Informazione
Precisiamo che il centro dove presentarsi per la raccolta del sangue e'
presso il POLICLINICO GEMELLI, non distante dalla clinica dove e'
ricoverata Milena.
E' possibile presentarsi li direttamente, dichiarando di voler donare
sangue per Milena Cubrakovic, ricoverata all'Aurelia Hospital.
Un grazie di cuore a chiunque potesse aiutare / Hvala za pomoc
Inizio del messaggio inoltrato:
> Da: Coord. Naz. per la Jugoslavia <jugocoord@...>
> Data: Ven 30 Gen 2004 16:25:58 Europe/Rome
> A: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., jugoinfo@...
> Oggetto: urge sangue
>
>
> Milena Cubrakovic - nota pittrice jugoslava, nostra cara amica e
> compagna impegnata nella battaglia comune di controinformazione sullo
> squartamento del suo paese sin dai primordi della trasmissione "Voce
> Jugoslava" su Radio Citta' Aperta - e' ricoverata in condizioni molto
> serie nella nota clinica romana Aurelia Hospital.
> Un intervento chirurgico urgente e' stato rimandato oggi a causa della
> scarsita' di sangue disponibile.
> Chiunque, nella zona di Roma, potesse donare sangue -- di QUALSIASI
> gruppo sanguigno ! -- e' pregato di presentarsi prima possibile ...
> facendo il nome della nostra amica. Per ulteriori informazioni, per i
> conoscenti che volessero andare a trovare Milena, eccetera, si possono
> chiamare i numeri: 349-4555344 ; 06-4828957
>
> Ivan ed Andrea
presso il POLICLINICO GEMELLI, non distante dalla clinica dove e'
ricoverata Milena.
E' possibile presentarsi li direttamente, dichiarando di voler donare
sangue per Milena Cubrakovic, ricoverata all'Aurelia Hospital.
Un grazie di cuore a chiunque potesse aiutare / Hvala za pomoc
Inizio del messaggio inoltrato:
> Da: Coord. Naz. per la Jugoslavia <jugocoord@...>
> Data: Ven 30 Gen 2004 16:25:58 Europe/Rome
> A: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., jugoinfo@...
> Oggetto: urge sangue
>
>
> Milena Cubrakovic - nota pittrice jugoslava, nostra cara amica e
> compagna impegnata nella battaglia comune di controinformazione sullo
> squartamento del suo paese sin dai primordi della trasmissione "Voce
> Jugoslava" su Radio Citta' Aperta - e' ricoverata in condizioni molto
> serie nella nota clinica romana Aurelia Hospital.
> Un intervento chirurgico urgente e' stato rimandato oggi a causa della
> scarsita' di sangue disponibile.
> Chiunque, nella zona di Roma, potesse donare sangue -- di QUALSIASI
> gruppo sanguigno ! -- e' pregato di presentarsi prima possibile ...
> facendo il nome della nostra amica. Per ulteriori informazioni, per i
> conoscenti che volessero andare a trovare Milena, eccetera, si possono
> chiamare i numeri: 349-4555344 ; 06-4828957
>
> Ivan ed Andrea
http://www.resistenze.org/sito/te/po/se/pose4a29.htm
www.resistenze.org - popoli resistenti - serbia - 29-01-04
Reportage a proposito del viaggio del VdR ( Voce dei Rom) in Kosovo
tenutosi nei mesi scorsi.
Notizie dal campo e dati sulle comunità zingare in Kosovo.
La pulizia etnica “Umanitaria” degli Zingari in Kosovo
Appartengo all’etnia Rom (più comunemente conosciuta come “zingara,
gitana”) sono nato in Kosovo, Jugoslavia, ed ho vissuto a Pristina
(capitale della regione kosovara). Nell’estate del 2000, dieci anni
dopo, mi trovavo in Macedonia, distante cioè soltanto 30 miglia dalla
cittadina dove avevo vissuto gran parte della mia vita, e che ora non
potevo più visitare.
Ciò è accaduto più di tre anni dopo il “bombardamento umanitario”
effettuato dalle forze statunitensi e NATO congiunte e l’escalation del
conflitto etnico iniziato in Kosovo nel 24 marzo del 1999. Ma era
ancora troppo pericoloso per me, un “Majupi” dalla pelle nera (termine
albanese che connota, suggerisce l’idea di “qualcosa più meschino,
triviale dei rifiuti, della spazzatura”), mettere piede in Kosovo.
Arrivò infine il giorno (2 maggio 2002) in cui potei visitare il mio
luogo natale, carico di così tanti ricordi della mia giovinezza. Ma
quello stesso posto – dov’ero cresciuto con i miei quattro fratelli ed
una sorella, cugini, parenti, vicini di casa, amici – non esisteva più.
