Valley Albanians accuse police of "repression"

A human rights group says police in the region are conducting "systematic repression over ethnic Albanians."

Izvor: B92

Sunday, 28.10.2007.

12:34

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A human rights group says police in the region are conducting "systematic repression over ethnic Albanians." The Human Rights Council in Bujanovac said Saturday proof for this can be found in the case of three Albanians, Faik Jahdari, Burim Jaha and Nazim Muratovic, recently detained, and then allegedly subjected to police torture from October 23 to 25. Valley Albanians accuse police of "repression" The three are suspects in the case of a severe beating suffered by a Medvedja gas station worker, identified as Goran Simic. Now the human rights group says police officers in Medvedja "overstepped their jurisdiction" as they investigated the case, "demonstrating force and letting everyone know that there is limited space for a quiet life of the Albanian community in that municipality." Use of force and abuse while detaining suspects is, according to the same group, against the laws of Serbia and international conventions. Such behavior on the part of the police is "jeopardizing the peace process in the south, achieved with significant assistance and support of the international community," the statement ends. Meanwhile, ethnic Albanian parties in the area have called for "equal treatment of students irrelevant of their ethnicity." They claim that Albanian students from Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja are viewed as "second class citizens" who are not entitled to various student benefits, and add they will "seek assistance from international organizations, the EU and U.S.," unless they strike a deal on the subject with the authorities in Belgrade. The local students have gathered to sign a document with the request which they dubbed Memorandum September 1, to "warn Belgrade that they should not be treated as second class citizens", leader of the Democratic Alliance, Basrei Memeti, explained the students' campaign.

Valley Albanians accuse police of "repression"

The three are suspects in the case of a severe beating suffered by a Medveđa gas station worker, identified as Goran Simić.

Now the human rights group says police officers in Medveđa "overstepped their jurisdiction" as they investigated the case, "demonstrating force and letting everyone know that there is limited space for a quiet life of the Albanian community in that municipality."

Use of force and abuse while detaining suspects is, according to the same group, against the laws of Serbia and international conventions.

Such behavior on the part of the police is "jeopardizing the peace process in the south, achieved with significant assistance and support of the international community," the statement ends.

Meanwhile, ethnic Albanian parties in the area have called for "equal treatment of students irrelevant of their ethnicity."

They claim that Albanian students from Preševo, Bujanovac and Medveđa are viewed as "second class citizens" who are not entitled to various student benefits, and add they will "seek assistance from international organizations, the EU and U.S.," unless they strike a deal on the subject with the authorities in Belgrade.

The local students have gathered to sign a document with the request which they dubbed Memorandum September 1, to "warn Belgrade that they should not be treated as second class citizens", leader of the Democratic Alliance, Basrei Memeti, explained the students' campaign.

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