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Macedonia Failure to Protect Anti-Minority Violence in Kosovo, March 2004 This 66-page report documents the widespread attacks against Serbs, Roma, Ashkali (Albanian-speaking Roma) and other minorities that took place in Kosovo on March 17-18. Human Rights Watch details the near-complete collapse during the crisis of Kosovo’s security institutions—the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR), international civilian police from the U.N. Interim Administration Mission to Kosovo (UNMIK), and the locally-recruited Kosovo Police Service (KPS). Based on numerous interviews with minority victims and security officials, the report provides a detailed—and previously unavailable—account of what happened in dozens of communities during the riots. HRW Index No.: D1606 July 26, 2004 Download PDF, 325 KB, 68 pgs Purchase online Crimes Against Civilians: Abuses by Macedonian Forces in Ljuboten, August 10-12, 2001 Macedonian government troops committed grave abuses during an August offensive that claimed ten civilian lives in the ethnic Albanian village of Ljuboten, Human Rights Watch charged in a new report released today. The report, titled Crimes Against Civilians: Abuses by Macedonian Forces in Ljuboten, August 10-12, 2001, charges that Macedonian police troops shot dead six civilians and burned at least twenty-two homes, sheds, and stores in the course of their August 12 house-to-house attack on the village. The rights group pressed for an immediate investigation, including an inquiry into the role of Macedonian Minister of Interior Ljube Boskovski, who was present in the village on August 12, the day the worst violations occurred. Human Rights Watch called on the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe to make public the results of its investigation into the events in Ljuboten. Human Rights Watch pressed for a separate investigation by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, which has jurisdiction over war crimes committed in the Macedonia conflict. Based on a two-week in-depth investigation, including a visit to Ljuboten, interviews with victims and witnesses, and examination of photographic evidence, the report also documented indiscriminate shelling that claimed another three lives in Ljuboten. 24pp, 3.00 HRW Index No.: (D1305) September 5, 2001 Download PDF Purchase online Macedonia: Child Soldiers Global Report 2001 From the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers There are indications of under-18s in government armed forces as it is possible to volunteer for military service from the age of 17. There has been a pattern of children aged between 14 and 18 leaving the country to join armed groups abroad, for example during the conflicts in Bosnia and more recently, in Kosovo. These children were recruited through television announcements and promises of payment. Some were killed in fighting. This raises concern about the potential involvement of children if the current crisis in Macedonia continues to escalate. June 12, 2001 Macedonia: Landmine Monitor Report 2000 Key developments since March 1999: As thousands of refugees flooded into Macedonia from Yugoslavia in 1999, an urgent mine awareness effort was carried out regarding the danger of mines on the Yugoslav side of the border. August 1, 2000 Macedonia: Police Violence: Official Thumbs Up This report documents human rights abuses related to the work of the police and other law enforcement officials in Macedonia, with an emphasis on police violence and violations of the right to due process. It reveals a pattern of abuse that is ignored by Macedonia's political leaders and tolerated by the international community. Violations cut across ethnic lines: all citizens of Macedonia have suffered violence at the hands of the police, as well as procedural violations, almost always with no recourse through the courts. The common characteristic of victims, rather than ethnicity, is usually the person's oppositional political activity or low social-economic status. On July 10, Prime Minister Branko Crvenkovski visited the policemen stationed in Gostivar, praised their work on national television, and gave them the sign of "thumbs up." The message to Macedonian citizens was clear: this government will use force to maintain order. There are clearly insufficient efforts by government officials to reduce police abuse by promoting better training, more democratic laws, and a system of accountability. April 1, 1998 Purchase online A THREAT TO "STABILITY" Human Rights Violations in Macedonia Macedonia has taken some important steps toward democratization since declaring its independence from the Yugoslav federation in 1991. Substantive reform has opened the door to the European institutions and laid the foundation for a multi-party system based on the rule of law. Nevertheless, some serious problems remain. Although human rights principles are encoded in Macedonian law, their application remains selective and incomplete. This is partially a result of political and economic pressures in the southern Balkans, as well as of the country’s communist traditions. But at times, the current Macedonian government has been responsible for violating the rights of its citizens. The main human rights problem is the status of Macedonia’s many national minorities, especially regarding non-discriminatory treatment in state employment and minority language education for the sizable Albanian population. But minority groups are not the only victims. Limitations on the free press, violations of legal rights and harassment of the political opposition affect all Macedonian citizens regardless of their ethnicity. On the positive side, Macedonia has avoided the war in former Yugoslavia, but peace will only be secured when a democratic system is in place. HRW Index No.: ISBN 1-56432-170-3 June 1, 1996 Human Rights in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia Facing serious problems, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia is making the difficult transition from communism to democracy and a free market economy. It also faces the possibility of the Bosnian war overtaking the region. This report describes the many current human rights problems that exist there, including the use of excessive force by police in controlling demonstrations, discrimination in the treatment of ethnic minorities and restrictions on some aspects of free expression and assembly. January 1, 1994
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