Ogni cosa era stata spazzata via. Le case nuove e restaurate, le ville,
i posti di rifornimento di benzina, i motels, erano stati tutti
costruiti nei tre anni precedenti dall’etnia albanese vittoriosa, e
rendevano il Kosovo simile ad un paese straniero, che non riconoscevo
più. Non sapevo più che sentimenti provare, cosa sentire in quel
momento di ritorno. Paura, felicità, rabbia, tristezza?
Il paradosso che mi veniva in mente era che tutta quella ricostruzione
era sponsorizzata dalle agenzie di soccorso e sussidio internazionale e
finanziata dalle società di industrializzazione e investimento con a
capo personalità preminenti, tali Dick Cheney e George Soros. Nel
frattempo, gli zingari, i serbi, gli slavi mussulmani, i bosniaci ed i
turchi, con altre minoranze presenti in Kosovo, stanno morendo di fame!
Mentre la maggioranza di questi enti internazionali si stava vantando
di partecipare ad un “Kosovo libero e democratico”, questi popoli erano
obbligati ad abbandonare le loro case, patendo una pulizia etnica
“umanitaria” sostenuta che è stata praticamente del tutto invisibile al
resto del mondo. La conseguenza ironica dell’azione di soccorso
NATO/statunitense degli albanesi oppressi è che questi ultimi si sono
trasformati a loro volta in oppressori.
A maggio di quest’anno, in qualità di Presidente della Voice of Roma
(VOR = Voce degli zingari), ho diretto un viaggio in Kosovo
accompagnato da delegati rappresentanti dei diritti umani, assistenti
ai profughi e gruppi pacifisti arrivati dagli USA, Germania, Italia ed
Olanda. Poiché gran parte delle persona che lavorano in tali
organizzazioni pensano che il Kosovo sia ora libero e che i suoi
popoli stiano convivendo in pace ed armonia, essi sono sorpresi quando
li informo che in Kosovo le minoranze etniche stanno tuttora fuggendo,
volevo che fossero testimoni oculari di ciò che sta accadendo laggiù.
I delegati hanno ricevuto ospitalità nelle comunità zingare, a sud di
Pristina. Ogni famiglia dava accoglienza a due o più rappresentanti.
Essi sono entrati così in contatto, trascorrendovi tempo e
conoscendole, con persone coinvolte nella violenza del fuoco incrociato
tra serbi ed albanesi, che avevano patito le conseguenze dei pesanti
bombardamenti delle forze NATO guidate dagli USA, sperimentando la
discriminazione da parte delle forze K-FOR, la Polizia U.N., le
organizzazioni internazionali non-governative (NGO), e delle politiche
adottate dai paesi dell’Europa occidentale. I delegati erano atterriti
dai racconti che sentivano, e indignati nel constatare le condizioni
nelle quali gli zingari del Kosovo sopravvivevano.
Dall’arrivo dei “peace-keepers” NATO in Kosovo, più di 300,000
componenti a minoranze etniche sono state “epurate” dalla regione dagli
estremisti albanesi. E’ più di un anno che l’Amministrazione U.N. ad
interim in Kosovo (UNMIK) o l’Organizzazione per la Sicurezza e la
Cooperazione in Europa (OSCE) hanno rilasciato affermazioni circa gli
abusi dei diritti umani subiti dalle minoranze in Kosovo.
Sorprendentemente, alcune NGO come Medici Senza Frontiere (vincitore
del Premio Nobel per la Pace), la Croce Rossa Internazionale, Oxfam, e
molte altre organizzazioni hanno trascurato le minoranze etniche in
Kosovo, non rivolgendo attenzione alle loro problematiche. Gli unici
enti a divulgare notizie sugli abusi dei diritti umani in Kosovo sono
Amnesty International e Human Rights Watch.
La mia domanda è: se i cosiddetti “bombardamenti umanitari” avevano
come finalità l’arresto della “epurazione etnica”, perché le medesime
potenze occidentali sono così restie, avverse a d intervenire a favore
della popolazione zingara e delle altre minoranze kossovare che stanno
soffrendo un’effettiva epurazione etnica?
Tale epurazione etnica, per ciò che concerne gli zingari e a partire
dall’arrivo del 12 giugno 1999 dei peace-keepers dell’ONU ha avuto come
conseguenza il dileguarsi dal Kosovo dell’oltre il 75% di questa
popolazione (oltre 100,000 zingari). Eppure i media e la comunità
“umanitaria” internazionale restano in silenzio. Gli USA e i media
occidentali non hanno catturato sui loro schermi radar nessuno di
questi eventi, o hanno più precisamente e di buon grado ignorato tali
orrori. (vedere il nostro rapporto The Current Plight of the Roma in
Kosovo [L’Attuale Condizione degli Zingari in Kosovo], disponibile
dalla Voice of Roma, P.O. Box 514, Sebastopol, CA 95473.)
