Dragan Simeunovic, Ph.D.

Darko Trifunovic, MA

 

Publisher: Law Project Center Yugoslavia

Editor:  Darko Trifunovic

Translation: Slavica Grahovac

Art director & typesetter: Milos Zorica

 

© Copyright by Law Projects Center
Belgrade, 2000

 

 

 

A horrible, black night rises over mankind! Peoples, seek and find your path before the night comes! Woe to the nation that is caught by the night before finding the path! That nation will not be able to go through the black night indeed! It will not live to see the purple dawn. During the night that approaches, it
will be crushed and will perish.

 

This study was made owing to the Serbs from diaspora: Mr Pedja Zoric, Mrs Margarita and Mr Bojan Petrovic, as well as the Balkan Peace Organization from Toronto.

 

 

Dragan Simeunovic Ph.D.

 

ON ALLEGED SERBIAN ANTI-ROM RACISM AND PERSPECTIVE OF RELATIONS BETWEEN SERBS AND ROM GYPSIES

 

The aggressive media and political campaign against Serbian anti-Roma racism  that has swamped us recently surprised many of us, or, at least led some of us not only to consume it as digested truth, but to reflect upon racism as a serious social evil, and seems, judging by many facts, the campaign that has been intensified only a short while ago, while it had actually been prepared for a long time and has been lasting for quite a while in its less boisterous ways.

 

This is proved by numerous books, articles and headlines, such as, here just exemplary chosen, book by Bogdan Denic on ethnic nationalism published a couple of years ago. As a study which tends to describe and explain the civil war on the territory of ex-Yugoslavia, it contains a chapter, completely methodologically unsuitable and surprising to the reader, on negative attitude of Serbs towards Romanies. The surprise for such an attention for Romanies in a war book, although they were neither massive victims nor qualified aggressors in the war, is accompanied by the observation that this and such books have been telling for years now a story of some special Serbian intolerance towards the Rom gypsies, although a mere remembrance of all of us who used to live in ex-Yugoslavia testifies that a more or less the same attitude as Serbian was held by the Slovenes, Moslems, Macedonians, not to mention the Croatian Jasenovac concentration camp  attitude which certainly deserves much bigger attention.

 

Not a bit inferior function in favour of the campaign that is to happen, had some pseudo-scientific researches such as the one held a couple of years ago by OXFAM, the non-government organization, on hatred of Serbs towards gypsies. They used as their main proof of the hatred the graffiti Death to Gypsies that, as it was correctly perceived, can frequently be seen on the walls of almost every Serbian town, which caused continuous written debates on the subject by certain daily papers with photographs of the graffiti as main piece of evidence. The problem is that even a child, at least a boy, in Serbia knows that such messages are not addressed to gypsies as ethnic group, just as the graffiti Death to Gravediggers which are usually situated near the first one, are not a sigh of ill intentions towards an honourable profession. The question is who can know less than children that such expressions hide different meanings. Just as the word band means one thing in music and completely another in criminal vocabulary, so the words Gypsies and Gravediggers in Serbian towns are not just words for an ethnic group, i.e. profession, but very well known and wide spread  expressions for fans of sports teams Red Star and Partizan.

 

Everything was ready, an uncontrolled occasion was awaited. But the occasion was horrible, more than a crime, because murder of a child, regardless of colour of the skin, is a terrible sin. Let us remember, a thirteen-year-old gypsy boy was killed on Slavija by unruly skinheads from Bezanija.

 

The murder of another thirteen-year-old in New Belgrade school yard a year before  by his coeval who shot him out of a pistol straight into the neck, also caused horror and disapproval. But nobody thought then that a Serb was killed, but that a child was killed. Would it be different in case of any other ethnic or racial group if we are anti-racists?

 

The incident was followed by a simmering foreign and flattering domestic media and political campaign, preparing artificial violence in the form of a rough clash of skinheads as specified Serbs and gypsies, which luckily did not happen, not thanking to the government, opposition parties  or media, but above all, gypsies, who, apart from all the political and impertinent political pressure, were not trapped by inter-ethic violence prepared for them. They obviously could not have become convinced overnight by secret and vast Serbian hatred towards them. To be more precise, the clash, for those who wanted it most, was only postponed until the following occasion. It is imposed by the risk of living in a big, crime-possessed city. It is impossible to be spared of crime and violence caused by belonging to an ethnic group. Simply, both violence and crime can happen to everyone. If we use that narrow-minded logic, we will have campaigns against, for example,  thieves: let us suppose they break into the apartment of a member of a Croatian minority living in Belgrade,  and later become accused for doing it because the person was Croatian, not because they had supposed he might have had something valuable in the apartment.

 

Purpose of this  lasting campaign is to prove that Serbs cannot live together with any ethic group. They were not happy with Slovenes, Croats, Moslems, Albanians, and now they dislike gypsies. Could it be an excuse for someone´s present and especially future support to those ethnic groups in Serbia and Yugoslavia which are, unlike Romanies, territorially concentrated and politically organized, and thus more able to separate from evil Serbs, taking the part of the territory from the bad guys. Could gypsies be mere instruments used in favour of someone else? Generally speaking, what benefit did the campaign bring them, apart from seeding fear and devastation by the intensive propaganda, which, no doubt, caused some new irrational hatred, completely unnecessary in this region?

 

If racism in Serbia exists only as individual and excessive, and not as massive and constant phenomenon, can we speak at all of Serbian racism, the element of mass being its important deficient element. Scientifically speaking, it is obviously impossible.

