UNMIK-OSCE-EU-UNHCR Press Briefing: 20 November 2000
UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
KFOR Spokesman
Flt.Lt.Whitty
UNMIK Police Spokesman Derek Chappell
UNMIK Spokeswoman Susan Manuel
Good morning. Sorry about the freezing cold in here.
Dr. Bernard Kouchner is this morning inaugurating the Municipal Assembly in Kosovo’s northernmost municipality, Leposavic. At the same time there will be inaugurations of the appointed municipal assemblies in Zvecan and Zuben Potok also this morning.
The SRSG, with the assistance of the international municipal
administrator, has held talks with the Serbian community of Leposavic.
With their agreement he has appointed a 17-strong municipal assembly: of
those, 14 members are Serbs, one is a Bosniac and two are Albanians. The
assembly’s President and Deputy President will also be appointed from
among the 17 members.
At the same time, the Municipal
Assemblies in Zubin Potok and Zvecan will also be sworn. There
are 17 appointed members in both of these assemblies; of these 15 are Serb
and two are Albanian.
The results of last month’s municipal
elections in the three northern municipalities of Kosovo--Leposavic, Zubin
Potok and Zvecan-- were not certified, because too few people had cast
ballots. Under the Regulation on the Self Government of Municipalities,
the SRSG then had the right to appoint the assembly members and he had
said that later there will be by-elections in those 3
municipalities.
Other assemblies
In the meantime during the last week around Kosovo, the newly elected municipal assemblies have been holding their first official meetings. So far, 13 municipalities have elected presidents and Deputy presidents of their assemblies. This week in the Pristina region, Kosovo Polje, Lipjan and Stimlje meet today; Oblic and Gllovac tomorrow and Pristina and Podujevo on Wednesday in case you are interested in attending.
Tomorrow the Interim Administrative Council will resume meeting.
And on Friday, SRSG Kouchner goes to Zagreb to attend the EU Balkans Summit.
Inauguration of Ombudsman's Office
The OSCE will inaugurate tomorrow the new Ombudsman Institution. The ceremony will be hosted by Ombudsman …. and will be attended by OSCE Head of Mission Ambassador Everts and SRSG Bernard Kouchner. There will be 150 other guests and the office will begin operating on 22 November. From that date the Ombudsman's office will accept and investigate complaints against the authorities concerning alleged abuses of power and human rights violations. Services will be free of charge and can be used by individuals, groups and organizations. Complaints will be treated confidentially. Mr. Nowiky gave a press briefing here some weeks ago. His 2 deputies are Mr. … and Mr. as well as Ms Donna Gomien who is the single international deputy. So there will be a press conference tomorrow following the ceremony. It will be at the 4th floor conference hall of the OSCE at 3.30 p.m.
Other announcements:
At 3 p.m. tomorrow, there will be a signing ceremony to mark the first significant lending programme to small and medium businesses in Kosovo. The European Agency for Reconstruction with the World Bank are making possible a 15 million DM credit line to small and medium businesses. The first business to receive such a loan will be on hand at the ceremony tomorrow, along with World Bank and European agency officials. The location is 35 Tirana Street. 3rd floor, near the World Bank offices. (Inter Credit Unit.)
Today, around the world, the Convention on the Rights of the Child is
celebrated. The convention was approved by the UN general Assembly on the
same day in 1989. The Department of Youth will commemorate the day with
activities around Kosovo.
Those include a multiethnic cultural event in
Kamenica, for Albanian, Roma and Serb children….Six elementary schools in
Djakova will have full days of entertainment organized by Balkan
sunflowers and the Organizates se Rinise Shkollore are organizing
activities promoting the rights of the child around Pristina.
Flt Lt
Whitty will give the KFOR press briefing today.
KFOR Spokesman Mark Whitty
Good morning ladies and gentlemen. My name is Flt Lt Whitty. I will be standing in in place of Major Steve Shappell for the next two weeks while he goes on leave. Contact numbers will remain the same.
