Yugoslavia: Whether the KLA, or groups formerly part of the KLA now operating under different names, intimidate or beat/threaten young ethnic Albanian males who did not fight for the KLA or other Albanian groups in the 1999 war; whether former Kosovar paramilitaries are targeting ethnic Albanian men in Kosovo for any other reason (summer 1999-June 2000)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 10 July 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | YUG34689.E |
| Reference | 7 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Yugoslavia: Whether the KLA, or groups formerly part of the KLA now operating under different names, intimidate or beat/threaten young ethnic Albanian males who did not fight for the KLA or other Albanian groups in the 1999 war; whether former Kosovar paramilitaries are targeting ethnic Albanian men in Kosovo for any other reason (summer 1999-June 2000), 10 July 2000, YUG34689.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad7d18.html [accessed 25 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
According to The Washington Post, the Kosovo Protection Corps (KPC), created in January 2000 to provide humanitarian assistance and help with mineclearing, consists almost completely of members of the disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) (15 Mar. 2000).
Several sources claim that the KLA, although officially disbanded since fall 1999 (The Washington Post 15 Mar. 2000), is still active (BETA 10 June 2000; SRNA 14 Apr. 2000; Der Spiegel 17 Apr. 2000). The KLA reportedly commands 12-member death squads who receive their orders only verbally (ibid.; SRNA 14 Apr. 2000).
For a detailed report on how the KLA or KPC members target ethnic Albanian men in Kosovo, please consult Kosovo/Kosova As Seen, As Told Part II published by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo in December 1999 which is available in the Regional Documentation Centres.
According to sources, the KLA targets ethnic Albanians for several reasons: "collaboration" with Serbs (Beta 10 June 2000; AI 2000; SRNA 14 Apr. 2000), extortion and refusal to pay protection fees (SRNA 14 Apr. 2000; Beta 10 June 2000; Der Spiegel 17 Apr. 2000; The Washington Post 15 Mar. 2000) and perceived or real lack of loyalty towards the KLA (ibid.; Der Spiegel 17 Apr. 2000; MTI 23 Mar. 2000; SRNA 14 Apr. 2000). The Washington Post also reports that two KPC members were suspended in February 2000 for torturing several ethnic Albanian suspects in a case of car theft (15 Mar. 2000).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Amnesty International (AI). 2000. Annual Report 2000. Yugoslavia.
Beta [Belgrade, in Serbo-Croat]. 10 June 2000. "Serbs Call on UN to Establish Law and Order in Kosovo." (BBC Summary of World Broadcasts 15 June 2000/NEXIS)
MTI [Budapest, in English]. 23 March 2000. "Yugoslav Envoy on Obstacles to Good Relations with Hungary." (BBC Summary of World Broadcasts 25 Mar. 2000/NEXIS)
Der Spiegel[Hamburg, in German]. 17 April 2000; Renate Flottau, Olaf Ihlau and Claus Christian Malzahn. "Weekly Views Situation in Kosovo." (FBIS-WEU-2000-0505 17 Apr. 2000/WNC)
SRNA [Bijeljina, in Serbo-Croat]. 14 April 2000. "UN Reportedly to Start War Crimes Investigation into Former KLA Leaders." (BBC Worldwide Monitoring 14 Apr. 2000/NEXIS)
The Washington Post. 14 March 2000. Jeffrey Smith. "Kosovo Albanians Unit is Accused of Abuses; U.N. Report Says Former KLA Rebels Threatened, Tortured, Killed Civilians." (NEXIS)
Additional Sources Consulted
IRB Databases
Internet sites including:
The Balkan Human Rights Web Pages
British Helsinki Human Rights Group
Central Europe Review
Human Rights Watch (HRW)
International Crisis Group (ICG)
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHR-HR)
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL)
Transitions [Prague]
World News Connection (WNC)