 

Romanies have never been massively prosecuted by Serbs. On the contrary, a Serbian feast is almost unimaginable without them. In the tradition of Serbian people, gypsies are incomparably more connected with moments of joy and laughter than fight and hatred. It is indicated not only by the presence of gypsies in Serbian jokes, but also by their position in such forms of humour. Romanies are always those who outsmart the others, which proves that Serbian affection in on the side of gypsies. It is a proof enough to compare our spiritual culture, especially its humour, with the one of some of the countries who have been criticizing us for the past years for the alleged racism towards Romanies,   to see what a humiliating, loser-like position of a Roma is in their jokes. Massive intolerance or degradation of an ethnic or racial group is easily recognized in jokes.

 

Furthermore, have we not been called gypsies because of obvious closeness of Serbs and Romanies, by our quite recent official brothers since the nineteenth century? They and other proved destroyers of Romanies, are now astonished with alleged Serbian anti-Rom racism, in order to hide their own, true one.

 

It is obvious that the world has created a false picture on the attitude of Serbs towards Romanies, which hides dirty political ambitions of the creators of the theory on Serbian racism.  Serbs were first proclaimed intolerant, then aggressive nationalists, and now rasists.

 

Still, if we want to be realistic, we will admit that Serbian attitude towards Romanies is not ideal. It is true there are affections, but there is also distance, aversion and underestimation of Romanies. But it is not insignificant that Serbian negative attitude toward Romanies is not based so much on ethnic as on social differences. It is a world-wide spread attitude of suspicion toward beggars, vagrants, homeless, petty criminals, who, let us remain realistic, are much more numerous within the Roma population than any other minority group in Serbia.  We cannot say that social and pathological phenomena are equally spread among Slovaks and Romanies living in Yugoslavia. It would be a mistake similar to that one if we would say that Romanies are predestined on birth to be thieves, beggars, vagrants. The reason why such characteristics are more spread among them than any other group is certainly not caused neither by the colour of their skin nor any other personal element of their ethnic characteristics, but by numerous social causes.

 

The problem is not only that a new national bad feature has been found for us and a thorn wreath of racism stuck upon our heads, but that, apart from numerous real problems we have to cope with, we also have to deal with made up ones. It is imposed upon us that we have to fight against a non-existing racism, and thus waste the small remnant of (possibly useful) political and social energy. Let us, instead, wonder who created, and keeps creating and distributing world-wide the fake picture of Serbian anti-Rom  racism. The answer was given long ago by the pioneer of Serbian liberalism, Vladimir Jovanovic, who, a century and a half ago, sharply claimed that there was hardly a more corruptible intelligentsia than Serbian, which, always ready to profit, attacks its own nation and was then and would be in the future, the force which would write about Serbs worse than their enemies and be ready for a worst lie for the sake of an insignificant gain. Applied to present circumstances, a foreigner can be forgiven, for different reasons, for the wrong interpretation of the graffiti Death to Gypsies, but our so-called scientists, politicians and journalists certainly cannot. They were aware of their completely wrong interpretation of both its contents and massiveness, i.e. that they were working for the benefit of damage and shame of their own people.  Did anything at all change from the times of Vladimir Jovanovic? I believe it has, at least when it comes to benefit. One cannot find as many Croats in Zagreb, nor as many Moslems in Sarajevo who would accept to be paid for working against their own people, as one can find Serbs in Belgrade ready to work against their own people even free of charge. This is our real and neglected problem, while racism is a made-up, exaggerated one. Our common sense always dictates us to be occupied with real, not made-up  problems. But it also has a good side. We are compelled to fight against fake charges for alleged anti-Serb racism, and we are also forced to pay more attention to Romanies and question our relationship toward them. Serbs do have a lot to work on in their attitude towards Romanies, and must not be satisfied with the perception that anti-Rom racism does not exist. There are incidents, if not massive ones, that are very disturbing examples of hatred toward gypsies, just as there is a massive distance of Serbs from gypsies, apart from the easily perceived mutual affection of the two ethnic groups - Serbian and Roma.

 

It is true that Serbs have never, unlike Croats or Germans, massively killed Romanies in the Second World War in concentration camps, nor that they have ever prosecuted, exiled, banished them massively, but it is also true that today, at the beginning of the new millennium, marriages between Serbs and Rom gypsies are more than rare, and even if they do occur, they cause abomination and condemnation in Serbian surroundings.

 

As addition to this, there is an open critic of all Serbian regimes so far, starting from Milosevic´s backwards, who have not done much to improve gypsies´ social status and give realistic chances for accomplishment of their human rights and freedoms, which have been guaranteed to them by various Constitutions in Serbia so far.

 

The arrival of democracy to Serbia must be a chance not only for Serbs but for Romanies too, as well as members of all other ethnic groups living in Serbia, to enhance their position on economic, political and cultural plan. In order to accomplish that, it is necessary to stop the chase and stories about some Serbian anti-Rom racism. They can be justified in a way only if they had been used in function of overthrowing Milosevic´s regime. But now, if the story of Serbian anti-Rom racism goes on, when Milosevic is no longer the leader, it would represent an abuse of Serbian nation, which is not only untrue, but unfair. For, what has been bringing Serbs and Romanies together for centuries is the mutual position of a victim misused by common enemies, be it the centuries long Turkish violence over Serbs and Romanies in this part of Europe, or the Second World War, or massive suffering of Serbs and Romanies now, and previous years in Kosovo.

 

The world, in fact, knows nothing of current suffering of Romanies in Kosovo. Is not, then, the story of some massive Serbian anti-Rom racism nothing else but an attempt to hide the truth about the real sufferings of Romanies under Albanians in Kosovo? The fact is convincingly proven by the research project which is enclosed in the form of tables with names of killed and missing Romanies by Kosovo ethnic Albanians. Such tables do not exist in Serbia.