The U.S. KFOR soldier who died Saturday of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot has been identified as Private First Class Donald J. Heatherly, 34 years of age. He was assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Detachment, 503d Military Police Battalion out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Heatherly served as a signal support specialist. He is survived by his wife, Ae Young, and daughter Sarah of Fayetteville, NC. Multinational Brigade East Commander, Brigadier General Dennis Hardy said: “This is a tragic loss to his family and his unit. The death of a soldier is keenly felt by all members of the command. Our first concern is for the family during this time of crisis. We extend our sincere condolences to PFC Heatherly’s relatives,” said Brig. Gen. Dennis E. Hardy, Multi-National Brigade East commander. The command is working closely with Task Force Falcon soldiers to render support and comfort as a result of this sad occurrence. The incident remains under investigation.
This morning, ComKFOR, Lt. General Carlo Cabigiosu is visiting XX school to attend the mine awareness education programme
UNMIK Police Spokesman Derek Chappell
Murder investigation
Last week I gave you details of a 13 year-old Roma boy in Urosevac. His burnt body was found in an abandoned house by his brother, after he had reported missing. A post-mortem has now been completed and the cause of death has been determined to be blunt force. The victim’s body was set on fire after death. The investigation is continuing.
Prostitution arrests
Following last week’s operation against organized prostitution by UNMIK Police and KFOR in the Kosovo Polje area, a further action was taken by the MSU – Carabineri in Pristinaon 18 November. At about 12 o'clock on that the day, the Arti Koli Nightclub was raided. Six K-Albanian men were arrested and twelve prostitutes were found. They came from Hungary, Moldova, and Romania were detained. The men are being held at the Pristina Detention Center.
Arrest in murder case
On 16 March, Ramedon Pireci was murdered in Prizren. UNMIK Police began an investigation that led to the identification of the suspect a month later. Although identified, the suspect had fled and could not be found. After eight months of investigation, the suspect was located and arrested on 13 November. He is currently held at the Pristina Detention Center. This case illustrates the fact that all major cases reported to UNMIK Police are pursued to their conclusion regardless of time or efforts.
Overview
Over the past two weeks, concern has been raised over the rise in
violent crime rates in Kosovo, apparently contradicting the long-term
trend towards a more peaceful society.
Last week, I am pleased to say
that the number of major crimes decreased significantly from ninety-five
to seventy-six . Four murders were recorded, compared with seven the
previous week. Seven attempted murders occurred, compared with nine
the previous week. There was a reduction in serious assaults from
nine to seven and in arsons from fourteen to only two. A total of 126
persons were arrested by UNMIK Police last week, with fifteen of those
arrests being for outstanding major crimes. While major crimes decreased,
the total crimes reported to UNMIK Police increased by a total of
twenty-nine from the previous week to five hundred and forty-six . Many of
these crimes are minor, normal criminal activity such as petty theft and
vandalism. In a real sense, the increasing willingness of the people to
report minor crimes represents a growing confidence in the UNMIK Police
and in the DPS. As you will see on our daily press updates, much of
the police activity we report here now resembles the crime reports
that would be typical of any large city. I would like to make the point
that, as the rate of violent crime falls, more police resources are
available to investigate outstanding crimes, to deal with minor incidents,
and to devote more resources toward specific problems such as
prostitution, the results of which you have seen this
week.
Questions
Q: Municipal assemblies are being established in 3 northern municipalities and you could not provide for journalists going there. Do you see this as a failure in the 18 months of your presence in Kosovo not to be able to provide security for Albanian journalists?
SM: I see it as a sad fact of life. I can't say that it is a failure. It is sadly the reality here. We don't have Serb journalists here in Pristina either.
Q: So it is a kind of failure not to be able to provide security for journalists at least? Because we cannot kill, we cannot pose a threat.
SM: It is not a threat that you will pose, it is a concern for your security.
Q: Local media has been reporting for the last few days about incidents that have been occurring along the Albanian-Kosovo border with a number of people found dead,. According to Koha Ditore, KPC have been involved in fights with gangs from Albania. Do you have any confirmation of those skemishes along the border?
WM: Yes we have received the same information as yourself. We have checked with our various Multinational Brigades and we have no information regarding such an incident.
