OSCE urges Kosovo institutions to create necessary conditions for reintegration of repatriated persons

Pristina, 11 November 2009 – Kosovo institutions fall short of fulfilling their obligations under the Strategy for the Reintegration of Repatriated Persons, concludes an OSCE report published today.

The report assesses efforts made by the institutions to implement the Strategy, and to create conditions for the reception and sustainable reintegration of repatriated persons into Kosovo’s society.

Since its adoption in October 2007, few concrete steps have been taken to implement the Strategy in Kosovo’s municipalities, and not enough funds have been allocated to extend specific reintegration assistance to repatriated persons, as foreseen by the action plan.

The lack of assistance faced by repatriated persons in the areas of housing, schooling, healthcare, and employment opportunities represent a serious reintegration problem for individuals and families, in particular for the non-Albanian communities.

“We urge central and local authorities to reach out to these vulnerable groups by allocating necessary funding, increasing co-ordination and information-sharing, as recommended by the report,” said Ambassador Werner Almhofer, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

The report is based on regular monitoring activities of the OSCE in the field of human rights, participation of communities in decision-making processes, and the protection and promotion of their rights.

 The report is available here.

UNHCR: New eligibility guidelines for assessing the international protection needs of individuals from Kosovo

These Guidelines contain updated information on the political and security situation in Kosovo, the established legal frameworks, and the current situation of groups at risk of persecution or serious harm, including minority communities. Against this background these Guidelines assess the need for international protection under the 1951 Convention and its 1967 Protocol, as well as other relevant international and regional instruments.

9 November 2009

The guidelines are available here.

Rom e.V.: Bericht über eine Reise in den Kosovo

Mai 2009 – Im April reisten drei MitarbeiterInnen des Rom e.V. in den Kosovo. Ziel der Fahrt war eine Einschätzung der gegenwärtigen Lage vor Ort speziell für die dortige Roma-Minderheit vor dem Hintergrund drohender Abschiebungen von Roma-Familien aus Deutschland in den nächsten Monaten.

Die Fortsetzung des zweiteiligen Berichts befindet sich in der Mai-Ausgabe und in der Oktober-Ausgabe des Rundbriefs von Rom e.V..

Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of IDPs reports on his visit to Serbia and Kosovo

65. From 28 June to 4 July the Representative carried out a visit in follow-up to a mission he had undertaken in 2005 to then Serbia and Montenegro.25 During the course of the visit, the Representative met with internally displaced persons in Belgrade, Kraljevo, Pristina, Mitrovica/Mitrovicë and other locations, and was able to have an open and constructive dialogue with senior officials of the Government of Serbia, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kosovo and other international actors, as well as the Kosovo authorities, including the President of Kosovo.

66. Many of the 200,000 persons initially registered as internally displaced from or within Kosovo in 1999 and subsequent years have yet to find a durable solution. The vast majority are persons of Serb ethnicity, although the Representative also met some internally displaced persons of Albanian ethnicity awaiting their return to northern Kosovo. In addition, there are several tens of thousands of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian ethnicity who were internally displaced. They often remain in particularly difficult situations, not least since they formed part of a minority often living on the margins of society even before their displacement.

67. Only several thousand internally displaced persons have returned to or within Kosovo and it is uncertain how many returns have proven to be sustainable. The Representative noted with appreciation the stated commitment of all relevant authorities to allow and facilitate returns of internally displaced persons, regardless of their ethnicity. However, entrenched patterns of discrimination, lack of access to employment and livelihoods, too few schools for minorities and difficulties in repossessing property and having houses reconstructed still constitute chief obstacles to return. At the time of the Representative’s visit, close to 800 internally displaced families had registered to return to or within Kosovo in 2009. This return programme is an important test case that will show whether the relevant authorities, including municipalities in return areas, are willing to accept and facilitate returns.