 

Anyway, good side of the initiated chase is that our consciousness is awoken, and that we started doing more in favour of Romanies. However, we need international help, as well as the help of Romanies themselves. We, the people who are initiating this project of lifting Romanies to the highest degree of existence in the multy-ethnic democratic Serbian society for which we are fighting for, are sure we are going to make it.

 

 

 

 

 

Darko Trifunovic, MA

 

GENOCIDE OVER ROMANIES ON KOSOVO AND METOHIJA

 

 

 Over 120,000 Kosovo and Metohija Romanies were ethnically cleansed in the period from 1998 till the end of 1999 by the KLA. These people were harmed and had to leave their homes only because they were gypsies, since, as gypsies, they were an impediment for the accomplishment of Albanian goal for ethnically clean Kosovo. All the crimes were done in front of very eyes of the so called  International Forces, often with their silent consent.

 

The aim of this study is not to show that one side is good, and the other one bad. Its starting point is the fact that the perpetrators are universal criminals, i.e. persons with abnormal behaviour against who every community should fight, regardless of their religious, ethnic or political background. Suffering of Romanies on the ex-Yugoslavia territory has so far been an unexplored field. Especially the incidents after year 1991. There are no detailed information on what was going on with gypsy population in Croatia, Bosnia, and this study is one of pioneer works on what was happening to Romanies on Kosovo and Metohija. It is well known that Romanies, together with Serbs and Jews suffered in the Second World War on the territory of present Croatia, in an unprecedented  ethnic cleansing and genocide executed by the Ustasa NDH government. It is thought that, apart from 700,000 Serbs, between 80 - 100,000 Romanies were killed in the Jasenovac camp.

 

Information was found in a relatively short period of time for more than 550 missing gypsies, but the number is supposed to be approximately 3,000. Over 2,500 km were covered, 15 refugee centers and settlements visited, more than 1,200 families heard. Of course, the number of Romanies that escaped to Macedonia is still a mystery, especially for those covered by programmes such as IOM´s (International Organization for Migration), UNHCR, USAID, as well as others, transferred to third countries. I would like to remind of the fact that the families exposed to suffering, torture and similar forms of maltreatment were the first ones to be transferred. Those international currents that supported Kosovo Albanians in their aims towards separatism and ethnically clean Kosovo, tried hard to either impute guilt to somebody else or hide the crimes done by Albanians.

 

Today´s position of Kosovo Romanies is very difficult. It is not an exaggeration to say that they live in a kind of ghetto with a curfew. For example, more than 7,000 Romanies lived in Kosovska Mitrovica gypsy settlement. KLA members used to mark gypsy houses with white paint, and they burnt the whole settlement down. Remaining gypsies caught in the region were tortured and had to obey Albanian demands if they wanted to survive. Some gypsies were saved by Serbs in North Mitrovica, others went to Zvecan, Serb-controlled town. It all took place in presence of the  KFOR.

 

Ramuz Haradini, Albanian extremist and former KLA commander for the town of Pec, current president of  AAK (Alliance Almaria Kosovo) party, threatened remaining Romanies to vote for his party, and not for theirs (PDASHK), otherwise, he threatened to revenge.

 

Remaining Kosovo Romanies are under constant threat, denied their own language, and Romanies called Askalije know their troubles best. They were prohibited to speak their language, so today, apart from Albanian, they speak only Serbian.

 

The ERRC (European Roma Rights Center) announced in their report that the eminent member of the Egyptian community, Mr B.G., reported to  ERRC that on July 6, three members of this community were captured, tortured and killed by Albanians. Furthermore, Aziz Azemi, gypsy invalid burnt to death in his own house that Albanians set to fire in Fabricka St. in Kosovska Mitrovica on June 25, 1999.

 

 

(Kosovo and Metohija Romanies, refugees and displaced)

 

 

BUJANOVAC

 

Approximately 140 internally displaced persons (IDP) are situated in this camp. They are Romanies from Gnjilane, Vitina and Urosevac. After the first wave of exile there were more people, but later they sought refuge at their relatives´ living in other towns or abroad. They all arrived after the ethnic cleansing done by KLA. There was no place for Romanies in Kosovo. All their property was destroyed, more than 120,000  of them had to leave Kosovo, only some 20,000 to 30,000 remaining in Kosovo ghettos - enclaves in very difficult conditions. They are exposed to daily violence, abduction, rape and murder by the KLA members.

 

Sedat Peida (left) with another refugee, looking through the lists of missing Kosovo Romanies. Sedat reported Salihu Naser with two more brothers as well as Romici Abdulah with the whole family missing. Sedat Peida, with six more family members, used to live in 3/13 Stojadina Protica St, Gnjilane. He had to leave Kosovo in June, 1999, after KLA members burst into his house and ordered him to leave everything within 15 minutes. They were Macedonia and Albania Albanians, all in KLA  uniforms.

 

Mr Redzep Memeti (right) used to live in the Avdula settlement, Presevo, no. 250. His complete property was destroyed. He lived with his seven brothers, all of who owned their own houses. His property was first robbed, then set to fire by masked KLA members. On the same occasion 50 people were left homeless.

 

Mr Seljati Abdulahi lived in the Avdula settlement, Presevo, no. 298. He lived with his brother and another 12 members of the family. His destiny was the same. His house and all the other property was first robbed, than burnt. He now lives in the Bujanovac refugee camp, under a tent, with faith, as he says, in the King and St. Paraskeva.

 

Life in the refugee camp is hard, there is only one kitchen to be shared, meals are cooked outside. There is never enough food, clothes and medicines, in fact, there is less and less of it.

