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09 April 1999
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Mary Robinson, United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights, Press briefing - 9 April 1999
Situation of Human Rights in Kosovo,
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Mme Chairperson, Distinguished delegates,
One week ago, this Commission discussed the human rights situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, particularly in and around Kosovo. The Special Rapporteur, Mr. Dienstbier, and my personal representative, Mr. Michel Moussali, are now in Skopje at my request, accompanied by my staff, talking to the authorities, international agencies and refugees to obtain accurate information on the human rights situation. Our staff from OHCHR FRY has been redeployed to Skopje, Tirana and Montenegro with the following objectives :
• establish a human rights presence as close as possible to actual developments;
• consult and liaise with institutional partners;
• gather information about human rights violations; and • provide information gathered to this Commission, its Special Rapporteurs, and its other mechanisms as appropriate.
The Governments of Norway and Switzerland have already indicated to me their willingness to support the deployment of additional human rights monitors in Albania, Montenegro (FRY) and FYR Macedonia to seek to verify allegations of grave human rights violations which have taken place in recent weeks in Kosovo. The mission, which will build on the OHCHR's human rights monitoring capacity previously based in the FRY, will coordinate its activities closely with both humanitarian actors on the ground.
I would now like to brief you on human rights developments since you discussed the situation a week ago. This briefing is based on information provided by institutional partners, by colleagues on the ground and by OHCHR staff in Geneva. It aims to provide a factual summary of the main developments on the ground as we have been able to assemble them through the sources I have mentioned. I shall, in cooperation with the Special Rapporteur, provide periodic updates about what is happening on the ground during the course of the present session of the Commission.
Refugees and Displaced Persons
As of today, UNHCR estimates that, over five hundred thousand people have fled the Kosovo province, of which at least 304,000 are in Albania, 122,000 are in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 59,000 in Montenegro, 24,300 in Bosnia and 7,612 in Turkey. According to Yugoslav Government sources, 50,000 are in Serbia. The number of internally displaced people within Kosovo is estimated at several hundred thousand.
On top of this, in recent days Kosovars have faced considerable obstacles in fleeing the province. Preliminary indications are that the Serb authorities have in some cases prevented the departure of fleeing refugees at the border. We have now received reports that the borders have been closed and all movement stopped.
Forcible Displacement of Population
Ethnic Albanians tell of extreme and cruel violence; of people forced to leave their homes, towns and villages at gunpoint. Many women and children have arrived at the borders separated from their husbands, fathers and sons. Refugees have complained that they were displaced through intimidation, expulsion and under direct orders to leave by Serb security forces, police and paramilitaries.
Numerous persons fleeing Kosovo have also affirmed that the destruction set in motion by the Serbian authorities has affected almost every part of the Kosovo region. Much of the area is reportedly under Serb arms, the clearance of ethnic Albanians reportedly being systematic, deliberate and methodical. Whole towns and villages have reportedly been emptied of their people.
A large number of refugees entering Albania have complained that they have been stripped of their passports, ID cards, vehicle number plates and other kinds of identifying documents before leaving the FRY.
Arbitrary and Summary Executions
There are numerous reports of arbitrary and summary executions. On 28 March, the OSCE KVM reported the alleged murder of civilians, including women and children, near Orahovac. On the same day, the OSCE informed that the bodies of 35 people, who had died of gunshot wounds, were reportedly found next to the Klina-Prizren railway line. OSCE also reported that on 2 and 3 April, human rights organizations and the media collected statements from refugees about an alleged massacre in Elika Krusa.
According to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague, investigators from the Tribunal have received numerous reports from refugees fleeing Kosovo of four lorries filled with dead bodies being dumped into mass graves. Other reports backed up by numerous eyewitnesses refer to trucks and tractors pulling wagons carrying Kosovars which are being stopped near the Macedonian border. Women refugees are being asked by Serb soldiers to pay 2,000 DM in order to pass the border. If they are not able to pay, they are being removed from the trucks and taken to a near by building where they are allegedly being raped.
Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
These are reported cases of forced disappearances of Kosovars, particularly groups of men and boys. Refugees fleeing from Kosovo claim that numerous Kosovo Albanian males have been separated from their families by the Serbian army and police. Their fate is unknown.
Treatment of Women and Children
Women and children have suffered terribly in this situation. We are also concerned about the rising number of unaccompanied children refugees, who are moving away from the border areas. Accurate figures are still unavailable. UNICEF and ICRC are setting up a registration system of unaccompanied children.
But I would like to remind the Commission that such events are not unusual on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Women have been the target of reprisals in the former Yugoslavia. Cases of mass sexual assault perpetrated against young women and girls during the conflict are well known to the international community and, in particular, to the International Criminal Tribunal. At this point in time, we are beginning to receive acurate information from the field about such occurrences. I am deeply concerned about the particular situation of women and young girls who have been subjected in the past to such despicable practices.
Right to Health and Right to Food
A major concern is over the health conditions of the refugees, mainly children and women. According to the WHO, the major health threat to the refugees is communicable diseases, such as measles and cholera. Many of those attempting to leave Kosovo, mainly women, children and elderly people, have been waiting to cross for days, and are weak from lack of food and exhaustion.
Civilians affected by military actions
There are reliable reports of civilians killed and injured, and of civilian establishments destroyed or damaged in the course of the ongoing military action.
Conclusion
We are remaining in touch with our institutional partners and are continuing to gather information. I have just come from a meeting of the ACC here in Geneva, where, under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General, the heads of the humanitarian agencies have been reflecting their deep concerns about the immediate desperate plight of those who have fled from Kosovo and also about the longer term implications, including the impact on the neighbouring countries. I shall keep the Commission informed in the coming weeks.