68. The Representative underscored that improved living conditions for internally displaced persons and their return at a later stage were not mutually exclusive, but that persons who had been able to re-establish a normal life in displacement and who then decided to return were far more likely to make their return sustainable. He notes with appreciation some improvements in the integration of internally displaced persons in Serbia. Programmes have started to help internally displaced persons to leave run-down collective centres and move to their own houses or flats and build livelihoods. However, bureaucratic obstacles, in particular cumbersome procedures for obtaining documents, continue to make it unnecessarily difficult for many internally displaced persons to access public services. Roma internally displaced persons who are not registered or lack an officially recognized address because they live in irregular settlements, face particularly grave deprivations of their economic, social and cultural rights.

69. The Representative is alarmed that several hundred Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian internally displaced persons are still living in camps in Northern Mitrovica/Mitrovicë in the immediate vicinity of toxic waste from a former lead mine that has been poisoning their blood for 10 years. In particular, internally displaced children are in a very critical health condition and the lead concentration in their blood far exceeds medically acceptable levels. The Representative calls upon all actors, national and international, to cooperate in a pragmatic manner and find, without any further delay, a durable solution at a safe and healthy location within Kosovo in close consultation with the group.

3 August 2009

The full report “Protection of and assistance to internally displaced persons (A/64/214)” is available here.

Discussion on the promotion and protection of human rights, speakers in the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) (extract)

Feodor Starevic ( Serbia) said the level of protection and promotion of human rights had improved significantly in the last ten years, and would continue to be improved. Intense activity at the national level was aimed at harmonizing domestic laws with ratified international instruments. The Government had recently signed an anti-discrimination law, and was working with ombudsmen at provincial and local levels, and with civil society, to promote a culture of tolerance among its citizens. In February, the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights had signed a memorandum of cooperation to provide for more concrete cooperation with civil society on human rights issues. In addition, the Government was committed to cooperating with the United Nations human rights mechanisms.

He then drew attention to the situation of human rights in the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija. Despite an international presence there, the human rights situation, especially in terms of non-Albanian communities, “remained precarious”. The legal vacuum left after the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo last February had created uncertainty for non-Albanian populations as regards their rights. Statements given by the representatives of Pristina authorities, on their commitment to fully respect human rights in the province, were only declarative. Steps taken to protect the rights of that population were trivial.

He said ethnically-motivated crimes persisted, creating an atmosphere of fear, and impeded the right of return of 200,000 displaced persons ‑‑ predominantly Serb, Roma and other non-Albanian who had fled Kosovo in 1999. Minorities faced obstacles in their access to services, ranging from access to courts to public transportation. Protection of poverty rights was a grave problem, notwithstanding attempts by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to help original owners repossess their property. Serbian culture was under constant threat, with attempts by Pristina authorities to re-write history. More than 150 churches and monasteries had been destroyed, some dating back to the 11th century. Textbooks claimed that the Serbian Orthodox heritage was Kosovo Albanian heritage. It amounted to cultural cleansing, which the international community must act to prevent.

He explained that, since Kosovo’s administration had been entrusted to UNMIK and the Kosovo multinational security force (KFOR) and the European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX), as per Security Council resolution 1244 (1999), his Government was not in a position to report directly on the implementation of international instruments in Kosovo. Instead, the reports were made by UNMIK. After examining those reports, the Human Rights Committee had made observations concerning restricted freedom of movement and access to services. The Secretary-General’s Special Representative on the rights of internally displaced persons, Water Kalin, had identified entrenched patterns of discrimination, lack of jobs and too few schools for minorities as among the obstacles to the return of displaced persons, as were difficulties in repossessing property and in building new houses. Even among those in favour of Kosovo’s independence, there were reports that Kosovo’s government had failed to take appropriate action against organized crime. Against this backdrop, Serbia’s pragmatic approach had been lauded in the latest report by the Secretary-General, and indeed it was the common responsibility of all States to improve human rights in that province.

