UNMIK- OSCE - EU Press Briefing, 21 March 2002

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
OSCE Spokesman Sven Lindholm
EU Spokeswoman Monique De Groot
UNHCR Spokesman

UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel

We have no particular announcements today. However, just to show we do convict people for crimes, there was a conviction last week in Prizren of a Kosovo Albanian man for kidnapping. The victim was a Kosovo Turk woman who in the year 2000 was taken and held for 30 days until a 4,000 DM ransom was paid. The man has been sentenced with six years in prison.

OSCE Spokesperson Sven Lindholm

Today the Kosovo Judicial Institute (KJI) is holding an information session on trafficking and how to deal with alleged victims of trafficking within the parameters of UNMiK Regulation 2001/4. This session is for judges from Minor Offices Courts, which is the level at which the decision whether a person is a victim of trafficking or a perpetrator of prostitution or a related crime is made. The KJI hold these sessions to enhance the legal education of judges and prosecutors, their knowledge of criminal and civil law relating to international human rights standards.

A group of six radio journalists from Kosovo return today from Switzerland where they have been learning about working relationships between members of parliament, political leaders, institutions and media representative. This trip, organised by the OSCE, was for Kosovo
journalists to meet with their professional counterparts to share experiences on how media too has an important role to play in ensuring governmental transparency.

The OSCE has continued to implement the human rights calendar awareness campaign. This campaign is run throughout Kosovo with the support of the Council of Europe. Sessions were conducted in 45 classes for over 1,000 students. The ‘right of the month’ discussed by seventh and eighth graders was the freedom of expression, opinion, and information,
and freedom from discrimination. The students continued to participate in a responsive way to the human right awareness campaign.

This week the OSCE and the Kosovo Police Service School (KPSS) are organising a second human rights ‘training of trainers’ seminar. This session covers thematic and substantial issues related to human rights and law enforcement. It is a means to ensure an effective and
accountable police force, to build their capacity and enable them to be able and willing to protect human rights. Topics being discussed include: the procedure and role of police during criminal investigations; rights of the accused upon arrest; empowering police officers to fully respect privacy rights; human rights concerns of women and children; and the role of NGOs and their relationship to law enforcement. Participants will be expected to take part in future
training activities at the KPSS.

As part of the Ministerial Empowerment Project, coordinated by the Kosovo Law Centre (KLC), around forty future employees of the PISG Ministry of Education, Science and Technology have attended courses on the applicability of international human rights standard, how to define and protect the rights of communities, and children’s rights. The KLC
has taken on the task of capacity building programmes for the Ministry’s staff, as one of their primary responsibilities will be the administration and continued reform of Kosovo’s education system.

EU spokeswoman Monique De Groot

Journalist briefing

This afternoon Doctor James Wooster, the director of intergovernmental reform will provide a journalist briefing on Municipal Financing. The meeting will take place in Ballantines restaurant at 14:30 hrs.

UNHCR Spokesman

I would like to remind you that on Monday next week the registration of persons with temporary protection in Kosovo from FYROM will start. And I would like to underline that the purpose of this registration is to facilitate assistance and to facilitate return of persons concerned to Macedonia.

I would like also to mention that go-and-see visits to various places in Kosovo have been taking place of IDPs and refuges, in particular to Zupa valley, Gnjilani and …

That is all I have for today. Thank you.

Questions:

SM: No questions? OK, well have a nice weekend.