Kosova Daily Report #1432, 98-05-17
Kosova Information Center
KOSOVA DAILY REPORT #1432
Prishtina, 17 May 1998
CONTENTS
[01] Albanian Killed, Heavy Fire in Several Villages of Klina
[02] Several Villages on Prishtina-Peja Highway Fired Upon by Serb Forces
Today
[03] Serb Border Blockade Proves Belgrade Sees Kosova as an Alien and
Hostile Nation
[04] Serb Civilians Beat Brutally Albanians in Prishtina Street
[05] Serb Police Detains Human Rights Activist n Lipjan
[06] Albanian Former Political Prisoner Imprisoned in Prizren
[01] Albanian Killed, Heavy Fire in Several Villages of Klina
PRISHTINA, May 17 (KIC) - Jahir Shabani (34), resident of Bub&l village of
Malisheva, was killed overnight at the village of Zajm in the municipality
of Klina, local chapters of the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and
Freedoms (CDHRF) in Malisheva and Klina reported today (Sunday).
The CDHRF provided only scanty details of the circumstances of his
killing.
A CDHRF member in Klina said automatic arms fire was heard at Zajm Saturday
evening at around 22:45.
The killing occurred some 50 meters off the Prishtina-Peja highway, near
Serb-inhabited houses. This, as well as the fact that local Serbs there
have been armed, led local human rights activists suspect this killing was
the work of Serb civilians.
Serb police coerced today Maliq Morina and Xhavit Dran^olli, both residents
of Zajm village, to ship Albanian's body off to the Bub&l village. On his
return, Xhavit was beaten up brutally by police, local sources said.
Meanwhile, the CDHRF chapter reported that the sound of heavy fire from
different calibers has been heard since noon today (Sunday) coming frim the
villages of Dollov&, Grabanic&, Qeskov&, Bokshiq, etc., in the triangle
which connects the Drini i Bardh& and Bistrica e Pej&s rivers.
Serb reinforcements have been heading to the area, helicopters flying
overhead, sources in Klina reported.
The sound of heavy fire has been reported heard since yesterday from the
direction of Cerovik and Gllarev& villages, which are not that close to
Klina.
Many ambulances have been seen travelling to Peja. "It is not clear whether
the victims belong to Serb armed forces, or Albanian defense forces", local
CDHRF sources were quoted as saying.
[02] Several Villages on Prishtina-Peja Highway Fired Upon by Serb Forces
Today
PRISHTINA, May 17 (KIC) - Since early in the morning today (Sunday), Serb
force have launched attacks against several villages in central Kosova,
along the Prishtina-Peja highway, sources in the area said.
A resident of Zab&rxha village of Klina told KIC his village came under
heavy fire at around 7:00 hrs today. Serb forces attacked Zab&rxha from the
neighboring village of Stapanica, he said.
The village was fired upon with diverse kinds of weaponry, including
grenade launchers, the witness said, adding that six mines blew up in the
fields of the Zab&rxha village today.
Sources in Stapanica said the Serb police forces carried a house- to-house
search in a couple of Albanian neighborhoods in the village. Members of an
Albanian (Shaban Syla) family from Stapanica, who could leave the village,
have told LDK sources in Klina that Serb police beat any Albanian they
could catch in the village.
Heavy shooting was heard coming from Zab&rxha and Stapanica until 13:00 hrs,
when it died out.
At last two houses have been reported burned down and several others
damaged in Stapanica today.
Meanwhile, sources in Klina said that firearm shootings were reported today
morning in the two other villages in this municipality, at Rixheva and
Gllareva. At Gllareva village, several Albanian houses were fired upon from
the house of a Serb collaborator, Ramadan Balaj, local sources said.
A Serb police helicopter was reported flying overhead several villages of
Klina, Stapanica in particular, for a couple of hours today.
The Prishtina-based human rights Council (CDHRF) said an Albanian, Jahir
Shabani (34) was killed today morning at Novosella e Zajmit village of
Klina today morning.
LDK sources could not still learn about other possible casualties in the
villages that came under Serb attack today.
[03] Serb Border Blockade Proves Belgrade Sees Kosova as an Alien and
Hostile Nation
PRISHTINA, May 17 (KIC) - For a couple of days now, Serbian police have
been preventing truck drivers from entering Kosova at Rudare village in
neighboring Serbia, on the highway that links Kosova capital Prishtina and
the northern town of Podujeva with Nis and other towns in Serbia.
Trucks belonging to Serbian state firms or driving to other destinations
were being allowed through, Reuters reported today from Rudare.
Hundreds of trucks have been turned back since Friday.
"Police told us they had orders not to let us through,", Reuters quoted one
driver as saying. The agency said there was no official Serbian explanation
for the blockade.
While purporting Kosova is an "internal Serbian matter", Belgrade has in
diverse ways - including a several-year-long checkpoint in Podujeva and
this current border blockade - proven the opposite: that Kosova and its
nation is an alien territory and a hostile people for Serbia.
"The Serbian regime is poised to make starvation a political means in a bid
to subject Kosova Albanians and force them give up their political will",
Dr. Alush Gashi, President Ibrahim Rugova of Kosova's aide for humanitarian
issues told the KIC today.
Dr. Gashi said he had informed relevant international organizations about
this outrageous Serb regime move. He asked them to use their influence so
that the free movement of people and flow of goods are respected for all,
"including us here in Kosova", he said.
The Serb arrogance comes at a time of their verbal willingness to create
mutual understanding in the run-up to the meetings of the [Kosovar and
Serbian] groups for eventual negotiations on a solution for Kosova, Dr.
Alush Gashi said.
Rugova's aide called on the U.S., the six-nation Contact Group, and the UN
Security Council to implement their sanctions on Serbia and force Belgrade
comply with international demands and universally acknowledged standards.
[04] Serb Civilians Beat Brutally Albanians in Prishtina Street
PRISHTINA, May 17 (KIC) - A group of over twenty Serb civilians attacked
Saturday in Prishtina to Albanians, beating them brutally.
Ismail Baqiri (31) and Naim Pacolli (23), were attacked by Serbs in the
street near the Engineering Faculty campus in Prishtina. They were quoted
as saying they were attacked while walking on the street and they had not
provoked the Serbs at all.
The two Albanians received grave body injuries and had to ask for medical
treatment later.
[05] Serb Police Detains Human Rights Activist n Lipjan
PRISHTINA, May 17 (KIC) - Aziz Hyseni, chairman of the chapter of the
Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms in Lipjan, was held in
Serb police custody for a couple of hours on Saturday.
Sources in Lipjan said the police raided the offices of the Council and LDK
in the town, arresting subsequently Aziz Hyseni.
While in custody, Mr. Hyseni wa interrogated and intimidated in connection
with activities of the human rights council.
[06] Albanian Former Political Prisoner Imprisoned in Prizren
PRISHTINA, May 17 (KIC) - Naim Krasniqi, formerly a political prisoner, was
sentenced by the Serb-run Court in Prizren to 30 days in prison, the Human
Rights chapter in Prizren reported.
Mr. Krasniqi was sentenced under the charges of "suspicion on having
committed a criminal offense, association for hostile activity", pursuant
to Article 136 of the Penal Code of so-called "RFY", the human rights
council said
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