Source:  Speakers in Third Committee draw links between fight to secure human rights, fight against poverty, as three-day discussion concludes, 28 October 2009

 

PRO ASYL: Die neue Bundesregierung muss Abschiebungen stoppen (PR)

Aktuelle Recherche bestätigt: Abgeschobene Roma haben im Kosovo kaum Chancen auf ein menschenwürdiges Leben  

Ein heute veröffentlichter Recherchebericht bestätigt: Die geplanten Abschiebungen von Roma in das Kosovo sind unverantwortlich. Abgeschobene haben im Kosovo kaum eine Chance, eine menschenwürdige Existenz zu begründen. Ihnen steht ein Leben am Rande des physischen Existenzminimums bevor. Ihre Menschenrechte auf körperliche Unversehrtheit, auf Zugang zu Gesundheitsversorgung und Bildung bleiben auf der Strecke. Zudem können sie sich keineswegs sicher fühlen, wie gewalttätige Übergriffe im Sommer dieses Jahres belegen. PRO ASYL fordert deshalb die neue Bundesregierung auf, die begonnenen Abschiebungen von Roma und Serben in das Kosovo zu stoppen.   Der Sozialwissenschaftler Dr. Stephan Dünnwald besuchte im August 2009 im Auftrag von PRO ASYL abgeschobene Personen im Kosovo und befragte sie zu ihrer Situation nach der Rückkehr. Die meisten lebten in äußerst prekären Verhältnissen.   Die Sicherheitslage für Roma (und Angehörige der kleineren Minderheiten der Ashkali und der sogenannten Kosovo-Ägypter) ist weiterhin nicht als stabil einzuschätzen. Vertreter der Roma im Kosovo verwiesen darauf, dass viele Übergriffe gegen die Minderheiten gar nicht zur Anzeige kommen, weil die Opfer weitere Repressalien befürchten oder weil die Kosovo-Polizei solchen Anzeigen nicht nachgeht. Es ist nicht bekannt, dass die Rechtsstaatsunterstützungsmission der EU (EULEX) zur Aufklärung der Roma-feindlichen Attacken dieses Sommers bis heute etwas unternommen hätte.   Mit der Frage der Sicherheit vor Bedrohungen und tätlichen Angriffen eng verbunden ist auch die Frage der Existenzsicherung. Die Arbeitsmarktlage im Kosovo ist bereits für die Gesamtbevölkerung sehr schwierig. Roma sind aufgrund der weiterbestehenden massiven Diskriminierung und ihres aus Sicherheitsgründen oft eingeschränkten Bewegungsradius vollends ohne Chance. Dem Lagebericht des Auswärtigen Amtes zum Kosovo attestiert Dünnwald gravierende Lücken. Die Minderheiten der Roma, Ashkali und Ägypter werden weitgehend „übersehen“. Zu ihrer Sicherheitslage finden sich nur Allgemeinplätze.   Besonders bedrückend für den Rechercheur war seine Erfahrung, dass unter den im Kosovo und Montenegro Besuchten viele schwere gesundheitliche Probleme hatten, deren Behandlung im Kosovo nicht gesichert ist.  Ihre Abschiebung war deshalb unverantwortlich.

Zum Bericht „Zur Lebenssituation von aus Deutschland abgeschobenen Roma, Ashkali und Angehörigen der Ägypter-Minderheit im Kosovo“

 

 

Avis actualisé du MG-S-ROM sur le retour des Roms au Kosovo3 et en Europe du sud-est

adopté par le MG-S-ROM suite à sa 27e réunion à Séville (Espagne)

Le Comité d’experts sur les Roms et les Gens du voyage (MG-S-ROM),

Rappelant son avis sur la Recommandation 1633 (2003) de l’Assemblée parlementaire du 6 avril 2004 sur les retours forcés des Roms originaires de «l’ex-République yougoslave de Macédoine», y compris du Kosovo, en Serbie-Monténégro, en provenance d’Etats membres du Conseil de l’Europe, et son avis sur la Recommandation 1708 (2005) sur l’Assemblée parlementaire sur la situation actuelle au Kosovo, ainsi que la réponse du Coordinateur du Conseil de l’Europe pour les activités concernant les Roms à cette même recommandation de l’APCE, qui datent tous deux de juillet 2005 ;

Gardant à l’esprit la position prise en juin 2006 par le HCR sur les besoins persistants des individus au Kosovo en matière de protection internationale, selon laquelle « les Roms et les Serbes ont besoin de la protection internationale et leur retour au Kosovo ne saurait être que volontaire » ;

