Zivadin Jovanovic,
President of the Belgrade Forum for a World of Equals, Serbia
Violation of Human rights of Serbs in the Province of Kosovo and Metohija
- Theses for a case study -
(Paper presented at the International Conference "Human Rights with the view to building a Culture of Peace", held in Sao Paolo, Brazil, on 2nd and 3rd of December 2011)
It is true that the struggle for peace and the struggle for full respect of universal human rights, as defined by UN Declaration on protection of human rights, are interdependent and non-separable. Threats to peace, violations of sovereignty and territorial integrity, military interventions, aggressions and occupations go hand in hand with massive violations of the basic human rights.
It is clear that there are no humanitarian military interventions.
NATO military aggression against Yugoslavia (Serbia) in the spring 1999 was launched to allegedly protect human rights of Kosovo Albanians. It was the first of that sort and without approval of UN Security Council. The precedent was used later in various other parts of the world whenever it suited the interests of USA and NATO: Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya. There are threats that it may be used against Syria, Iran or any other country.
NATO aggression against Yugoslavia (Serbia and Montenegro) in 1999 left close to 4000 dead and more tan 10.000 wounded, two thirds of whom where civilians including close to 1 hundred children. NATO forces were using missiles with depleted uranium, causing massive cancer disease, deformation of newly-born babies unknown before polluting of soil, water and food production for unbelievable period of four billion years. Economic damage caused by aggression was estimated to an amount over one hundred billion dollars.
Immediately after the end of the aggression, USA constructed on Serbian soil in Kosovo and Metohija the biggest American base in the world known as Bondstill. This was the beginning of mushrooming of USA and NATO military basis all over the Balkans and Eastern Europe.
Today there are more USA and NATO military basis in Europe than any time during the Cold War Era.
Why now?
Warsaw military block has been disbanded. There are no adversary social-political systems, all apparently are democratic. Who to defend and where from by long range ballistic rockets carrying nuclear heads?
The overall economic, financial, political and moral crises of the leading countries of the West may lead to further spreading interventionism and total disregard of the basic principles of international relations. The crises have already caused the most massive violation of human rights such as the right to employment, education, health, information.
Shortly after NATO "humanitarian" aggression on Yugoslavia (Serbia), it became clear that intervention actually resulted in an unprecedented scale of violation of human rights of Serbs and non-Albanians of Kosovo and Metohija Province. Alliance between NATO and the Albanian terrorists and separatists during the military aggression (KLA), continued ever since and reached its peak in February 2008 by unilateral proclamation of illegal secession of the Province from Serbia. This act would never be possible without NATO aggression and support. It violated the basic principles of the national and international laws, UN Charter and UN Security Council's resolution 1244 (1999) which guaranties sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia.
The consequences are that Kosovo and Metohija after 12 years of being under UN mandate continues to be the source of instability, organized international crime and spring board of extremism and terrorism toward the rest of Europe.
The Province of Kosovo and Metohija is birth place of Serbian nation, culture, religion and the state. Thousands of Serbian medieval monuments witness to this. There are two large communities living in the Province - Kosovo Serbs, who are Orthodox Christians, and Kosovo Albanians, great majority of whom are Moslems. Before the beginning of the Second World War Serbian population in the Province were majority. Today, Serbs make less than 10 percent of the total population of the Province. The drastic change in national structure was due to the policy of ethnic cleansing of Serbs over decades if not centuries - first by Turkish Empire which occupied the Province for about 500 years, then by Tito's anti-Serbian policy, by fascist-Nazi occupation forces (1941 – 1945) of Mussolini and Hitler and finally by NATO aggression and occupation which continues up to these days.
UN Security Council Resolution 1244, of June 10, 1999 put the end of the NATO aggression but introduced military occupation of the Province, formally by international UN mandated forces (KFOR), in reality by NATO forces. Ever since June 1999, we have been witnessing large scale of individual and even institutionally-sponsored violation of basic human rights and freedoms of Kosovo Serbs. This continued in spite of any new adopted legislation which endorsed and made applicable in Kosovo all international human rights instruments.
Here are examples of major human rights violations.
No free and safe return for 250,000 displaced Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija
After June 1999, International Red Cross noted some 250,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians who had been expelled by terror, intimidation and ethnic cleansing leave their birth places and homes in Kosovo and Metohija. Current UNHCR data show return of some 18,000 Serbs, but in reality this number is some 6,000, or 2.1%. UN Mission and other international stakeholders organized the process of the return, but no results. Therefore, Serbia remains the country with the highest number of refugees and displaced persons in the whole of Europe.
No justice for the victims
After June 1999, close to 1,000 Serbian and other non-Albanian civilians have been abducted and eventually killed. Many of them were abducted in their working places. In July 1999, 14 people, including children, in the village of Staro Gracko were killed while harvesting in the field. In the winter 2002, a bomb was planted and set-off under a passenger bus killing many Serb passengers. In August 2003 a group of Serbian children playing by the river in village of Gorazdevac, were killed. Thousands of other crimes against Serbs in the Province have been committed and non of the culprits brought to justice although justice and police are directly managed by UN and EU missions (UNMIK, EULEX).
