Return-Path: Received: from host.oil.ca ([206.186.236.1]) by mailin06.sul.t-online.de with esmtp id 12hyjG-29ETB2c; Wed, 19 Apr 2000 19:57:34 +0200 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by host.oil.ca (8.9.3/8.9.3) id MAA16926 for amnesty-l.list; Wed, 19 Apr 2000 12:40:47 -0400 X-Authentication-Warning: host.oil.ca: majordom set sender to owner-amnesty-l@oil.ca using -f Received: from amnesty.oil.ca (IDENT:amnesty@amnesty.oil.ca [206.186.236.10]) by host.oil.ca (8.9.3/8.9.3) with ESMTP id MAA16923 for ; Wed, 19 Apr 2000 12:40:45 -0400 From: amnesty@amnesty.oil.ca Received: (from amnesty@localhost) by amnesty.oil.ca (8.9.3/8.8.7) id MAA21607 for amnesty-L@oil.ca; Wed, 19 Apr 2000 12:07:50 -0400 Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2000 12:07:50 -0400 Message-Id: <200004191607.MAA21607@amnesty.oil.ca> To: amnesty-L@oil.ca Subject: YUGOSLAVIA: Mass trial of Kosovar Albanians makes a mockery of justice Sender: owner-amnesty-l@oil.ca Precedence: bulk Reply-To: owner-amnesty-l@host.oil.ca * News Release Issued by the International Secretariat of Amnesty International * News Service: 74/00 AI Index: EUR 70/19/00 19 April 2000 Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) Mass trial of Kosovar Albanians makes a mockery of justice The unprecedented mass trial of 143 ethnic Albanian men in the court of Nis, southern Serbia, can hardly escape being unfair, Amnesty International said today. "The decision on the part of the authorities to try the men in a group of such a size not only risks infringing their right to a fair trial as individuals but also to the presumption of innocence," the organization said. The men were arrested in May 1999 in the town of Djakovica (Gjakovë), Kosovo, during the period of NATO’s airstrikes. They are charged with "association for the purpose of hostile activity in connection with terrorism", and accused of membership in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). They are also accused of involvement in a series of attacks on Yugoslav Army and Serbian police units in which two soldiers and one police officer were killed and others wounded. The majority of those accused are reported to have refused to make statements; those that have done so have asserted their innocence. "What is clear is that the evidence against them appears to be weak -- consisting of the results of paraffin glove tests intended to show that they had recently fired or handled weapons," Amnesty International maintained. "The results of such tests are widely considered to be unreliable." On Wednesday, 30 defendants were due to appear. Ten of these, who denied the charges, were heard in the period before midday. The cursory nature of the proceedings raises concerns about the fairness of the procedure. Of around 2,000 ethnic Albanians detained in Kosovo who were transferred to Serbian prisons in June 1998 a number have been released, some have already been sentenced in unfair trials after allegedly having statements extracted from them under torture and more than 1,200 remain awaiting trial. ENDS.../ Amnesty International, International Secretariat, 1 Easton Street, WC1X 8DJ, London, United Kingdom **************************************************************** You may repost this message onto other sources provided the main text is not altered in any way and both the header crediting Amnesty International and this footer remain intact. Only the list subscription message may be removed. **************************************************************** To subscribe to amnesty-L, send a message to with "subscribe amnesty-L" in the message body. To unsubscribe, send a message to with "unsubscribe amnesty-L" in the message body. If you have problem signing off, contact . handles only messages concerning list administration. Past and current Amnesty news services can be found at . Visit for information about Amnesty International and for other AI publications. Contact amnestyis@amnesty.org if you need to get in touch with the International Secretariat of Amnesty International.