La maggioranza degli zingari rimasti in Kosovo (25,000 su una
popolazione che prima della guerra era di 150,000) sono profughi
interni, pur non possedendone lo status officiale. Questi zingari sono
invece etichettati come “profughi interni, apolidi” (IDPs), che,
rispetto ai profughi ufficiali, vedono ulteriormente ridotti i loro
diritti, segregati, limitati in campi con servizi ed attrezzature
scarsissime. Alcuni zingari vivono in enclaves controllate dai serbi.
Nessun altro gruppo etnico si trova nei campi IDPs, soltanto gli
zingari. Perché è così? Soltanto gli zingari non hanno una patria, una
nazione sicura come porto di salvezza. I serbi sono fuggiti in Serbia,
i bosniaci in Bosnia, i Turchi in Turchia e i gli slavi mussulmani in
Macedonia o in Europa occidentale.
I più poveri fra i poveri, stanziati nei campi IDP, gli zingari
affrontano un considerevole livello di discriminazione e oppressione,
che minaccia le loro stesse vite mutilando e paralizzandone la cultura.
Per darvi appena un’idea, l’ONU fornisce a ciascuno zingaro nei campi
IDP una razione mensile di otto chili (17 libbre) di farina, due
cipolle, due pomodori, mezzo chilo (una libbra) di formaggio, ed un po’
di frutta (solitamente marcia). Oltre a questo, vi sono soltanto tre
litri di olio da cucina per famiglia, indifferentemente dal numero di
elementi che la compongono; e non è possibile disporre di altre
forniture (interviste a profughi in campi IDP del Kosovo e Macedonia).
Se queste popolazioni stanno combattendo per sopravvivere fisicamente,
cosa accadrà alla loro cultura?
Un altro esempio che potrei fornire riguarda la richiesta da parte di
un delegato VOR che domandava di poter accedere all’acqua potabile e
per cucinare in un campo di zingari. Il rappresentante ONU replicò.
“Oh, gli zingari sanno come avere cura di se stessi. Sono nomadi; hanno
vissuto le loro vite così.” Se gli zingari devono fronteggiare un tale
abbandono, rigetto da coloro i quali la loro sopravvivenza fisica
dipende, come riusciranno a sopravvivere sia fisicamente che
culturalmente?
Questo stereotipo radicato, che gli zingari siano vagabondi, girovaghi
barbari e selvaggi, e che conseguentemente non abbiano le stesse
necessità dei membri delle società “civilizzate” è contraddetta dai
dati di fatto. In Kosovo, gli zingari hanno vissuto in case per oltre
settecento anni, e la maggioranza di loro non ha mai visto una carovana
di girovaghi. L’effetto di tali stereotipi è quello di disumanizzare
gli zingari e distruggere la loro infrastruttura culturale.
Nel Kosovo “libero” di oggi, nessuno zingaro può spostarsi
liberamente; i suoi figli non possono andare a scuola e non hanno il
permesso di parlare la loro lingua madre. A causa dell’abbandono
forzato delle loro case e del confino coatto nei campi, gran parte
degli zingari ancora in Kosovo non hanno potuto vedere i componenti
delle famiglie vicine da più di tre anni. Ciò implica, fra le altre
cose, che i matrimoni non possono contrarsi secondo le regole sociali
degli zingari. Cosa accade ad una società nella quale è impossibile
formare nuove famiglie?
Come possiamo cambiare la situazione degli zingari, ovunque possa
accadere loro di trovarsi? Qual è la nostra responsabilità verso un
popolo che è stato così ingiuriato ed ignorato per secoli?
Traduzione a cura di Enrico Vigna (SOS Yugoslavia)
www.resistenze.org - popoli resistenti - serbia - 29-01-04
Reportage a proposito del viaggio del VdR ( Voce dei Rom) in Kosovo
tenutosi nei mesi scorsi.
Notizie dal campo e dati sulle comunità zingare in Kosovo.
La pulizia etnica “Umanitaria” degli Zingari in Kosovo
Appartengo all’etnia Rom (più comunemente conosciuta come “zingara,
gitana”) sono nato in Kosovo, Jugoslavia, ed ho vissuto a Pristina
(capitale della regione kosovara). Nell’estate del 2000, dieci anni
dopo, mi trovavo in Macedonia, distante cioè soltanto 30 miglia dalla
cittadina dove avevo vissuto gran parte della mia vita, e che ora non
potevo più visitare.
Ciò è accaduto più di tre anni dopo il “bombardamento umanitario”
effettuato dalle forze statunitensi e NATO congiunte e l’escalation del
conflitto etnico iniziato in Kosovo nel 24 marzo del 1999. Ma era
ancora troppo pericoloso per me, un “Majupi” dalla pelle nera (termine
albanese che connota, suggerisce l’idea di “qualcosa più meschino,
triviale dei rifiuti, della spazzatura”), mettere piede in Kosovo.