DC: I would also add that UNMIK Police received similar reports and I personally contacted the police stations in that area, spoke with the investigators, we have no incidents reported and we have no knowledge of those incidents.
Q: A few days ago an UNMIK Police press release reported that two war crimes suspects have been arrested. What crimes did they commit? Burning houses, is that a war crime?
DC: Yes that was in relation to the burning of houses. I cant recall the exact date. I think it was in March or April this year but they were identified by local people and they were arrested by the UNMIK Police. They have been dealt with for arson to houses. I will have to check on their ethnicity.
Q: On 4 December 1999, Ratna Rama announced to Newspapers that he had arrested 16 people in Vuctri for various crimes. They were detained for 6 days and tortured in a house near Vuctri and then handed over to the French gendarmerie in Mitrovica. As far as I am aware, there is no prosecution. Is that case till being pursued?
DC: I don’t have the exact details of that case at hand. I will make a note of it and I will try to get back to you this afternoon with the results. When we investigate a case, we will prepare the papers necessary for the prosecution and submit those to the courts. What happens in the judicial system is really beyond the control of the Police, but I will get in you an answer this afternoon.
Q: I was hoping Mr. Chappell that you would give a lit more information on the prostitution rings. Specifically do you think you have busted up the organization and do you plan on doing any more raids and in other sectors, and also what happens to the prostitutes after you have released them, do you send them to their home country?
DC: What you have seen in the last week is actually the first directed
effort, the first organized effort against prostitution in Kosovo. It is a
problem which we have been aware for some time but we had not have the
dedicated resources to tackle it in a centralized, organized manner. It
has been dealt with by individual police stations on a case by case basis.
Now we are dealing with it from a centralized agency. You will see more
operations like this. You will see more operations with UNMIK Police
cooperating with KFOR elements. I can guarantee that there will be more
operations such as this. What happens to the prostitutes? Part of our
philosophy is to treat them as victims. Many of these women have been
brought here unwittingly answering ads for jobs. Maybe as nannies, as
maids, as waitresses. When they are here, their papers are taken from
them, they are kept as prisoners, they have no money, they have no
contact, they have no transportation. They are basically slaves of the
people who hold them. We treat them as victims, we interview them. Firstly
we have to try and get evidence in order to provide the grounds for
prosecution against those that we have arrested. Once we have their
statement, they are offered counseling, they are offered of repatriation
to their home countries. As you have seen, most of them come from
Moldavia, Romania, the Ukraine.
To answer your first question, I don’t
think we have broken the back of organized prostitution. This is a serious
problem. I think we have just made the first dent into the organization.
There is a lot more to be done and that is why I say we will continue
these large scale operations. People have to realize that this is not an
offence that they can carry on with impunity. Until now we have been so
occupied with the level of major crime in Kosovo we have not had time to
direct resources to this but that will change.
Q: Now that you have more time to dedicate to ongoing murder inquiries, where are you with the …. death?
DC: I don’t have the current details of that case. Again, I will get them for you and I will get back to you this afternoon with those results.
Q: Susan, can you give us a break down of political parties which are represented in the Serb municipalities and have you taken into account the results of the Yugoslav elections to get an idea of the break down of power in the Serb enclaves.
SM: There was no influence of the Yugoslav elections. This was done in meetings between UNMIK and the Serb community to get a balanced assembly and an assembly that we knew would work with us. So I will get the breakdown of parties for you today.
Q: How did these prostitutes come into Kosovo? Did they come in a group or individually? Do the UNMIK Police at the borders in Kosovo control that and do they have any evidence of previous activities of these girls?
DC: There are several known groups by which prostitutes are trafficked into Kosovo. One is through Serbia and one is from Eastern Europe into Macedonia as a staging area, and then through the border in Kosovo. We are cooperating with the authorities in Bulgaria. I know that they have an education campaign in Bulgaria to try and make young women come into the border where and what they might be getting involved in. Our Prostitution and Trafficking Unit are trying to make contacts with other governments and other agencies in Eastern European countries where these women come from. It is sometimes difficult to prevent the women from coming in. When they think they are coming into Kosovo for a legal job, they think that they are coming to a job that is legal, honest, open and descent. They don’t know they will be held as sex slaves until they arrive here. It is very difficult to stop them at the border. They are not coming here unwillingly in many cases.
