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Kosova Daily Report #1544, 98-09-06
Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1544
Prishtina, 6 September 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Serb Forces Kill at Least 11 Albanians in Two Villages of Rahovec
Friday
[02] Hundreds of Albanian Civilians Rounded Up by Serb Forces
[03] Police Releases 150 Albanian Detainees Albanians in Prizren Sunday
[04] Mutilated Body of Albanian Found at Kodrali Village
[05] Catastrophic Situation of Thousands of Displaced Albanians in Gjakova
Area
[06] Refugee Child Dies of Dehydration in Lipjan
[01] Serb Forces Kill at Least 11 Albanians in Two Villages of Rahovec
Friday
Scores of others sustained firearm wounds and grave injuries as Serb
infantry cracked down on Albanian communities PRISHTINA, Sept 6 (KIC) - The
chapter of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF)
in Prizren reported today of 11 Albanians killed and many others wounded by
Serb forces Friday, 4 September, in a couple of villages in Rahovec
('Orahovac).
The CDHRF failed to offer specifics of the circumstances in which the
Albanians, many of whom women and children, were killed and wounded.
Sources told the KIC that seventeen villages - Gexha, Mal&sia e Vog&l,
Ratkoc, Dejni, Dobidol, Qifllak, Kramovik, Guri i Kuq (Petkiviq), Polluzha,
Kaznik, Pastasel, Senoc, Drenoci, Vranjaka, Sapni^i, Potoqan i Ul&t and
Potoqan i Ep&rm - were targeted by a large-scale offensive in the area of
Rahovec during the last week.
Serb troops who advanced toward Albanian communities along the Drini river
banks, first looted commodities then doused houses with patrol and set them
ablaze, witnesses claimed.
The CDHRF, the major Kosovar human rights group, said the following
Albanians were killed during the past three days in the villages of Dejna
and Polluzha of Rahovec: Arben Byty^i (20), his sister Leonora Byty^i (17),
Shpresa Byty^i (f,30), Bahrie Byty^i (f,10), Nenkadize Byty^i (f,20),
Sevdije Hoti (f,30) and her 3-year-old son, Elmaze Byty^i (f,7), all
residents of Dejna village. (They were buried in their native village on
Friday). Shani Hoti (45), the wife of Ham&z Bajraktari (65, her name still
unconfirmed), and Ahmet Kabashi (2) were killed in Polluzha village.
The human rights council said many have been wounded in Dejna and Polluzha
and the adjacent villages, including Destan Byty^i (33), Hadi Byty^i (27),
Ruzhdi Byty^i (25), Sulltane Byty^i (f, 47), Valbon& Byty^i (f, 9), Naim
Byty^i (16), Luan Byty^i (24) Fatmir Byty^i (17), Igballe Byty^i (f,19),
Latif Byty^i (6), Jeton Byty^i (15), Mirjeta Byty^i (f, 2), Arben Krasniqi
(20), Nexhmedin Byty^i (60), Mersia Byty^i and her 5-year-old son. Some of
the wounded persons are being treated in two makeshift clinics in the area,
while some have been taken to the Prishtina and Prizren hospitals,
including Adbullah Morina (37) from Vranjaka village, Adebin Morina from
Senoc, Rexhep Krasniqi (44) from Kramovik, Manush Byty^i (34) from Dejna,
Bedrush Byty^i (28) from Dejna, Bekim Krasniqi (23) from Kramovik, Ekrem
Byty^i (13) from Dejna, Albert Byty^i (6) from Dejna, Vesel Morina (45)
from Senoc, Astrit Byty^i (13) from Dejna village.
In addition to the people who were killed or wounded with firearms, scores
of Albanians have sustained grave injuries from beatings by Serb troops
which stormed their communities. Some of them had to be treated by doctors,
while the following are still being hospitalized in Prizren clinics:
Leonora Krasniqi (f, 18) from Dejna, Shyqri Morina (39) from Vranjaka, Adem
Morina (19) from Senoc, Eshref Morina (27) from Senoci, Agim Morina (17)
from Ratkoc and Kadri Mustafa (36) from Guri i Kuq ('Petkiviq') village,
Prizren chapter of the Prishtina-based Council for the Defence of Human
Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) said.
[02] Hundreds of Albanian Civilians Rounded Up by Serb Forces
The men were separated from other refugees at gun-point, elderly Albanian
says, revealing details of harrowing experience PRISHTINA, Sept 6 (KIC) -
Serbian state television aired footage Saturday night showing hundreds of
Albanian men sitting on the ground, their hands behind their heads.
Sylejman Sylejmani (70) from the village of Zatriq, some 70 km southwest of
Prishtina, was arrested Friday together with hundreds of other Albanian
civilians from villages of Malisheva, Klina, Rahovec ('Orahovac') regions
and elsewhere, who had camped out in the mountainous forests of Zatriq.
The elderly Albanian, who was released Saturday afternoon, told the KIC
Sunday he and others had gone through harrowing experiences in Serb police
hands.
Serb military and police had initially burnt Zatriq village, then sent an
envoy to order Albanian residents hand in alleged U^K (Kosova Liberation
Army) members. "There were no U^K members there", Sylejmani said, but
mostly women, children and elderly.
A bit later, Serb forces encircled the refugees, and police with their guns
separated all the men from the women and children, he told the KIC.
"More than 400 of us were taken to the elementary school in Ponorc, where
some other Albanians from the villages of Volljak&, Rud, Sferk&, etc., had
been huddled in", Sylejmani said.
