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Yugoslavia continues Kosovo transformationCharges against soldiers, release of ethnic Albanians signal new policy
BELGRADE, Yugoslavia -- For years, Yugoslavia's heavy-handed policy in the province of Kosovo spawned animosity in the West and, for 78 days in 1999, a stream of missiles and bombs from NATO forces. On Wednesday, Belgrade made additional moves to distance itself from its policies during former president Slobodan Milosevic's regime. Yugoslavia released 143 Kosovo Albanian prisoners, hours after charging almost 200 of its own soldiers with war crimes committed in and around Kosovo.
The United Nations applauded the simultaneous actions, which came weeks after Belgrade arrested Milosevic on abuse of power and corruption charges that could be expanded to include war crimes. The moves marked the latest effort by Belgrade's new regime, which rose to power following Milosevic's ouster in October 2000, to acknowledge Yugoslav war crimes and injustices in Kosovo. The 143 Kosovo Albanians freed from jail Wednesday had been convicted last May of attacking Serb policemen and Yugoslav army soldiers in the Kosovo town of Djakovica. They were handed over to the International Red Cross, which is responsible for arranging their transportation to Kosovo. Hours earlier, Yugoslav military officials announced that 183 army officers had been accused of committing war crimes during the Kosovo conflict. The week before, army spokesman Colonel Svetozar Radisic said military courts have already tried or were trying 24 soldiers for similar acts. "We want to expose individuals for their crimes and avoid collective guilt for the entire nation," an army legal officer said. Individual, not collective crimesYugoslav military officials announced the arrest of 183 of its soldiers hours before the Kosovo Albanians walked away from prison. According to an army statement, the military prosecutor had ordered investigations against "soldiers, non-commissioned officers and officers … for crimes resulting in deaths and injuries of civilians as well as deprivation of their basic human rights during combat activities in the province of Kosovo in 1998 and 1999."
The Yugoslav army, under the new administration, has consistently denied allegations of a systematic campaign of war crimes. But officials have said that if any individual troops committed atrocities, they should be brought to justice. Wednesday's announcement reflects what many feel is a growing acceptance by the army of its soldiers' part in war crimes. An army legal officer, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the soldiers face various charges including murder, harassment and maltreatment, illegal arrests, beatings and stealing. He said more cases were pending, but gave no details. Decades fighting for freedomA 1974 clause in the Serbian constitution granted political autonomy to the southern province of Kosovo, which was 90 percent ethnic Albanian and largely Muslim. But Milosevic stripped the region of its right to self-rule in 1989, and continued to hold down Kosovo during Serbia's wars with former Yugoslav provinces Bosnia and Croatia. During these wars, many westerners accused Milosevic of instituting a policy of "ethnic cleansing" -- the deliberate killing of civilians because of their ethnic and, oftentimes, religious background. In 1997, a small group of armed militants called the Kosovo Liberation Army began killing Serbian police and supporters in hopes of regaining autonomy. Their activities prompted Milosevic to reassert control. Thousands of ethnic Albanians are thought to have been killed during the Serb crackdown, while hundreds of thousands were driven from their homes. Milosevic refused to let international peacekeepers patrol Kosovo in 1999, prompting almost three months of NATO air strikes against Serb positions. The strikes ended when Yugoslav and NATO generals agreed Serb troops would withdraw from Kosovo and the region would be policed by NATO and governed by the United Nations. 'We want to be declared innocent'
But the agreement did not prevent more than 1,000 ethnic Albanians from being imprisoned in central Serbia following the troop pull-out. Hundreds have been released since Milosevic's successor, Vojislav Kostinuca, rose to power last fall. Wednesday's move marks the largest mass release to date. "We were hostages of the former regime. We want to be declared innocent," said Zubi Kastriot of Djakovica as 126 cheering Albanian inmates left the jail in Nis. Serb authorities released the 17 other Albanians from prisons in the towns of Vranje and Zrenjanin. The release of the prisoners comes after the Yugoslav Supreme Court ruled on Monday that their sentences should be reviewed because of procedural errors during the trials last year. They were released pending review of their sentences, but it is highly unlikely they will face new trials in a Yugoslav court.
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