War on the Balkans

On Thursday, the 14th of October, the "Safe House" project with the help of American Friends Service Committee organized a big meeting and dinner for more than thirty deserters and draft evaders with whom we have close contact in Budapest. It was a short break from daily desperation, disillusionment that they find themselves in Hungary without possibility to get refugee status and accompanied aid and right to work or possibility to leave for a third country.

Dear friends,

In previous e-mails we sent you information about Flora Brovina, a pediatrician, founder and president of the Alliance of Albanian Women of Kosovo. She was arrested by Serbian police on 20th of April 1999 and held in Kosovo's Lipljan prison; on 10th of June, she and hundred of others prisoners were transferred to prisons inside Serbia.

On 11th of November started her trial process in Nis, this was a farce and in order to find material evidences (because they hadn't any) the prosecutor postponed the trial for the 25th of November.

(This report is compiled of excerpts from talks that Bojan Toncic, a journalist of Belgrade daily "Danas" conducted with various experts and concerned persons in Belgrade.)

Yugoslav public was recently shocked with the information that father of the soldier who died in the war, killed the man who brought to his son a draft call. That is how the duty of people who were delivering draft calls during the war, with more or less responsibility, got another dimension.

From the Women in Black international gathering, Ulcinj, Montenegro (October 1999)

WE, ... women gathered in ULCINJ

CONTENTS

I. WORK OF THE TEAM

Women in Black Conference Richardson Institute Workshop Community Centre Project Assessment Oral History Project Assessment

II. OBSERVATIONS & IMPRESSIONS

1)Hungary:

The "Safe House" project actively took part in the preparation of Amnesty International's campaign to draw world's attention to the problems of hundreds and thousands of deserters and draft evaders from Serbia and Montenegro who are either imprisoned or in exile, fearing extremely harsh penalties if they return. The biggest number of them is to be found in Hungary. The vast majority of those has no status, no help or understanding from anywhere. In order to fully evaluate their situation a visit was organized to two biggest refugee camps in Hungary.

This report is compiled from the press materials, interviews and personal observations and findings.

B2-92: Today we're going to talk about things nobody has talked about yet, but which must be discussed if we want to move forward. To begin with I'll read you a story. This is an account by Natasa Kandic of events that took place in the Kosovo village of Cuska:

The idea for the project was born in May this year among Yugoslav deserters and draft evaders who found refuge in Hungary. Since the escalation of war in Kosovo and the consequent NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, thousands of people fled to surrounding countries, Hungary being the most frequent destination for people from Serbia, especially the draft evaders and deserters.

This is a preliminary report compiled on the facts gathered at the "Safe house" project. Further reports and comments will be distributed upon collection of more data. Therefore, we would appreciate any contribution in this direction.

We ask that the world give special attention to fellow activist, Dr. Flora Brovina, who has been taken from Kosovo to the hospital prison in Pozarevac. She is in a very bad state of health. Contact to a lawyer has been forbidden.

Arrested on 22 April 1999, she was detained in the prison of Lipljan, then the hospital of Pristina. She has not been legally charged and no reason is known for this imprisonment.

Dr. Brovina was one of the many Albanian political prisoners who were transferred from Kosovo to Serbia by withdrawing Serbian troops.

Feminists in the refugee camps 3rd June

On the road to Skopje, in front of the border people are standing and waiting to cross. There are 15-20 of them, apparently from the near by town, maybe from Gnjilane. I am wondering when have Belgrade citizens seen citizens from Gnjilane, or have they ever? Serbian or Albanian nationality? Anyway I see them for the first time in my life. They must be Albanians. They are standing in the darkness and waiting to cross the border. On foot. They are silent and I can only hear baby voices.