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Kosova Crisis Center (KCC) News Network: http://www.alb-net.com

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RELEASE THE KOSOVAR POLITICAL PRISONERS FROM SERBIA NOW!

Sign the petition at:

http://www.khao.org/appkosova/app_online.htm

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http://www.khao.org/appkosova.htm

ASSOCIATION OF POLITICAL PRISONERS

KOSOVA ACTION NETWORK

KOSOVA HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATION

FROM: ALICE MEAD

amead@maine.rr.com

Jan. 14, 2000

PUBLIC PRESSURE AIDING IN RELEASE OF KOSOVAR PRISONERS

AS SERBIA'S SIX MONTH DETENTION DEADLINE PASSES

There is reason to hope that the widespread public pressure regarding

the Albanian prisoners detained in Serb prisons is leading to far more

releases, stated Natasa Kandic, executive director of the Humanitarian Law

Center. Her human rights organization is working for the release of all the

prisoners. The vast majority of them are being held without charges or

evidence and the six month holding period is long past.

Dr. Flora Brovina, whose trial received international publicity and

whose harsh sentence of 12 years in prison based on a forced confession and

a photograph as evidence, is up for appeal possibly this Monday, January

17th. Kandic urges all those who spoke out about the trial at that time, to

speak out again on the unfairness of the court's proceedings and the blatant

lack of evidence.

Albin Kurti, the student activist who led the demonstrations to reopen

the University of Prishtina, was arrested in late April, 1999 and after

being severely tortured at the police station in Prishtina, was sent to

Lipjan Prison with his father and brother, who were released in late May.

Albin was transferred to Pozhrevac Prison until the last week in December,

1999. He is now being held in Nish, yet according to HLC in Belgrade, there

is no evidence against him, he has never had a court hearing, and there are

no charges. He has been detained for eight months at this point, well past

the six month deadline, and his case (which does not exist at this point) is

so grievously flawed that it should be immediately dismissed, stated Kandic.

She added that the majority of prisoners continue to suffer in the prisons

without any formal charges against them. According to Yugoslav law, they

should be dismissed as well. Kandic believes that Albin Kurti's case may be

up for review very shortly, that being the probable reason he was recently

transferred to Nish. She urges human rights advocates to act quickly on

behalf of protecting the civil rights of both Brovina and Kurti.

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