BELGRADE CENTER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

URGENT APPEAL
On the expulsion of 350 Kosovo Refugees

Wednesday, 8 September, 1999, 4p.m.

The Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and the NGO Forum of Kraljevo report that today at 8 a.m. 350 Kosovo refugees (IDPs), about 80 families, were expelled from the elementary school “Vuk Karadzic” in the village of Beranovac, near Kraljevo. Those people were located from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m in the town park in front of the Kraljevo railway station. The Civil Defense Headquarters of the Republic of Serbia offered them accommodation in the Culture Centre of the Vitanovac village. The associates of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and the NGO Forum of Kraljevo have seen this building which does not have a roof, water supply nor the electricity, glass windows or toilets and on those grounds remains an entirely unacceptable accommodation. After the refugees decided to head for Belgrade on their tractors they were stopped and the action was prohibited by the police and the Civil Defense Headquarters of the Republic of Serbia. The refugees (IDPs) were ordered to remain in Kraljevo. At this time all of those people are on the road under a viaduct in Kraljevo.

WE APPEAL TO ALL JOURNALISTS AND INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN ORGANIZATIONS TO BE AWARE OF THIS AND INFORM THE PUBLIC ABOUT THE REAL SITUATION OF REFUGEES (IDPs) IN KRALJEVO, WHICH NUMBER ACCORDING TO THE OFFICIAL ESTIMATES IS AROUND 20, 000, AND THE UNOFFICIAL ESTIMATES UP TO 30, 000. AROUND 1500 OF THOSE PEOPLE ARE LOCATED IN COLLECTIVE CENTRES, MEANING SCHOOLS, CULTURE CENTRES, ETC., WITHOUT SUFFICIENT FOOD, CLOTHING, WATER AND ELETRICITY AND THEY BELONG TO THE MOST VULNERABLE CATEGORY. THE PEOPLE WHO ARE AT PRESENT ON THE ROAD BELONG TO THE MOST HELPLESS ONES. WE ALSO APPEAL THAT THE REST OF THE 170 000 REFUGEES AND IDPs CURRENTLY IN SERBIA ARE NOT FORGOTTEN.

For a detailed report from the field and more information on the situation of the refugees in Kraljevo please contact the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights or Mr. Radovan Milicevic from the NGO Forum of Kraljevo at 036 / 331 146.