking his victim eventually... until the second policeman got out of the car as well and dragged Arkan away from the old man. Thus `worked over' - with a double fracture of his lower jaw and drenched in blood, Kitanovski was ordered to come to the Drachevo police station. Suffocating on the blood gushing down his throat, he had no choice but to sit around there for a couple of hours - without receiving any medical treatment. His family had no idea Kitanovski was being detained at the station until an acquaintance dropped in and told them this was the case. The severe physical damage suffered by Kitanovski, and subsequent medical treatment do still affect his health condition. Disciplinary measures have been instigated against Arkan, entailing his immediate suspension and his official discharge on 7th November.

On 20th October two unidentified police officers of the Veles police station battered 80-year-old Desa Jovanova and her daughters Vera and Vesna in their own house. After a short dispute among neighbours police forcefully entered the latter without a warrant and started bashing up these helpless women. Once the victims assumed that the beating was over, police handcuffed the daughters and took them to the station. There they were locked into the cellar where abuse continued. garnished with derogatory and offensive words both sisters ended up with lighter physical injuries - according to medical findings. Charges against those two unidentified police officers have been filed...

UNPRECEDENTED INCIDENT AT SKOPJE RAILWAY STATION: another case of human rights violation went by unnoticed in Macedonia, though in Greece it received substantial coverage by `Ellenikos Voras', Apogevmatini', `Adesmephtos' and `Phoni tis Florinas' - which must have only been conducive to the overall mood in Greece towards Macedonia. in addition to this, the Council of Europe and the UN have been briefed in on this incident of 1st August 1996, as well as the Lerin Council which launched the initiative to press charges against the Republic of Macedonia at the European Human Rights Tribunal. This has not been done thanks to MP Lianis who said that protests should be addressed to `the state of Skopje', which most probably has been the case - in spite of the fact that the public has not been informed, and the fact that it is not fair to judge the entire law enforcement on the basis of the behaviour exhibited by one of its members.

The Helsinki Human Rights Watch was briefed in on this matter by Amnesty International, and on grounds of this information - as well as Greek newspaper clippings - we were able to reconstruct the event as follows: On 30th June 1996 the Greek citizen Pantellios Gogosis (a pensioner of the Lehovo village in the Lerin region) picked up 13-year-old Alexandra and her sister Sanela (age: 10) - both refugees from Bosnia (the Serb Republic most likely) - at the Greek Embassy in Belgrade, with a written authorization by their mother Dragica Dusia (!).

Their father had been killed during the war, and once the mother had obtained entry visas for her daughters it had been planned to take both girls to Greece for a one-month stay with the Gogosis family. Alexandra had already done so once over six months last year.

Due to bureaucratic formalities the girls had missed their train and found themselves at the railway station `on the territory of Skopje' on 1st August 1996, after midnight.

There they had been waiting for the `Salonica' morning train, when three policemen took them to the station.

Gogosis produced all necessary papers for the girls and himself. Yet they were taken to a superior official by the name of `Andreofski' who questioned the detained Gogosis in the `Skopje linguistic variant' as he was `Macedonian'.

As Gogosis refused to do as he had been told `Andreofski' started to swear at him and accuse him of trying to sell the girls in the bars of Lerin. Gogosis protested decisively and got slapped by the police officer in civilian clothes, and afterwards he got a hit in the stomach, too. The girls were also beaten, and terrorized by statements that their mother was dead and that Gogosis intended to sell them in Greece. All this was done in order to extract written statements out of the girls, listing that Gogosis had taken them to taverns, had gotten them intoxicated and had allowed men to touch them.

Investigations went on till halt past six in the morning.

Then Gogosis had been turned out of the country as a `persona non grata' and returned to Greece - whereas the girls were detained and sent back to Belgrade by train where their mother waited for them. Later on Gogosis sent plane tickets to the children, and they managed to travel to Greece.

This was entailed by Gogosis informing the Embassy in Belgrade, the Liaison Office in Skopje, and the Yugoslav Embassy in Athens and the Consulate in Thessalonica. The matter was discussed in Lerin, and the conclusion was that `Skopje' should be sued at the European Tribunal and the UN.

The Helsinki Committee Human Rights Watch in Macedonia is publicizing this information first and foremost in order to manifest its views on human rights in general, in order to stress the right of the public to be briefed in detailedly on such matters, and in the conviction that the Ministry of the Interior should issue a public statement clarifying this issue and its authenticity - as this would confirm the positive commitment of the Republic of Macedonia to human rights. This actually embodies the only way and approach for us to grasp the essence of human rights and to implement them in the spirit of our clearly outlined constitutional provisions... to be continued...

(end)

mils news 17 January 1997

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