[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 53 (Thursday, May 5, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 5, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                              HUMAN RIGHTS

                                 ______


                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 5, 1994

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, earlier today the Helsinki 
Commission conducted a hearing which focused on human rights in Kosovo, 
Sandzak, and Vojvodina. Among the witnesses which were called by the 
Commission was Alush Gashi, a member of the Council for the Defense of 
Human Rights and Freedoms in Pristina, Kosovo. The details of abuse 
presented at this hearing were moving and, for the benefit of my 
colleagues, I would ask that the testimony of Dr. Gashi be printed for 
the Record. In short, Dr. Gashi's testimony chronicles the 
deterioration of the situation in Kosovo, with 3,013 cases of brutal 
violations of human rights against Albanians in Kosovo by the Serbian 
regime. These thousands of cases occurred only in the first quarter of 
1994. Mr. Chairman, when international observers were present in Kosovo 
in the year previous, the number of cases in the first quarter was 
1,636.

         Human Rights Abuses in Kosovo, Sandzak, and Vojvodina

                        (By Dr. Alush A. Gashi)

       Chairman DeConcini, Co-Chairman Hoyer, ladies and 
     gentlemen: Thank you for arranging this important and timely 
     hearing, and for the opportunity to present the latest 
     information about the brutal human rights situation in my 
     country.


                                   i

       I have just arrived in the U.S. from Pristina, the capital 
     of the Republic of Kosova * * * a country that has been 
     without any CSCE or other international presence since last 
     July, when the Belgrade regime expelled the handful of CSCE 
     human rights observers who had been in our country.
       Regrettably, the human rights situation in our country has 
     gone from bad to worse since monitors were removed. As a 
     member of the Kosova Council for the Defense of Human Rights 
     and Freedoms, I have witnessed the horrible human, civil and 
     national rights abuses of the 92 percent Albanian majority in 
     Kosova.
       Albanians have been committed to peacefully oppose the 
     brutality we have experienced since autonomy was abolished 
     and martial law imposed by Serbia in 1989. The situation 
     cannot continue.


                                   ii

       It is important to recall that half of the total Albanian 
     population in the Balkans lives not in the Republic of 
     Albania but in ethnic and compact territories in former 
     Yugoslavia.
       Albanians, as an indigenous population, make up the third 
     most numerous people in former Yugoslavia. Therefore, 
     Albanians in former Yugoslavia should not be considered a 
     minority, but rather a nation that has been divided.
       Kosova lost its autonomy when Serbia, unconstitutionally by 
     the use of police and military forces, five years ago 
     abolished the Parliament of Kosova, dismissed the government 
     and its administration, and closed down television, radio and 
     the only daily Albanian language newspaper.
       Repression intensified following the unconstitutional 
     decision of the Serbian Parliament to abolish the autonomy of 
     Kosova and apply what they termed ``special circumstances.'' 
     In reality, an emergency situation was enforced and marital 
     law declared.
       Structural repression against the Albanians of Kosova has 
     gained tragic dimensions each passing year.
       Serbian apartheid manifests itself in discrimination that 
     started with rigged political trials before civil and 
     military courts; isolation and confinement of hundreds of 
     intellectuals, scientists and most eminent experts of 
     Kosova's economy; massive prison sentencing of Albanians; 
     killings of peaceful demonstration; the expulsion of hundreds 
     of university professors, scientists and thousands of 
     teachers; dismissals of physicians and other medical staff; 
     and the full denial of human and national rights.
       As part of this, Serbians authorities in Belgrade imposed 
     new bosses in work places where Albanians had held executive 
     positions. The formal excuses differed, but each case 
     amounted to sanctions against ``political disobedience.''


                                  iii

       I have been an eyewitness to frequent violence against 
     Albanian medical workers and teaching staff of the Faculty of 
     Medicine and other scientific institutions in Kosova as well 
     as many other Albanians in Kosova.
       In the presence of astonished and shocked colleagues, 
     patients and others including medical students, head 
     physicians have been pulled out of their workrooms and 
     offices, laboratories as well as operating rooms, by Serbian 
     police forces.
       Under physical threat of the heavily armed police, many 
     professors and physicians of different specialties have been 
     forced to break off exams and leave their students, and even 
     to stop performing surgery in the emergency operating room. 
     Similar measure were taken in different places of Kosova.


                                   iv

       Regrettably, official Serbian strategy is to change the 
     ethnicity of Kosova though institutionalized discrimination 
     and structural repression. It's goal is ethnic cleansing 
     without open war at this time, but with daily police 
     brutality.
       The Serbian police regime has achieved bureaucratic ethnic 
     cleansing in all institutions in Kosova by dismissing 
     Albanians. They started with closing schools and dismissing 
     professors because, as publicly stated by Serbs ``A good 
     Albanian is an uneducated Albanian. Educated Albanians are 
     the enemy.'' The Serbian regime is trying to achieve 
     intellectual decapitation of Albanians in Kosova with police 
     brutality.
       In response to this Serbian brutality, Albanians under the 
     leadership of President Rugova undertook peaceful ways of 
     finding the solution through establishing democratic 
     institutions and encouraging dialog without preconditions 
     under international mediation by the United States, European 
     Union or the United Nations.