 

It is especially difficult to the youngest. Two children are parentless. Their family was abducted by the KLA in 1999. Father Ljuan Kastrati, sister Marijeta Kastrati and the youngest, still a baby, Samira Kastrati.

 

 

There is only one family left under a tent in the Bujanovac refugee camp. The others were provided prefabricated buildings by the Serbian government, thanking to Jovan Damjanovic, first Roma Minister ever in Serbian and Yugoslav history.

 

The photograph shows Romanies from the camp, on the street between the camp and the settlement. In the background there are houses they can now only dream of, and the winter is near.

 

A Roma from another refugee camp visiting relatives. This is one way of getting information about friends and relatives. This is the way the author found out of the great number of missing Kosovo Romanies. The fear of these people to give information was obvious, the fear of vague future.

 

 

KURSUMLIJA

 

The town of Kursumlija, just like Bujanovac, is situated at the very administrative border of Serbia with Kosovo. Refugees and displaced people from Kosovo fled to this town mostly from Kosovo Polje, Obilic and Pristina in July, 1999, on the entering of KFOR and OVK forces. The same destiny occurred to these people just because of being gypsy. There are 146 IDPs (Internally displaced persons) in the center called New Culture Center - Betonjerka. Another 200-300 persons are accommodated by relatives, or live in rented apartments in the town and nearby villages.

 

 

The building in which they are accommodated has neither doors nor windows, people are jobless, they are without basic life necessities. They dream of going back to their homes from which they had been ethnically cleansed by the KLA members.

 

Romanies looking through the lists of missing Kosovo gypsies, recognizing names of their friends and relatives. It is hard to now, from the ICRC list, who is Albanian and who is gypsy bearing a Moslem-Albanian name. The survivors tell us of numerous privately-held prisons on Kosovo, and especially in Albania, where people were killed, tortured, and gypsy women raped. A brothel near Djakovica is a well known place. It is held by  KLA members, using imprisoned Roma and Serbian women for prostitution for, among others,  KFOR clients.

 

Mr Sejdi Bejzaku from Komoran, Glogovac. All of his property was destroyed: three houses, two cars. Now he is homeless together with 15 more members of his family. £ Immediately upon arrival of KFOR, KLA members arrived and ordered us to go, otherwise they would kill us all ‹. Mr Bejzaku says that he had recognized, in the KLA group, his Albanian neighbour Saip Trnava with his brothers and other Albanian neighbours who arrived on a tractor and started taking away Mr Bejzaku´s property from his house. £ We took our children and three blankets, and came to Kursumlija ‹, says Mr Bejzaku.

 

Old Hajrizi. £I was born on Kosovo, lived there, worked there. I never harmed anyone, never even thought of doing it. Now I have lost everything. Friends, relatives, everything. We, gypsies were thus killed during the Second World War when Albanian gangs were Hitler´s allies. Nothing changed. We are guilty for being gypsy, today they are even trying to divide us to some Askalije, Egyptians in order to destroy us easier.‹

Grandpa Hajrizi is weaving a basket in order to sell it at the local market for his grandchildren´s education.

 

Mr Sadik Dubovic and Mr Ramadan Skenderi, refugee representatives, told the author that a small group of Romanies had tried to go from the camp back to their homes on Kosovo at the beginning of March, 2000, and that they had all been killed. Near the Babin Most place in Kosovo, their bodies were found by KFOR in a ditch by the road. Among them was Sefkija Rama with two underage sons, Adem and Arif Rama. It is supposed they were killed by their Albanian neighbours, only for being gypsy. In June, 1999, Becir Rama, 25 was taken away

from Pec in unknown direction, and never came back. Mr Usa Ramic was killed in Kosovo Polje together with another two unidentified gypsies. A Roma called Djuni, aged 45 was killed near the village of Preoce together with his 22-year-old nephew.

 

The Rahmani family has found refuge under a bridge in Kursumlija. The photograph shows grandmother Milijana Rahmani with her daughter-in-law and invalid son Kadrija Rahmani, and children Mirafeta, Muhamet and Ramiza. They came from Kosovo Polje, they used to live in 15 Savska St. Their property was first robbed, then burnt. Grandma Milijana says that it had all happened in July, 1999, around 4 o´clock PM when people in KLA uniforms had come with a girl who had been armed, just like them. They told them to go, otherwise they would kill them all. On their way to Kursumlija they saw a lot of murdered Romanies in Obilic, Preluzije and Moravska. There were also many Roma refugees from other places, they did not recognize them all.

 

Mr Redzep Skenderi lived with his family in Crkvena Vodica near Obilic. He arrived to Kursumlija on June 29, 1999. His property was first robbed, then burnt by the KLA members. £When KFOR came to Kosovo, they were followed by KLA, they burnt our houses. The locals, our Albanian neighbours, were OK, but the others (he thinks of those who came from Albania) were ruthless. My cousin Avdija Celic, 1950, his nephew Gafur Fazliju, 1976, Gezim Berisa, 1975 are missing. Murder, rape, abduction by the KLA was a common thing, Zarko Spasic was abducted and killed as far as May 8, 1998‹, says Mr Skenderi.

 

Redzep Skenderi´s children are the best Roma students. Isak Skenderi, 1982 completed the Secondary school of economy with top grades and enrolled at the University of Economy in Blace. He also won the second prizes in mathematics and physics competitions in Kosovo and Metohija.

Bukrija Skenderi, 1980, completed secondary school, also with top grades and best student of the generation, she would like to study bio-technology, but is not able to due to difficult financial situation.

Bahrija Skenderi, 1984, completed primary school with top grades, and her father, Redzep Skenderi used to be a top-grade student himself. Now, in exile, he is the Yugoslav Legal Project Center representative for the missing and murdered Kosovo Romanies.