Gardant à l’esprit l’appel que le Commissaire aux droits de l’homme du Conseil de l’Europe a fait aux gouvernements en Europe afin d’éviter les retours forcés au Kosovo et d’accorder aux personnes originaires du Kosovo, au minimum, l’autorisation de résider dans le pays jusqu’à ce que les conditions au Kosovo leur permettent d’y retourner en toute sécurité, ainsi que la déclaration du Commissaire suivant sa visite au Kosovo en mars 2009 : « Ces expulsions doivent encore être évitées et, dans la situation actuelle, je ne pense pas qu’il faille exercer de pressions sur les autorités locales pour qu’elles acceptent ces retours forcés » ;

Considérant les accords de réadmission signés entre l’Union européenne et plusieurs gouvernements des Balkans et prenant note également de l’appel lancé en octobre 2007 par le Forum européen des Roms et des Gens du voyage, d’un moratoire d’au moins deux ans sur la mise en œuvre des parties des accords de réadmission concernant le retour ;

Rappelant les conclusions de la Conférence régionale sur les solutions durables pour les réfugiés roms, les personnes déplacées à l’intérieur de leur propre pays et les personnes rapatriées dans les Balkans, organisée par le Conseil de l’Europe, en particulier son Assemblée parlementaire, et les autorités serbes, au Parlement de Serbie (Belgrade) les 29 et 30 octobre 2007, qui disent notamment que « Pour que les solutions soient durables, le retour de tous les réfugiés et personnes déplacées, y compris les Roms réfugiés et déplacés à l’intérieur de leur pays, devrait être volontaire et réalisé dans la sécurité et la dignité, sans crainte de harcèlement, de discrimination, de détentions arbitraires et de menaces physiques et matérielles» ;

Gardant à l’esprit les conclusions des Tables rondes internationales sur les enjeux et les perspectives d’intégration durable des Roms, Ashkali et Egyptiens du Kosovo dans les pays d’accueil et au Kosovo même, organisées à Vienne en octobre 2008 et à Pristina en février 2009 par le Projet sur les relations ethniques (PER) avec le soutien du Bureau pour les institutions démocratiques et les droits de l’homme de l’OSCE, qui énoncent entre autres que « les politiques de retour forcé appliquées par les pays d’accueil sont inefficaces et inapplicables dans la mesure où de nombreux rapatriés de force quittent le pays très vite après leur retour » ;

Considérant le fait que de nombreux Roms du Kosovo ont passé déjà plus de dix ans dans les pays d’accueil où ils ont commencé une nouvelle vie, et que leurs enfants sont scolarisés dans les écoles de ces pays et peuvent avoir perdu tout lien avec la langue de la région d’origine de leurs parents et prenant note des bonnes pratiques de certains Etats membres, tels que l’Allemagne et la Suisse, qui délivrent des titres de séjour dans certaines circonstances au cas par cas et sur la base des lois nationales portant sur l’asile et la migration de chaque pays d’accueil;

Gardant à l’esprit que les rapatriés peuvent être considérés comme des « étrangers » et donc soumis à la discrimination ;

Considérant le fait que certains Roms d’Europe du sud-est ont, de facto, un statut d’apatride pouvant les empêcher de jouir des mêmes droits que les autres citoyens dans leur pays d’origine s’ils n’acquièrent pas la nationalité de cet Etat;

Gardant à l’esprit l’obligation des autorités pertinentes selon la Résolution 1244 du Conseil de Sécurité des Nations Unies de mettre en application les principes du pluralisme et du respect des droits de l’homme et des libertés ainsi que la prééminence du droit et leur responsabilité de promouvoir et faciliter un retour sûr et digne des réfugiés et des personnes déplacées à l’intérieur de leur pays ;

Gardant à l’esprit le document de l’UNMIK sur la “politique de réadmission” daté du 1er janvier 2008 en tant que procédure uniforme pour la mise à exécution des retours forcés vers le Kosovo qui s’appuie sur l’origine du Kosovo et non pas l’ethnicité;

Considérant la DECISION N. 575/2007/CE DU PARLEMENT EUROPEEN ET DU CONSEIL portant création du Fonds européen pour les réfugiés pour la période 2008- 2013 dans le cadre du programme général « Solidarité et gestion des flux migratoires» ;