Human organs trafficking
In December 2010, Special Rapporteur of the Parliamentary assembly of the Council of Europe, Swiss MP Dick Marty, published Report on trafficking of human organ of abducted Serbs in 1999. The Parliamentary Assembly adopted the Report and passed Resolution demanding independent international investigation. So far no results because the people involved in this organized crime are Kosovo Albanian top politicians, former leaders of the terrorist KLA (UCK). They enjoy support and protection from Washington, London and Berlin.
There is great need to for public preasure that the investigation in the human organs trafficking in Kosovo and Metohija be conducted under auspices of UN Security Council without further delay.
Illegal occupation of Serbian-owned property
After June 1999, Kosovo Albanians simply occupied all immovable and movable possession of 250,000 Serbs who left Kosovo, but also of Serbs who remained. Often, owners were either killed or expelled by force from their properties. In September 1999, the UN founded a body that was supposed to facilitate return property to legal owners, the Housing and Property Directorate, but there are no results.
General insecurity
Since June 1999, there was almost no freedom of movement outside the so-called enclaves in which Serbs found their safety in numbers, except in military-guarded convoys. Today Serbs still cannot access their businesses and land without risk of being attacked end even killed. They still cannot go churches and cemeteries without KFOR military escort.
Rewriting history
Ever since NATO aggression in 1999, there has been systematic distraction of any traces of Serbian monuments and Christianity in Kosovo. Some 150 Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries have been destroyed, originating from as early as 13th and 14th centuries, including some from the UNESCO List of World Heritage. In addition, there has been a wide-spread exercise to rename remaining churches and monasteries as "Byzantine" or "Albanian", or "Albanian castles and towers". There is a current diplomatic battle going on in UNESCO, where Kosovo Albanians try to present this cultural heritage as heritage of Kosovo what is absurd.
Violation of right to health
Kosovo Albanian authorities have been stopping and seizing shipments of medical equipment and medical drugs intended for medical facilities in Serbian enclaves. In addition, they have been willfully and intentionally trying to worsen situation for Serbian populated areas, by cutting the electric power supply. For three years in the row, in winters of 2005, 2006 and 2007, they have been cutting power supply to Serbian enclaves on the pretext of payment etc. They have been rejecting offers of Serbian government for humanitarian and free-of-charge electric power supply, thus exposing population to health hazards. In 2009, they have stopped power supply to the Serbian enclave of Strpce in the southernmost part of Kosovo for three months, pressing local population to sign new contracts. Unfortunately, none of international stakeholders voiced any concerns over this act.
Violation of right to education
Since June 1999, all cities and towns in Kosovo except Mitrovica in the north were ethnically cleansed and became mono-ethnically Albanian. Serbs and other ethnic groups were driven to villages. School facilities were inaccessible for Serbian schoolchildren. They had to resort to inadequate premises for schools. However, most drastic situation is in Gorani community. The Goranis are local Serbian speaking ethnic group of Muslim belief, who have been exposed to incessant assimilation attempts and forced to accept Albanian language and Albanian curriculum. This pressure still goes on.
Let me sum up what has been said:
Struggle for peace and struggle for social, economic, political and cultural human rights are invisible tasks of peace movements and all peace loving forces.
Freedom, equality in rights and opportunities and independence of states and nations are preconditions for full respect of human rights as provided for in the UN GS Declaration on human rights.
Liberal corporate capitalism in its imperialistic stage is the chief source of massive violation of the basic human rights of the mankind.
Global economic, financial, political and moral crisis of the western societies is accompanied by the most massive violation of the basic human rights after the end of the Second World War.
Global interventionism, wars and violations of human rights, disrespect of the international law and abuse of United Nations are immanent features of corporate capitalism.
There are no humanitarian military interventions whatsoever.
NATO has become the most dangerous tool for massive violation of human rights in the second half of XX and first decade of XXI centuries. Therefore NATO as remnant of the cold war area should be dismantled, including all its military bases all over the world.
Abuse of human rights for spreading domination of imperialism is impermissible and should be stopped.
Territorial integrity and sovereignty of each country should be fully respected in the interest of peace and stability. Natural and economic resources are subject to the sovereign rights and sole control of concrete countries and can not be excuse for any intervention into internal affairs.
The role of the UN, respect of the UN Charter and UN GS Declaration on protection human rights should be reaffirmed and reinforced.
The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia should be respected and UN SC resolution 1244 (1999) fully implemented.
Unilateral secession of Serbian Province of Kosovo and Metohija is not acceptable and should not be recognized. We call for peaceful solution of the issue of the status respecting UN SC resolution 1244 and equal human rights of all inhabitants of the Province.
All Serbs and other non-Albanians expelled from the Province after NATO aggression should be given all necessary conditions for free and safe return to their homes in the Province.
The use of the missiles with depleted uranium should be formally banned by international convention.