Q: Don’t you think that it is kind of suspicious because Kosovo has the highest unemployment rate compared with the other countries in the region. Doesn’t it look suspicious that these girls will come to Kosovo to look for jobs?
DC: It might suspicious to us but I have read some of the transcripts with the women that have come here from countries such as Moldavia and the Ukraine and the living conditions that they experience at home are such that what we might consider suspicious will constitute a risk they are willing to take in the interest to improve their lives.
Q: The President FRY has criticized the judicial system of Kosovo put in place by UNMIK. What is UNMIK's opinion on that?
SM: As you know we defend our judicial system and we acknowledge that it has the weaknesses of its own youth, but I don’t know what you are specifically referring to.
Q: The letter Mr. Kostunica wrote to Mr. Kofi Annan.
SM: What part of the judicial system are you talking about?
Q: What Mr. Kostunica says about the rights of Serb prisoners.
SM: The Serb prisoners have had the same rights as Albanian prisoners.
Q: I just want the opinion of UNMIK on those criticisms.
SM: I don’t know exactly the wording that you are referring to but we would respond that we have accorded the Serb prisoners they same rights we would accord any prisoners. There have been problems well documented with the judicial system over the past year, and we do not profess to say that we are perfect. But it is improving.
Q: Why do you think these criticisms are coming after the admission of FRY to the UN.
SM: I don’t think that is connected at all. There are 187 nations in the United Nations and they still have the right to criticize each other. What is the connection?
Q: Before the admission of FRY there were no criticisms of the judicial system here and after Yugoslavia's entry into the UN, Mr. Kostunica criticized Kosovo's judicial system. Why after its admission?
SM: We have had almost daily letters of criticisms from the Yugoslav Government before the election of Mr. Kostunica. Now he is in power, he is putting his government together. He is beginning to look at Kosovo and perhaps this is one of the issues he feels it is important to him and to his people, but I don’t see it as unusual. We have had fewer letters of complaints since he has been elected but as you know when his people visited last week, the issue of Serb prisoners was high on their agenda and they are concerned about the situation of the Serbs who are in prison under UNMIK's jurisdiction.
Q: What do you do with the customers of these prostitutes when you make these raids and what can you tell us about their nationalities and so forth?
DC: We have taken legal advice on this it is the advice of our legal experts that persons who knowingly use the services of someone who is being held for sexual purposes can be charged. We are yet to take the people that we have arrested and charged to court. What will happen in the justice system I cannot predict. Our advisers are of the opinion that customers can be charged.
Q: What nationalities can you tell us about? What information do you have on the customer base for the prostitution?
DC: I have seen statistics which indicate that the majority of users of the prostitute services are in fact local people.
Q: Do you have internationals on that list?
DC: I have not seen a break down of nationality by nationality. I have seen some statistics which indicate the majority are Albanian, but more than that I couldn’t say.
Q: The Yugoslav Minister for Minorities is planning to visit Kosovo. Do you have any information on this and what is the stage of organization of his trip with UNMIK?
SM: No I don’t have that information right now. I will try to find out and call you.
Q: About the prostitutes, who brings them to the border? Is it the Albanians who are doing this job or they are coming on their own? Is anybody driving or leading them?
DC: I some cases they are bought and sold several times on their way in between their home country and Kosovo. They are sometimes brought individually. Obviously to bring a large group of young women in will be very suspicious and these people are organized they are professional with what they are brought in such a way that they do not attract suspicion. Generally they are brought in ones or twos in a car or a bus.
Q: How come they are coming from Serbia into Kosovo and you are not stopping, controlling or returning them?
DC: If they have the correct travel documents and they are willingly leaving Serbia to enter into Kosovo and they made no protests to the Police and as I say they have the correct travel documents, we have no grounds to stop them
Q: The soldier who shot himself, who died in a suicide. 34 is pretty old to be a PFC. Had he been in trouble and had he been busted down and what kind of trouble was he in if he was in trouble?