Rappelant que, dans le cadre du processus de réadmission, tous les programmes d’intégration pertinents devraient être financés;

Tout en reconnaissant qu’il y a eu certaines améliorations au Kosovo et en Europe du sud-est en ce qui concerne les communautés roms, le MG-S-ROM est d’avis que :

- suivant les droits fondamentaux de chaque personne et suivant l’avis concordant, entre autres dans les Etats membres de l’UE, qu’un Kosovo multi-ethnique doit être préservé, les réfugiés et les personnes déplacées à l’intérieur de leur pays, y compris les Roms, originaires de Kosovo doivent avoir la vraie possibilité d’y retourner ;

- étant donné la situation encore fragile au Kosovo, toute demande d’asile des Roms du Kosovo doit être soigneusement examinée au cas par cas par les autorités nationales conformément au droit national et international. Tous les demandeurs d’asile doivent avoir accès à une procédure d’asile équitable et efficace, et notamment au droit de faire appel pour les demandeurs dont la demande d’asile a été rejetée ;

- les Etats membres ne doivent pas créer une situation de déplacement secondaire en envoyant les Roms du Kosovo dans d’autres régions d’Europe du sud-est, surtout compte tenu des ressources limitées actuellement disponibles pour une bonne intégration des nouveaux rapatriés. Les nouveaux retours dans cette région pourraient saper les efforts déployés actuellement par les autorités pour intégrer les populations roms locales et les demandeurs d’asile et réfugiés roms du Kosovo déjà présents sur leur territoire ;

- les gouvernements d’Europe du sud-est devraient accélérer le processus de mise en œuvre des programmes, stratégies et plans d’action visant à mieux intégrer leurs communautés roms, et notamment les réfugiés, rapatriés ou personnes déplacées. Ils devraient allouer des ressources budgétaires à la mise en place de cadres institutionnels et de mécanismes adéquats pour faire face aux problèmes des réfugiés, personnes déplacées et rapatriés roms, ainsi que renforcer les capacités administratives et institutionnelles au niveau national et local ;

- le processus de retour des personnes sur la base des accords de réadmission devrait être mené avec transparence, notamment en informant ces personnes sur les conditions du retour, conformément aux normes internationales en matière de droits de l’homme ;

- les autorités des Etats membres et les organisations participant au retour des Roms au Kosovo devraient prendre toutes les mesures nécessaires pour veiller à ce que les retours soient menés essentiellement sur base volontaire, sans heurt, progressivement et dans la dignité, en coopération avec les autorités pertinentes selon la Résolution 1244 du Conseil de Sécurité des Nations Unies.

Source: Conseil de l’Europe: Comité des Ministres : Documents CM : CM(2009)99 8 juin 2009¹

Kosovo non-majority communities within the primary and secondary educational systems

This report focuses on the Kosovo and Serbian curriculum primary and secondary education systems available in Kosovo and deals with three key issues: the protection of the identity and rights of non-majority communities in education; the way in which the separate Kosovo and Serbian curriculum schools fail to promote inter-ethnic dialogue, respect and understanding of others and tolerance; and the integration opportunities afforded to non-majority students through the additional learning of official languages. This report is based on extensive field research and interviews with respondents from all communities conducted by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo (hereinafter: the OSCE) in January and February 2009. The report finds that curricula for community-specific “national” subjects for the most vulnerable Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian, Gorani, Kosovo Croat and Kosovo Montenegrin communities have not been developed yet. Insufficient availability of primary and lack of secondary education textbooks in the Turkish and Bosnian languages negatively affects the quality of education and prevents adequate learning of national subjects. Conflict over authority, the physical separation of the educational systems, the fact that within both systems learning of the other official language is not provided, no sustained efforts to promote interchanges between Kosovo Albanian and Kosovo Serb teachers and students, and the content of history and other textbooks, all contribute to further separation and make the operation of multi-ethnic schools integrating children of all systems and communities a challenge. Insufficient and inadequate Albanian language education for non-Albanian communities results in poor learning of the language, lower opportunities for educational and employment integration, and puts non-Albanian students at a competitive disadvantage. Socialization opportunities with Kosovo Albanian peers contribute at times to successful learning of this language.