Police got all the Albanian men in classrooms, where they spent the night,
he said. "Saturday morning, Serb security inspectors from Klina were
brought in, who brutalized some of the Albanian detainees", he added. Some
Albanians had been taken away, to an unknown destination, the elderly
Albanian added. Three Albanians were beaten up by Serb security people with
metal rods. "They were picked up, the only reason being that they were
unshaven, proof enough for Serbs that they belonged with the U^K"!
Sylejman Sylejmani said around 14:00 hrs on Saturday, several Serb security
officers from Gjakova arrived there, bringing along with themselves
civilian Albanians of Ratkoc, Radost& and other villages of Podrimje
region. All of the rounded up people had fled their homes after having been
shelled by Serbs and taken refuge in the Zatriq mountains.
After 14:00 hrs, two Serb policemen brandished a knife they said had
belonged to the U^K and threatened they would cut our heads with it,
Sylejmani said.
After a while, Serb forces ordered the Albanian detainees out of the
schoolhouse.
"When we got out in the courtyard, Serb troops ordered us to sit on the
ground, our hands behind our heads, while Serb TV was shooting all the
scene", he said, adding that after this was concluded the Albanians were
ordered to get back inside the school.
Some of the Albanians were released around 17:00 hrs on Saturday, Sylejmani
said. Before actually let go, they were ordered to pose with a poster with
the Socialist Party of Serbia (SPS) sign. "Serb forces ordered us raise
three fingers (the nationalist Serb the- thumb-and-two fingers salute) and
took photos of us", he concluded.
Meanwhile, Reuters news agency carried similar eye-witness stories
Saturday.
"I was in the forest outside Panorac with 300 people from my village of
Ratkovac and the police came with their guns and separated all the men from
the women and children," said Ismajl Morina, 68, who escaped because of his
age.
"Everyone was terrified. Women were weeping and fainting and calling out
for their husbands and sons. We could see houses in Rude burning. We
thought we would die. Then the police ordered the women and children and
old people into Panorac.
The police had their guns out and were very rough, the old Albanian told
Reuters. "I crept back to within 500 metres of the place after dark and I
could see them loading the men onto trucks."
Nine male members of Ismajl Morina's family, ranging in age from 15 to 45
and including his son and grandson, were carted off by the Serbian police,
he said.
There were about 300 of us from Zatric (Zatriq) and the police took away
about 20 of our men at gunpoint last night. We had to spend the night in
Ponorac but we left this morning," sixty three-year-old Shaban Sulejmani
told Reuters.
[03] Police Releases 150 Albanian Detainees Albanians in Prizren Sunday
PRISHTINA, Sept 6 (KIC) - Some 150 Albanians arrested yesterday in the
villages of Drini River area and Rahovec region were released at 9:00
o'clock in the morning today (Sunday) from a Serb police station in Prizren,
the local chapter of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and
Freedoms (CDHRF) said.
The released Albanians claimed their villages had been burnt by Serb
military and police forces, and scores of civilian Albanians had been
killed and wounded. A time-frame has not been given for the reported
atrocities.
[04] Mutilated Body of Albanian Found at Kodrali Village
Two wounded children brought to the town hospital in Gjakova PRISHTINA,
Sept 6 (KIC) - On Saturday, the mutilated body of Ali Kalimashi (37) was
found in the village of Kodrali, attacked earlier this week by Serb forces,
whereas Halil Haxhi Alia, also a native of the village, has gone missing,
LDK sources in Gjakova said.
Two wounded Albanian children, six-year old Nezrie Hoti from Ratkoc village
of Rahovec, and Ismet Rama (14) from Vranjak, were taken to the town
hospital in Gjakova Saturday. The girl was wounded from grenade shrapnel
when her village was attacked by Serb artillery, the boy from automatic
weapons.
[05] Catastrophic Situation of Thousands of Displaced Albanians in Gjakova
Area
PRISHTINA, Sept 5 (KIC) - The bad weather that struck the area of Gjakova
last night has added to the already desperate situation of thousands of
Albanians living rough in the hills of Shushica and on the banks of the
Drini i Bardh& river, LDK sources in Gjakova said.
Their humanitarian situation is catastrophic because they, living rough in
the open, are exposed to the elements and are threatened by starvation,
they added.
In these two locations, many pregnant women have been reported camping out,
whose health situation has been deteriorating on a daily basis, LDK sources
said.
Meanwhile, Serb paramilitary thugs and police roamed the streets of the
town of Gjakova and engaged in a shooting spree saturday evening, the LDK
chapter said.
In the "Mulla Jusufi" neihgbourhood, they took a number of Albanians off
their cars and ill-treated them. Three of the ill- treated Albanians were
named as Shyqri Bicurri (1951), Lepeten Zhubi (1950), and Visar Juniku
(1977).
While parading the streets, Serb police cars were draped with the Albanian
flag, a trophy they exhibited as a humiliating sign for Albanians.
The Serb Dnevni Telegraf daily carried today (Sunday) in its front page a
photo of a uniformed Serb policeman wearing a traditional Albanian skull
hat (Alb. plis) in Belgrade, capital of Serbia.
[06] Refugee Child Dies of Dehydration in Lipjan
PRISHTINA, Sept 6 (KIC) - An 8-month-old child, Bujar Shala from Shala
('Sedlare') village of Lipjan, died two days ago from dehydration, local
sources in Lipjan reported.
The LDK chapter in Lipjan said the little boy died in Sllovia village,
where his family has been sheltered after having camped out in the
mountains for days in the wake of a Serb attack against his village of
origin, Shala.
Kosova Information Center
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