WM: As far as I am aware, he had not been in any previous trouble. I have no more details at this stage but I can get them to you later.
Q: Is it less than 5 internationals that have been caught in Kosovo?
DC: Five internationals caught since when?
Q: Since you started doing this?
DC: I don’t have those statistics. I am not aware of any breakdown of last week's operation by nationality. I am not aware of any internationals arrested last week.
Q: How do you mean knowingly?
DC: I would presume that if you paid money to a third party who then took you to a locked room where a women was being kept, then something might tell you that it is not conceptual. And if facts were introduced into court I think the judge will have no choice but to accept that you knowingly used that woman's services knowing that she was being held for that purpose.
Q: Do you think following this issue of prostitution, you could recommend to UNMIK to produce a regulation to legalize borders for everything to be under control?
DC: I am sorry I don’t quite understand your question.
Q: You are now attacking only the Pristina area and they all around Kosovo, don’t you think as in other countries it would be better to have all the borders under control than to have this network of prostitution which is out of control?
DC: I don’t think the problem of prostitution is something that we cannot control. It is simply a matter of directing resources and gathering intelligence and publicizing the action we are taking. As I said before people have regarded this as a crime that they can indulge in with impunity knowing that the police is probably not going to do anything about it. As you have seen last week, we are doing something about it. Nothing but this publicity in itself will deter a lot of people from using these services of these women. And it will deter a lot of business establishments from committing this activity.
Q: not clear
DC: As I said we have only just began to turn a spotlight on this particular crime. So far our activities have been directed here in Pristina. I don’t think it would be fair to comment on the other regions. As you know, our prostitution unit is just getting started. They will have people in every region of Kosovo and I think I should wait until they start operations in all of the regions before I start trying comparing one with the other.
Q: You said that mainly they are girls from Moldavia, Hungary or Romaina. Are any Kosovo Albanian girls involved in this?
DC: I am not aware in the past week's operations of any Kosovo local Albanian girls involved.
Q: In the past both interviews with trafficked women and the presence of journalists and KFOR personnel in brothel raids have discovered that there are instance of membersof the international community using the services of these women. If in any of your raids you find anybody from KFOR or from UNMIK or from any international organization or any indeed non-Albanian national, would UNMIK press charges against them and what will they be charged with?
DC: I will leave the question of KFOR involvement to the KFOR Spokesman. Generally these operations are conducted with KFOR. If there is a KFOR personnel found using one of the services of these women, then I assume it would be investigated internally but I will leave that to my colleague to deal with. If UNMIK Police should come across a case of an international or an UNMIK Police officer or a KPS officer knowingly using the services of a woman held for prostitution, that will be treated very severely. It would be a case of suspension from duty in the case of the Police. I would assume that we would try to have the immunity removed and we would try and lay charges and prosecute to the full extent of the law.
Q: Have you and are you intending to bring any such charges against any individual who might have been arrested in any of these premises over the last series of raids that you making since the establishment of your anti-trafficking unit?
DC: I am not aware of the arrest of any members of the international community in last week's operations. If we had arrested anybody we would have advised you and again we will try and have the immunity removed as we have in past cases where international members have committed criminal acts and we would attempt to prosecute them through the local courts system. There is a message we want to send out here, and the message is not directed just at the Albanian or the Serbian people in Kosovo. We want to send this message to all of the people here including the international community that we will not tolerate this.
Q: As far as KFOR are concerned, I just want to reemphasize what Derek said. First and foremost we don’t have a general fraternization policy or a walking out policy. Should any of our soldiers or individuals be found out of bounds, then the necessary disciplinary or administrative action would be taken by their chain of command.
Q: Mark, would it be the national brigades or the national battalions that would follow that up through their own disciplinary procedure or is there a KFOR walking out policy?
WM: There is not a KFOR walking out policy. Individual brigades have their own rules and should anyone infringe those rules, then they would be dealt with by the appropriate chain of command.