                                   v

       After the expulsion of CSCE monitors from Kosova last July, 
     the brutal repression not only continued but increased 
     dramatically.
       During 1993, the Council for the Defense of Human Rights 
     and Freedoms (CDHRF) registered 13,431 cases of Serbian 
     police brutality against Albanians in Kosova.
       The total included 15 killed, 14 wounded, 2,305 arrested, 
     1,994 searched, 849 subjected to ``informative'' talks, 1,777 
     tortured, 794 maltreated in various ways, 391 plundered, 64 
     repressed by the army, 604 acts of political persecution 
     against Albanian political activists, 632 acts of violence 
     directed at education, science, culture and sports, and 172 
     incidents aimed at children including kindergarten children.
       There were 155 acts of violence against women, 3,396 
     searches under the pretext of looking for weapons, 37 acts 
     against Albanians from the diaspora and refugees, 68 
     arbitrary dismissals from work, and 53 Albanian families 
     arbitrarily removed from apartments.
       According to CDHRF data, in first three months of 1993, 
     1,636 cases of Serbian police brutality were recorded. Some 
     415 Albanians were arrested (compared with 851 cases in first 
     three months of 1994), 298 were beaten in the first three 
     months of last year (684 beaten in first three months of 
     1994), 229 houses were searched without warrants, and 694 
     persons suffered in various ways during those house searches 
     (in first three months of 1994, 1,229 houses were searched).
       During the first three months of 1994 CDHRF has registered 
     3,013 cases of brutal violations of human rights against 
     Albanians in Kosova by the Serbian regime. Two were killed, 
     one wounded, 851 arrested, 64 sentenced for political 
     reasons, 1,229 houses searched on pretense for weapons, 684 
     beaten and tortured, and 182 maltreated in various ways.
       Comparing 3,013 cases in the first quarter of 1994 with 
     1,636 cases in the first quarter of 1993 when international 
     CSCE monitors were present, repression in Kosova has 
     increased 85 percent, in the absence of any international 
     observers whatsoever.


                                   vi

       Considering the unbearable situation of Albanians in 
     Kosova, the U.N. Commission on Human Rights at its 50th 
     session in March passed a resolution urgently demanding that 
     Serbian authorities:
       Cease all human and national rights violations, 
     discriminatory measures and practice against ethnic Albanians 
     in Kosova, in particularly arbitrary detention and violation 
     of the right to a fair trail and the practice of torture and 
     other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment;
       Release all political prisoners and cease all persecution 
     of political leaders and members of Kosova human rights 
     organizations;
       Establish democratic institutions in Kosova and the respect 
     the political will of inhabitants as the best means of 
     preventing the escalation of the conflict.
       Albanians have asked before and are asking again for the 
     U.S. Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe to help 
     re-establish the CSCE long-term mission in Kosova 
     immediately, and to explore ways and means of establishing an 
     adequate international presence in Kosova.
       Furthermore, it is critical that the Kosova question is 
     part of international efforts to resolve the former 
     Yugoslavia crisis, which is the Balkan crisis, and include 
     legitimate Kosova Albanian officials in negotiations at any 
     international conferences or summits on the Balkans.


                                  vii

       It is a proven fact that Serbian authorities in Kosova do 
     not respect any international document about Kosova. 
     Unfortunately, they are abusing the good offices of 
     institutions such as the United Nations High Commissioner on 
     Refugees in their efforts to colonize Kosova. There is no 
     reason or justification for bringing Serbian refugees to 
     Kosova, which already has one of the densest population in 
     Europe.
       Structural repression against ethnic Albanians in Kosova 
     has become unbearable, but Albanians are continuing their 
     peaceful attempts to decolonize Kosova and establish an 
     independent state on the basis of the September 26, 1991, 
     referendum as the best way to protect human and national 
     rights of all the population of Kosova.
       Albanians in Kosova have experienced all forms of autonomy 
     and have suffered under all of them. As former Yugoslavia 
     disintegrates, Kosova as a constituent unit of former 
     Yugoslavia, exercises its right of self-determination with a 
     commitment to an independent state of Kosova.
       Kosova is a newly emerging state in the Balkans which is 
     dedicated to the continued peaceful demonstration in support 
     of freedom and the democratization of occupied Kosova.
       Albanians are part of the solution. But, Kosova is 
     subjugated by Serbia, which has committed the worst possible 
     crimes against humanity.
       In the past, Serbia has enjoyed many privileges. Serbia 
     wants to keep these privileges by any means necessary.
       In reality, the freedom and independence of Albanians 
     should be good for Serbia as well. Kosova's freedom would 
     help Serbia in its democratization process.
       Good neighborly relations could exist between the Republic 
     of Kosova and the Republic of Serbia, between Albanians and 
     Serbs.
       Serbia is responsible for many crimes, and by taking the 
     path of democracy it will reduce its burden, for its own 
     sake, and the sake of other. The sooner, the better.
       If this does not come to pass, then without a just solution 
     of the Albanian questions the agony is bound to continue.
       There will be no peace in the Balkans.

                          ____________________