Source: OSCE

April 2009

The report is available for download on the OSCE website (Eng/Serb/Rom).

CoE: Protection of minorities in Serbia: Council of Europe’s monitoring body says progress needs to be sustained (PR)

Strasbourg, 25 June 2009 – The Council of Europe Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities today published its 2nd Opinion on the protection of national minorities in Serbia, following this country’s agreement to early publication.

The Advisory Committee adopted this report following a country visit in November 2008. In its report, the Committee noted progress but it also identified areas where more efforts would be needed. The main findings of the report include the following:

§ Since the adoption of the Advisory Committee’s first Opinion in November 2003, the Serbian authorities adopted a new Constitution in 2006 which includes a specific chapter on national minority protection.

§ A new Criminal Code has been adopted with some important provisions in the field of non-discrimination. An Ombudsman has started his work at state level, with promising initiatives to be launched in the field of monitoring minority protection in all regions of Serbia. The commitment shown by the recently established Ministry of Human and Minority Rights in pursuing reform is also encouraging.

§ Increased opportunities for persons belonging to national minorities, notably the Bosnian, Bunjevac, Macedonian and Roma to learn their languages in the Province of Vojvodina. The optional character of classes in minority languages is however a persistent concern of representatives of national minorities and solutions need to be found in consultation with representatives of minorities.

§ There are considerable discrepancies in the implementation of minority rights between the Province of Vojvodina where regulations and practice are more advanced and other parts of the country where Albanian, Bosnian, Bulgarian and Vlach-Romanian minorities are living in large numbers. The judicial system needs to address acts of discrimination against minorities more efficiently. There is a need for local authorities to be more engaged with national minorities’ issues and to increase intercultural dialogue throughout Serbia.

§ The national minority councils established so far have started to play an active role in articulating minorities’ interests but there is an urgent need to provide a legal framework regarding their role and activities.

§ There have been positive steps to address the problems faced by Roma in certain areas but more resolute action is needed to tackle the discrimination they still face in particular in the field of education, employment, health and housing. Many Roma still lack identification documents, which hampers their access to social rights.

Source: Council of Europe

CoE/PACE: Europe’s forgotten people: protecting the human rights of long-term displaced persons

More than 2.5 million Europeans in 11 of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe continue to be deprived of their homes and possessions as the result of various conflicts lasting decades without resolution.

These persons are internally displaced persons (IDPs), and most of them live in destitution, struggle to enjoy their rights and suffer marginalisation within their societies.

The report calls for reinvigorated efforts by the international community to find political solutions to the many unresolved conflicts and to build up strong legal and normative frameworks ensuring that IDPs can fully enjoy their human rights. The continued failure to tackle the root causes of displacement, impunity for past crimes and negligence of the interests of IDPs carry a serious political risk that the protracted conflicts may re-ignite, which may in turn lead to new displacements.

Relevant national and local authorities should pursue targeted and consistent policies that aim at improving the human rights and living conditions of IDPs and enable them to integrate – even if temporarily – in their places of displacement or elsewhere in the country, without prejudice to the ultimate possibility of their return.

IDPs must be empowered to make voluntary and informed choices as regards their return or integration, provided access to effective procedures to reclaim property and possessions, provided with access to livelihoods and adequate living conditions, encouraged to participate in public affairs at all levels without discrimination and be involved in the decision-making processes on issues concerning them.

The report calls for continued international donor assistance to IDPs in terms of resources, technical expertise and knowledge sharing. It puts forward a number of concrete proposals to the Committee of Ministers, other bodies of the Council of Europe and the European Union in view of finding durable solutions for IDPs. It calls for improved observance of international protection standards and rights, and desired activities to tackle Europe’s amnesia towards its “forgotten people”.

8 June 2009

The report is available here.

Serbia/Kosovo: New report reveals impunity for abuses 10 years after end of Kosovo

8 June 2009 – In a report published to mark the tenth anniversary of the end of the war in Kosovo, Amnesty International highlights the continued failure of the authorities in Serbia and Kosovo to investigate and prosecute enforced disappearances and abductions and bring the perpetrators to justice.

A decade after the war ended, around 1,900 families across Kosovo and Serbia still have no details about the fate or whereabouts of their missing relatives.