I thank you.
for Human Rights, Press briefing - 9 April 1999
Situation of Human Rights in Kosovo,
Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Mme Chairperson, Distinguished delegates,
One week ago, this Commission discussed the human rights situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, particularly in and around Kosovo. The Special Rapporteur, Mr. Dienstbier, and my personal representative, Mr. Michel Moussali, are now in Skopje at my request, accompanied by my staff, talking to the authorities, international agencies and refugees to obtain accurate information on the human rights situation. Our staff from OHCHR FRY has been redeployed to Skopje, Tirana and Montenegro with the following objectives :
• establish a human rights presence as close as possible to actual developments;
• consult and liaise with institutional partners;
• gather information about human rights violations; and • provide information gathered to this Commission, its Special Rapporteurs, and its other mechanisms as appropriate.
The Governments of Norway and Switzerland have already indicated to me their willingness to support the deployment of additional human rights monitors in Albania, Montenegro (FRY) and FYR Macedonia to seek to verify allegations of grave human rights violations which have taken place in recent weeks in Kosovo. The mission, which will build on the OHCHR's human rights monitoring capacity previously based in the FRY, will coordinate its activities closely with both humanitarian actors on the ground.
I would now like to brief you on human rights developments since you discussed the situation a week ago. This briefing is based on information provided by institutional partners, by colleagues on the ground and by OHCHR staff in Geneva. It aims to provide a factual summary of the main developments on the ground as we have been able to assemble them through the sources I have mentioned. I shall, in cooperation with the Special Rapporteur, provide periodic updates about what is happening on the ground during the course of the present session of the Commission.
Refugees and Displaced Persons
As of today, UNHCR estimates that, over five hundred thousand people have fled the Kosovo province, of which at least 304,000 are in Albania, 122,000 are in former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, 59,000 in Montenegro, 24,300 in Bosnia and 7,612 in Turkey. According to Yugoslav Government sources, 50,000 are in Serbia. The number of internally displaced people within Kosovo is estimated at several hundred thousand.
On top of this, in recent days Kosovars have faced considerable obstacles in fleeing the province. Preliminary indications are that the Serb authorities have in some cases prevented the departure of fleeing refugees at the border. We have now received reports that the borders have been closed and all movement stopped.
Forcible Displacement of Population
Ethnic Albanians tell of extreme and cruel violence; of people forced to leave their homes, towns and villages at gunpoint. Many women and children have arrived at the borders separated from their husbands, fathers and sons. Refugees have complained that they were displaced through intimidation, expulsion and under direct orders to leave by Serb security forces, police and paramilitaries.
Numerous persons fleeing Kosovo have also affirmed that the destruction set in motion by the Serbian authorities has affected almost every part of the Kosovo region. Much of the area is reportedly under Serb arms, the clearance of ethnic Albanians reportedly being systematic, deliberate and methodical. Whole towns and villages have reportedly been emptied of their people.
A large number of refugees entering Albania have complained that they have been stripped of their passports, ID cards, vehicle number plates and other kinds of identifying documents before leaving the FRY.
Arbitrary and Summary Executions
There are numerous reports of arbitrary and summary executions. On 28 March, the OSCE KVM reported the alleged murder of civilians, including women and children, near Orahovac. On the same day, the OSCE informed that the bodies of 35 people, who had died of gunshot wounds, were reportedly found next to the Klina-Prizren railway line. OSCE also reported that on 2 and 3 April, human rights organizations and the media collected statements from refugees about an alleged massacre in Elika Krusa.
According to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague, investigators from the Tribunal have received numerous reports from refugees fleeing Kosovo of four lorries filled with dead bodies being dumped into mass graves. Other reports backed up by numerous eyewitnesses refer to trucks and tractors pulling wagons carrying Kosovars which are being stopped near the Macedonian border. Women refugees are being asked by Serb soldiers to pay 2,000 DM in order to pass the border. If they are not able to pay, they are being removed from the trucks and taken to a near by building where they are allegedly being raped.
Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances
These are reported cases of forced disappearances of Kosovars, particularly groups of men and boys. Refugees fleeing from Kosovo claim that numerous Kosovo Albanian males have been separated from their families by the Serbian army and police. Their fate is unknown.
Treatment of Women and Children
Women and children have suffered terribly in this situation. We are also concerned about the rising number of unaccompanied children refugees, who are moving away from the border areas. Accurate figures are still unavailable. UNICEF and ICRC are setting up a registration system of unaccompanied children.
But I would like to remind the Commission that such events are not unusual on the territory of the former Yugoslavia. Women have been the target of reprisals in the former Yugoslavia. Cases of mass sexual assault perpetrated against young women and girls during the conflict are well known to the international community and, in particular, to the International Criminal Tribunal. At this point in time, we are beginning to receive acurate information from the field about such occurrences. I am deeply concerned about the particular situation of women and young girls who have been subjected in the past to such despicable practices.
Right to Health and Right to Food
A major concern is over the health conditions of the refugees, mainly children and women. According to the WHO, the major health threat to the refugees is communicable diseases, such as measles and cholera. Many of those attempting to leave Kosovo, mainly women, children and elderly people, have been waiting to cross for days, and are weak from lack of food and exhaustion.
Civilians affected by military actions
There are reliable reports of civilians killed and injured, and of civilian establishments destroyed or damaged in the course of the ongoing military action.
Conclusion
We are remaining in touch with our institutional partners and are continuing to gather information. I have just come from a meeting of the ACC here in Geneva, where, under the chairmanship of the Secretary-General, the heads of the humanitarian agencies have been reflecting their deep concerns about the immediate desperate plight of those who have fled from Kosovo and also about the longer term implications, including the impact on the neighbouring countries. I shall keep the Commission informed in the coming weeks.
I thank you.