 

They all want to be back to Kosovo soon,  hoping to see the KLA leaders brought to justice, as well as individuals who ordered, took part, or are responsible for ethnic cleansing, genocide and war crimes committed over members of the Roma people in Kosovo. The thing that worries Redzep Skenderi, Alija Gasi and other exiled Romanies, are information that Albanian terrorists systematically killed Romanies with Moslem - Albanian names, buried them in mass graves, showed them as victims and accusing Serbs for the crime. A great number of Romanies  missing without being found yet, lots of them killed secretly, their bodies still not traced, just confirm those fears. So was, for example, killed Cemal Gasi, a gypsy, on July 17, 1999 in Gnjilane, during the funeral of Ljubinka Arsic, while digging a grave. He was killed by the KLA. His body was never found. The case of Ramadan Rasiti from Urosevac is similar. He was sought by KLA members, with explanation that they wanted to ask him something. On June 25, 1999, he was taken in unknown direction and has never come back. There is a multitude of such examples, and this study has an aim to unveil them.

 

New and old mass graves, names, personal things, and - most important -  none of the Romanies was called to be present at exhumations done by the ICTY experts (The International ad hoc Criminal Tribunal for Former Yugoslavia). A supposition made by Alija Gasi - that more than 3,000 Romanies were thus killed - is completely justified. Those who planned and executed it, counted that the dark plan would never be discovered, due to the nature of Roma people. They were having in mind a certain number of nomads, and special kind of life that Kosovo Romanies lead.

 

 

Were members of the United Nations also involved in the manipulation with Roma victims? Mass graves, further separation of Roma people till their utter physical destruction is a deja vu World War Two scenario, whose creator was well known, but never called to justice. The culmination of cynicism is that, today, 55 years after the Second World War, Germany is giving reparations to survived inmates up to DM 15,000, and only to those that are alive today. Shameful, isn´t it?

 

 

KRALJEVO

 

Little Deza Gasi, one of the youngest in the camp.

 

Ethnically cleansed Romanies by the KLA are accommodated, if that word could be used, at the place called the Old Airport. At the moment, there are 168 persons, and approximately 1,000 persons are accommodated by relatives or in private arrangement in the town, while the others (1,000 - 1,500 persons) have gone to other towns or abroad. Mistreated families had a priority for immigrating to third countries, so the author was unable to talk to those persons and take their statemetns.

 

Romanies came from Kosovo Polje, Urosevac, Pristina, Goles and Lipljan on June 30, 1999.

 

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(Photograph 1) Young Hadzi Gasi, 1983, wounded in Obilic when he wanted to come back home. He was accompanied with ((Photograph 2) Camila Gasi, and (Photograph 3) Uka Gasi, all underage, and all with minor wounds.  A group of KLA members led by Njuhijem Cerkezi, threw a bomb at these children. Hadzi got serious wounds on several places - legs, hip, neck, while Uka and Camila were lightly wounded in neck and arms.

 

Hadzi Gasi´s wounds.

    

 

 

Ekrem Hisenovic used to live in 3, Marsala Tita St, Obilic. £I lost all my property. My Albanian neighbour Adem Cerkezi came and threatened to kill me unless I leave, took everything I had,  and set my house on fire‹, says Ekrem.

 

Sefa Hisenovic, the oldest Roma in the camp. £My cousin Mesafija, daughter of Hamdija Hisenovic, aged 17, was raped and she is still missing. She disappeared on May 20, 1999. She was raped by Albanian teacher from Obilic, Hajzer Kastrati, who presently lives in the apartment of Gasi RAsid, a gypsy, at the address Milosa Obilica, Lamela 23.‹ 

 

The Albanian Hajzer Kastrati also raped the Roma Agim Halitia´s wife, Afrodita Halili,  mother of Zarif Halili and old  Ljama Halili. Rapes and tortures were a common thing for Albanians and the KLA members.

 

Wife of Roma Hamza Kovaci, Mrs Kadrija was also raped. At approximately 3 o´clock at night they were intercepted by the  KLA. Their car was taken away, Hamza was punched, his wife and 14-year-old daughter raped. The group led by the Albanian Hajzer Kastrati raped and maltreated Roma Lik Zejner´s wife and 15-year-old daughter.

 

Especially cruel were the Albanian Agim Berisa who belonged to Kastrati´s group,  and the Albanian Adem Cerkezi. Apart from them, there were also Agim Dusi and certain Remzija, who raped, killed, stole and burned Roma houses. A less known fact is that, among them, were also Albanian women, who were,  equally with men, armed and cruel in torture of both Romanies and other non-Albanian residents.

 

Alija Gasi (Roma), president of the Kraljevo camp, stating data on missing and killed Romanies in Kosovo. According to his information, approximately 3,000 of Romanies were killed by the KLA. The information is based on data acquired from Kosovo Romanian families.

 

Mr Alija Gasi, representative of Romanies in the camp, used to live at the address: Rudnik, Kosovo bb, Obilic, as well as in the apartment in Milosa Obilica, Lamela 2, Ulaz 1. All of his property was looted. His apartment is now inhabited by an Albanian, certain Abdulah from Belacevac, which can easily be checked on dialing the telephone number 038-62-340 (telephone in Mr Gasi´s apartment).