Amnesty International interviewed relatives of the missing on both sides of the conflict, in the aftermath of the war and again in 2009 when researchers returned to gather further testimony. The report is based on many first-hand accounts from those affected and describes a history of undocumented exhumations, lost documentation, political interference in the justice system, aborted investigations and a massive duplication of effort by different agencies, all of which have combined to deny access to justice for the relatives of the missing.

Sian Jones, Amnesty International’s Balkans expert, said:

‘Over the past 10 years there has been a consistent failure by the authorities in Serbia and in Kosovo to address the legacy of war crimes which took place in Kosovo in 1999.

‘Their failure to initiate prompt, thorough and impartial investigations in either Serbia or Kosovo has created a culture of impunity, and has failed to deliver justice to the relatives of ethnic Albanians ‘disappeared’ by Serb forces and relatives of Serbs abducted by the KLA’.

More than 3,000 ethnic Albanians were the victims of enforced disappearances by Serbian police, paramilitary and military forces during the war in Kosovo. An estimated 800 Serbs, Roma and members of other minority groups were also abducted, reportedly by members of the Kosovo Liberation Army, mostly under the eyes of the NATO-led peacekeeping Kosovo force after the international armed conflict ended in June 1999.

In its 82-page report, Burying the past: Impunity for enforced disappearances and abductions in Kosovo, Amnesty International documents a decade of failure by both the Serbian government and the responsible authorities in Kosovo – until December 2008 the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, (UNMIK) – to investigate and prosecute those responsible for enforced disappearances and abductions.

The report also focuses on the rights of the relatives of victims of enforced disappearances and abductions, emphasising that the failure by the authorities in both Kosovo and Serbia to provide information about the fate and whereabouts of missing loved ones is a violation of their rights under international human rights law.

Amnesty International believes that there are serious institutional barriers to ending impunity for enforced disappearances and abductions. In the absence of effective witness protection programmes, many people are reluctant to come forward to provide investigators with evidence for prosecution.

In Serbia for example, investigations into allegations that in May 1999 the bodies of ethnic Albanian civilians were incinerated in a smelter at the Maèkatica aluminium complex near Surdulica in Serbia, were abandoned after witnesses were intimidated by local and state security police. The alleged incinerations had been part of a massive cover-up operation, in which the bodies of more than 900 ethnic Albanian were transferred and buried in mass graves in Serbia proper in April and May 1999.

Sian Jones said:

‘The influence of individuals who were powerful during the war, including some former KLA leaders and Serbian police officials, still extends throughout the Serbian and Kosovo Albanian government and society, and in the case of Kosovo, even into UNMIK.’

In Kosovo, there have been few prosecutions of ethnic Albanians responsible for the abduction of Serbs. UNMIK investigators failed to promptly conduct a thorough and impartial investigations into allegations, subsequently published by Carla del Ponte, former Chief Prosecutor to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, that up to 300 Serbs had been abducted by members of the KLA in 1999, and taken across the border to the ‘Yellow House’ near the village of Burrel in Albania.

Amnesty International calls on the authorities in Serbia and Kosovo, including the EU-led rule of law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, to cooperate in the investigation of cases in order to inform relatives of the fate of their loved ones, and to bring perpetrators to justice.

Sian Jones said:

‘In both Serbia and Kosovo there are those who would prefer that the disappeared and abducted remain buried in the past.

‘Amnesty International believes that Kosovo and Serbia must address the legacy of the armed conflict. This can only be done with full disclosure of the location of mass graves, an end to political interference into investigations and the prompt, independent, effective and impartial investigation of war crimes.’

Background

On 24 March 1999, NATO launched ‘Operation Allied Force’ against Serbia, seeking to prevent attacks on ethnic Albanians in Kosovo by Serb military, police and paramilitary forces. After the end of the conflict in June the same year, Kosovo was placed under UN administration.

Kosovo declared unilateral independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008.

A new European Union-led rule of law mission (EULEX) took over some responsibilities from the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) on 9 December 2008. Its mandate includes the investigation and prosecution of unsolved war crimes and other serious crimes.

Source: Amnesty International

The full report is available here.