International Crisis Group Senior Consultant, Suzy Blaustein, from her CSCE

Hearing report on prisoners: "It was U.S. officials in Washington who

allowed the issue of Albanian prisoners to be dropped from the negotiating

table (Kumoanovo), nevertheless, that pragmatic omission does not in any way

relieve the parties of the obligation to release all POWS and civilians

detained and arrested during the armed conflict. This obligation is

incumbent upon all signatories to the Third and Fourth Geneva Conventions of

1949 and Protocol II of 1978."

There are times when democratic governments fail to actively support the

very international human rights laws that they themselves have signed. When

that happens, the citizens of those countries must call their leaders to

task and remind them of their obligations to provide equality under the law

for "the very least of us". In this case those 1,300 Albanians still

suffering in Serb prisons. Our immediate initiative now is to email the

members of the UN Security Council, as described below, to remind them of

their obligations under the Geneva Conventions. Not only should they appoint

a special envoy and ask the International War Crimes Tribunal to investigate

this ongoing violation of the Geneva Conventions, but they should request

the "broadest possible amnesty" and should appoint a neutral country to

serve as the advocate for the prisoners, a role usually assigned to the

ICRC, who in this case have been unusually weak in assisting prisoners and

their families. In that case, according to the Conventions, a neutral

country should be present to ensure their fair and humane treatment, medical

care, and legal services. We hope you will read the narrative of recently

released prisoner, Enver Hashani, to remind yourself that the prison system

in Serbia is inhumane and brutal.

In addition to the Albanian prisoners, more and more Serbs are being

arrested because of their political beliefs and their attempts to move

towards a more democratic government. Grupa 484 has asked us to help spread

the word on the record number of beatings and arrests now being suffered by

Serbs, especially with Resistance movement members. While we at APP want to

remain focused on the specific problem of the Albanians imprisoned during

the NATO war, we believe that equality under the law is a moral imperative.

Serb human rights leaders and lawyers have played a key role in the survival

and release of the imprisoned Albanians. They have shown far more integrity

and courage than the ICRC and UNHCHR, who are supposed to perform these

roles, but don't in Serbia for fear of being forced to leave. The beatings,

harassment, and imprisonment Serb resisters now face, are crimes eerily

similar to those the Albanians faced in Kosova under the 10 years of

oppression from Belgrade. For ten years, they begged for lawful intervention

and support and never received it.

Must we all now wait for a bloody civil war within Serbia?

The international community must bring light to bear on the Serb justice

system and its role in promoting and maintaining social violence and

oppression. In this capacity, ICRC and UNHCHR have so far performed

disgracefully. If the UN Security Council fails to respond to Bernard

Kouchner in his pleas for help in asking for a Special Envoy and amnesty on

March 6, 2000, then they too, will have performed disgracefully.