The KLA came with guns and forced me against the wall. They told me they would slit my throat if I moved. I know two of them, Gani and Sukrija Gani, they are cousins. They told me that I had to leave the place in 15 minutes. I saw them carrying out my property, and the most painful thing for me was whey they burnt my family photographs. I went to the Serbs in Prizren because I felt safe there. I also found out that the Roma Hamzi Hamdija´s granddaughter was abducted, his brother killed, and my cousin Islami Kemalj abducted by the KLA. On Oct. 15, 1999 he was taken to the village of Lausa near Srbica and skinned alive until he passed away, just because he was a gypsy, as I heard from some gypsies from that region. The KLA members also threw a bomb, in the presence of KFOR, on Misa Todorovic, 1965, father of four (Jugoslav, 12, Jasmina, 10, Verica, 6 and Ljilja, 4 years old). He went to see the house in flames (address: 63 Kralja Petra St, Obilic), and was then badly injured. Now he is in the Nis hospital. The Albanian Fadilj Hodzaj was especially cruel. He, together with his gang, burned and killed Romanies. Among others, he burnt the house of Sefa Hisenovic. Many Albanians used this war for blood revenge, and the KLA killed a big number of Albanians who were against the KLA  terrorists.

 

Mr Alija Gasi gave a list of Albanians who had committed war crimes over Romanies from the Kraljevo camp refugees´ origin regions:

 

1.CERKEZI Adem (Albanian, KLA member)

2.FADILJ Hodzaj (Albanian, KLA member)

3.HAJZER Kastrati (Albanian, KLA member)

4.PRENICI Ganija (Albanian, KLA member)

5.PRENICI Femija (Albanian, KLA member)

6.PRENICI Islam (Albanian, KLA member)

7.PRENICI Sulja (Albanian, KLA member)

8.GANI Gasi (Albanian, KLA member)

9.NUHI Blacaku (Albanian, KLA member)

10.SELIMANI Kadri (Albanian, KLA member)

 

 

KRAGUJEVAC

 

There are a few refugee centers in Kragujevac for exiled and displaced persons from Kosovo and Metohija. One of them is PKB-Bresnica. This part of the building accommodates the Egyptians from Klina and Istok. They all arrived on Sept. 16, 1999, which is the date of the beginning of ethnic cleansing of Romanies in Kosovo and Metohija.

 

This part accommodates 28 people, all children. The photograph shows the Kecaj family.

 

Unfortunately, there is not a committee for the research of the crime committed on the Egyptians, and we know that Albanians killed them, and that they are missing, their bodies were never found‹, says Sali Abazaji, 1971, an Egyptian from Klina.

 

Egyptians Ganija Kecaj and Ismet Kecaj. Ismet Kecaj, 1955 - his son Agron Kecaj disappeared together with the following Egyptians: Redzep Bajramaj, Mahmet Brojaj, Ganija Brojaj, Safedin Gavranaj. They were abducted and have not been heard of so far. The Albanians Uka Idrizaj and Tahir Lulaku with their group. This group led by Uka Idrizaja and Tahir Lulaku comitted various crimes over Egyptians and Romanies in Klina and Istok.

 

 

KRAGUJEVACKA RACA

 

Kragujevacka Raca collecting center offered refuge to more than 400 IDPs. They are people from Djakovica, Prizren, Suva Reka, Orahovac, Obilic, Kosovo Polje and Istok. They arrived on Aug. 21, 1999. The building is the legacy of King Aleksandar Karadjordjevic, which accommodates Serbs, Romanies and all the others who found refuge in Serbia.            

 

Marina Savic, 1966, a Roma employed at the center, is from Lipljan, Kosovo,

We geathered a lot of information on the crime committed in Kosovo by the KLA members, especially over Romanies and Serbs. On July 13, 1999, while we were working in a field near Lipljan,  the following were massacred: Andrija Odalovic, 1966, Dragana Dimic, 1995, Rosa Jankovic, 1940, Milovan Jovanovic, Mile Jankovic, Miroslav Tepsic, 1966, Nikola Ristic, 1935 and Ljubisa Cvejic. The following persons were heavily wounded: Bojan Dimic, 1992, Sinisa Dimic, 1968, Novica Savic, 1933 and Nenad Dimitrijevic.‹

 

Zoran Radovanovic from Orahovac lived in 52 Nikole Tesle St. £I left Orahovac on June 1, 1999. I watched the KLA in presence of  KFOR set my two houses on fire, and one of KFOR  members wouldn´t let me take photographs of my burning houses. They were Dutch. On that occasion Milorad Rasic, my Serbian friend, was abducted, he went to buy something and never came back. He came into the house of Albanian neighbour Bajram Abazibra, 30-36 Nikole Tesle St. in Orahovac. I reported it to the KFOR i.e. the Dutch soldiers immediately, but they did not want to do anything. As far as I know, the following were abducted and unheard of: Stanisa Milenkovic, Goran Jakic and persons that I know by surnames of Baljosevic and Dedic. On Aug. 16, when KLA attacked Orahovac, next to their houses were killed: Vekoslav Kazic, 1966, Jagos Djokic, 1959 and Borivoje Simic, 1932.

 

The photograph shows Marina Savic and Bogoljub Savic.

 

Bogoljub Savic, 1963, used to live in 25 Zivojina Misica St, Djakovica. £My house was first looted, and now catholic Albanians live in it. I left Kosovo with 12 members of my family. I know that Desanka Petkovic and Zivorad Petkovic stayed there, but I haven´t had any information about them since. Djokica Kuzmanovic, the postman, also stayed with his mother, and no one knows what happened to them after.‹

 

Blagica Dabic, 1941, from Urosevac, lived together with her sister Nada. £My nephew Branko Markovic, 1962, disappeared on June 12, 1999 in the settlement of Vranjevac, Pristina, in front of his house, together with Miodrag Misulovic. A group of armed 6 KLA members abducted them, and they have not been heard of since.‹

 

Zivadinka Stankovic, 1965, lived in 38 Jovana Jovanovica Zmaja St, Djakovica. £Our property was destroyed, as we heard a bulldozer tore our house down, and today there is a field. I definitely know that Dragica Petricevic from my neighbourd is missing.

 

 

FEKETIC AND MALI IDJOS

 

  

It is impossible to determine clearly the number of the displaced from Kosovo. Those who accommodate them are also in a difficult position. Some of them are in Mali Idjos, in a settlement called Ciganska mala, some are at their relatives´, and some in Feketic. In the Ciganska mala settlement people are without food, there are still refugees from Croatia and Bosnia. Photograph 3 - little Goran Lakatos, in yellow T-shirt Senad Novakovic who is retarded.

 

Margita Jovanovic, 1940 is showing the last medicine she is using Berodal. Food, medicines and accommodation are main problems.

 

Old Geza Lakatos, 1940, taking copper off in order to sell it and buy bread for his grandchildren.

 

The refugees are mostly from Pec, Vitomirica and Klina. There are approximately 1,200 of them, but it is impossible to determine the exact number, because they come and leave on daily basis.

 

Rahman Krasnici, 1963, with his wife Djula, 1965 and children. They used to live in Klina, Crni Lug bb St. £We arrived in the summer of 1999, together with the others. Albanian gangs, i.e. KLA  members committed crime in the Drenica region. Luckily, nobody from my family was hurt. My property was first looted, then, set to fire. I saw masked people in the KLA  uniforms set fire and load our things on tractors. There were also many women in the KLA uniforms.‹

 

Abdulah Krasnici, 1969, has five members of his family. Together with his brothers, Rahman and Ibrahim, he had to leave his house and land. £My all property is destroyed, but I hope my brothers and I will be able to go back to our fatherland some day.‹

 

 

NOVI SAD

 

 

 

Refugee settlement Veliki Rit. There are approximately 3,000 Kosovo and Metohija Romanies. They were cleansed by the KLA.

Living conditions do not exist in Veliki Rit, there is constant threat of epidemics. People arrived here from Pristina, Kosovo Polje, Kosovska Mitrovica, Djakovica and Prizren.

 

Naser Bejzaku, 1977, used to live at the address: 65 Drenicka St, Kosovo Polje. £Everything I had was destroyed, first looted, then set to fire. At the beginning of July some masked people came, there were women among them, they bore UCK (KLA) symbols, they beat me and members of my family. They told us they would kill us all unless we left in 15 minutes.‹

 

Mrs Seba Morali, 1963, lived in Pristina with ten members of her family. She does not want to speak about what she had been through, in the end she just told me: £I hope what they (KLA) did to me happens to their friends and relatives.‹

 

  

 

Life in the camp is very hard. The situation is the same in other places. Lack of food, medical help, bathroom, electricity and other necessities leads to various diseases. Even water is a problem. On photograph no. 3 is a three- years-old boy who had been bitten by rats in his sleep. The author found out that not long ago a couple committed suicide because they could not bear constant hunger and poverty.

 

Mrs Remzija Avdija, 1975, from Kosovska Mitrovica used to live in 20 Fabricka St. Everything I had was destroyed, first looted, then set to fire. It was the hardest to cope with the children. We did not know where to go because all the roads were blocked by the KLA. Our only salvation was in Serbia.

 

Abazi Alija, on the right photo with his son. He lived in 97 Dalmatinska St, Pristina. The KLA members, people unknown to me, came. I heard they were Albanians from Albania. They forced us under arms to leave the house. My 60-years-old aunt Alija Mamuti was very ill and could not leave. The KLA set fire to the house with her inside.‹

 

Mr Ali Gasi, 1963, used to live at the address: 30, Kolubarska, Pristina. £The KLA beat us only for being gypsies, my house was set to fire. Will anyone ever be brought to justice for the crime committed over us, Romanies? We still do not know what happened to our relatives, friends and what will happen with us tomorrow?

 

 

Mr Limanaj Musli, 1942, with granddaughters, used to live at 45 Piskoti St, Djakovica. We were harassed every day, I, myself, was beaten several times by the KLA members. The KLA member Fadil Djulici beat me in the most cruel way. They raped our women, abducted people, my uncle Uka Redzep is missing.

 

  

Dzemail Kruezi, 1950 from Djakovica. £The KLA members first forced me out of my house together with my nephews Jurizma Kruezi, Afrim Kruezi, Arsim Kruezi and Fidan Kruezi. They then killed my brother, father of the above named children, Malici Kruezi, 1947. I knew one of the KLA members, he is from Dusanovo, but I can´t remember his name. The rest of them were from Albania. They beat us all cruelly, I complained to KFOR, but they just said that Albanians were their allies, and that we had nothing to look for in Kosovo. I think they were English. I still don´t know what happened to my nephews.

 

 

BELGRADE, BEZANIJSKA KOSA

 

Belgrade became refuge for the largest number of refugees and displaced people not only from Kosovo and Metohija, but from Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia. Refugee camps are all around the city, starting from Visnjicka Banja, Palilula, Dorcol, Karaburma, Zemun, and other parts of the city. It is estimated that there are approximately 50,000 Kosovo Romanies in Belgrade.

 

Agron Maksuti´s family, 1976, used to live in 10 Sarajevska St, Vucitrn. £We had to leave, those who stayed were killed by the KLA. We live in difficult conditions. Winter is near, and we live outside. It is the most difficult with the children. Those because of whom we had to leave (the International Community) offered help to Albanians only and paid no attention to us. As if we did not exist.

 

We do not exist neither for the Red Cross nor the UNHCR. We exist only for ourselves. There were approximately 2,000 people here, now it´s only us. People cope the way they can.‹

 

PALILULA

 

In Vuka Vrcevic waste area settlement there are people from Pristina, Klina, Pec, Obilic and Gracanica. They live in very difficult conditions, just like everybody else who could not manage to find any solution.

 

Settlement Vuka Vrcevic, waste area: Approximately 2,000 people live in this settlement. The photo shows old Nafija Krasnici, 1929 who came from Gracanica, with camp children. The KLA members abducted my son, Serif Hamiti, 1970, and destroyed everything I had. I still don´t know what happened to my son.

 

   

Nezihata Serifovic, 1985 (to the left) from Gracanica. £They harassed us over the phone constantly, threatened to kill and rape us all, they kept telling us we had to leave. We knew they were our Albanian neighbours.‹

Hata Krasnici, 1983 (right): We were simply forced to leave. Abductions, rape, harassment was an everyday thing. People were filled with fear.

 

Hira Krasnici, 11: I came from Pec. The KLA members killed my uncle Bajram Krasnici, while my other uncle, Nusret Krasnici, is missing. He had three children.‹

 

Saban Krasnici, 1948, lived at 111 Dusana Jovanovica St, Pec, and owned an apartment in 8 Mose Pijade St, Pec. £My son Abedin Krasnici, 1980 is missing. I was abducted and kept for 15 days by the KLA. Some masked men with  KLA symbols came and took my son away. I was abducted when I went to town to buy something. A jeep with shaded glasses approached, and I was forced inside. I was taken to a forest. There was a house with a concrete basement. I had heard for private prisons before, and then, to my misfortune, I was able to see one of them myself. There were 40-50 Romanies and Serbs in the basement. We were beaten every day. Others were brought and we were taken to other cells. The house was tunnel-connected with another house, I suppose. I managed to escape when I was sent to buy cigarettes, because the Yugoslav Army was all around. They told me they would find me and kill me if I didn´t come back. As soon as I got out, I ran to the Yugoslav Army.‹

 

  

Dzevad Krasnici, 1974, lived at the address: Karadjordjeva bb, Klina. £The KLA came, they beat my family and me. They forced me to join the KLA. They had masks, there were around 10 of them. It was in summer, 1998. They tied us men, me and my father Camil Krasnici, and they raped all the women. My wife Rubija Krasnici (right photo) was five months pregnant, and they raped her, too. There was blood all around, we hardly managed to bring her back to life later. Fekrija Krasnici, 1985 was also raped. As soon as they did it, they brought us out of the house, set everything to fire and left.‹

 

Rukija Serifovic, 1955, from Gracanica. The KLA used to come and mark our houses with some white symbols. They put knives at the throat of my son Ifa Serifovic and his wife Sukrija. Our daughter Dilafeta Serifovic is missing, together with her two children. My sister´s daughter, Vineta Salihi is also missing, whilde my sister Nadjija Abdula was killed by the KLA.

 

Mr Muja Sabani, 1981, lived at the address: Stari Obilic bb, Obilic. We all had to leave because we were threatened by the KLA. They killed Romanies, raped, burned our houses down. My property, and my cousins´s property is destroyed and today we live at the waste area. My youngest uncle Avni Krasnici is missing and we haven´t heard anything of him yet.

 

Mr Zahir Zahiri, 1937, used to live in Kosovska Kamenica, the village of Karetin. £We had a house and other property. The house was burnt down and torn down by a bulldozer. The KLA threatened and beat us. We recognized among them our Albanian neighbour Elmi Kasumi who especially beat me. First some Albanians from  Albania came and hit Elmi asking him why hadn´t he killed all they gypsies by then. He said he would do it right away. The unknown Albanians also said they were free to cleanse Kosovo from Romanies within a month. I saw them throw a bomb at a Serb named Tomislav, who was a good man, and he burned to death in his house. It was awful. At the same time they ordered me to lie flat on the ground in front of my house, they beat me with sticks and hay-forks on my back, I hardly managed to stay alive, I was badly injured.‹

 

The youngest refugee, baby Elbasan Kovani, two-weeks old, with his aunt Redjijana Zahiri, 1985.

 

 

BELGRADE, MIRJEVSKO BRDO, MALI LESKOVAC

 

Two Roma settlements situated one next to the other. Approximately 4,000 people live here. About one third are Kosovo and Metohija exiled Romanies who found accomodation at their cousins´ who live in these settlements. The Romanies arrived from Klina, Kosovo Polje, Pristina and Pec.

 

Mrs Djulija Sadbera, 1972 from Klina. My brother Avnija Krasnici, 1968 is missing. He disappeared on Sept. 16, 1999 in Klina. Our Albanian neighbour, Alija Radzi, KLA  member came to us. He took my brother Avnija who never returned. It was around 5 o´clock in the morning. Later some people from the group led by Albanian Alija Radzi brought us his pajamas covered in blood. Our house was set to fire, also by the KLA. My uncle Beca Dibra was killed in Pec, and my cousin Hira Krasnici was murdered in Klina when she came out of her house to collect her horses.‹

On the photograph, next to Djulija are children of her missing brother Avnija Krasnici. To the left - Dzevdet Krasnici, 1995, to the right Sultan Krasnici, 1998. Those orphaned children live with their aunt now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ANNEX 1

 

LIST OF THE MISSING KOSOVO AND METOHIJA ROMANIES

(INCOMPLETE)

  

The list contains names of the missing Romanies the author managed to collect in the period of acquiring data for the study (Sept/Oct, 2000). Kosovo and Metohija Romanies were recognizing their missing relatives, friends and acquaintances reading the book of the missing of the ICRC (The International Red Cross). There are also names on this list that were not on the ICRC list, which the author found talking to the families of the missing.

 

 

Name and surname /Comment