Arrivò infine il giorno (2 maggio 2002) in cui potei visitare il mio
luogo natale, carico di così tanti ricordi della mia giovinezza. Ma
quello stesso posto – dov’ero cresciuto con i miei quattro fratelli ed
una sorella, cugini, parenti, vicini di casa, amici – non esisteva più.
Ogni cosa era stata spazzata via. Le case nuove e restaurate, le ville,
i posti di rifornimento di benzina, i motels, erano stati tutti
costruiti nei tre anni precedenti dall’etnia albanese vittoriosa, e
rendevano il Kosovo simile ad un paese straniero, che non riconoscevo
più. Non sapevo più che sentimenti provare, cosa sentire in quel
momento di ritorno. Paura, felicità, rabbia, tristezza?
Il paradosso che mi veniva in mente era che tutta quella ricostruzione
era sponsorizzata dalle agenzie di soccorso e sussidio internazionale e
finanziata dalle società di industrializzazione e investimento con a
capo personalità preminenti, tali Dick Cheney e George Soros. Nel
frattempo, gli zingari, i serbi, gli slavi mussulmani, i bosniaci ed i
turchi, con altre minoranze presenti in Kosovo, stanno morendo di fame!
Mentre la maggioranza di questi enti internazionali si stava vantando
di partecipare ad un “Kosovo libero e democratico”, questi popoli erano
obbligati ad abbandonare le loro case, patendo una pulizia etnica
“umanitaria” sostenuta che è stata praticamente del tutto invisibile al
resto del mondo. La conseguenza ironica dell’azione di soccorso
NATO/statunitense degli albanesi oppressi è che questi ultimi si sono
trasformati a loro volta in oppressori.
A maggio di quest’anno, in qualità di Presidente della Voice of Roma
(VOR = Voce degli zingari), ho diretto un viaggio in Kosovo
accompagnato da delegati rappresentanti dei diritti umani, assistenti
ai profughi e gruppi pacifisti arrivati dagli USA, Germania, Italia ed
Olanda. Poiché gran parte delle persona che lavorano in tali
organizzazioni pensano che il Kosovo sia ora libero e che i suoi
popoli stiano convivendo in pace ed armonia, essi sono sorpresi quando
li informo che in Kosovo le minoranze etniche stanno tuttora fuggendo,
volevo che fossero testimoni oculari di ciò che sta accadendo laggiù.
I delegati hanno ricevuto ospitalità nelle comunità zingare, a sud di
Pristina. Ogni famiglia dava accoglienza a due o più rappresentanti.
Essi sono entrati così in contatto, trascorrendovi tempo e
conoscendole, con persone coinvolte nella violenza del fuoco incrociato
tra serbi ed albanesi, che avevano patito le conseguenze dei pesanti
bombardamenti delle forze NATO guidate dagli USA, sperimentando la
discriminazione da parte delle forze K-FOR, la Polizia U.N., le
organizzazioni internazionali non-governative (NGO), e delle politiche
adottate dai paesi dell’Europa occidentale. I delegati erano atterriti
dai racconti che sentivano, e indignati nel constatare le condizioni
nelle quali gli zingari del Kosovo sopravvivevano.
Dall’arrivo dei “peace-keepers” NATO in Kosovo, più di 300,000
componenti a minoranze etniche sono state “epurate” dalla regione dagli
estremisti albanesi. E’ più di un anno che l’Amministrazione U.N. ad
interim in Kosovo (UNMIK) o l’Organizzazione per la Sicurezza e la
Cooperazione in Europa (OSCE) hanno rilasciato affermazioni circa gli
abusi dei diritti umani subiti dalle minoranze in Kosovo.
Sorprendentemente, alcune NGO come Medici Senza Frontiere (vincitore
del Premio Nobel per la Pace), la Croce Rossa Internazionale, Oxfam, e
molte altre organizzazioni hanno trascurato le minoranze etniche in
Kosovo, non rivolgendo attenzione alle loro problematiche. Gli unici
enti a divulgare notizie sugli abusi dei diritti umani in Kosovo sono
Amnesty International e Human Rights Watch.
La mia domanda è: se i cosiddetti “bombardamenti umanitari” avevano
come finalità l’arresto della “epurazione etnica”, perché le medesime
potenze occidentali sono così restie, avverse a d intervenire a favore
della popolazione zingara e delle altre minoranze kossovare che stanno
soffrendo un’effettiva epurazione etnica?
Tale epurazione etnica, per ciò che concerne gli zingari e a partire
dall’arrivo del 12 giugno 1999 dei peace-keepers dell’ONU ha avuto come
conseguenza il dileguarsi dal Kosovo dell’oltre il 75% di questa
popolazione (oltre 100,000 zingari). Eppure i media e la comunità
“umanitaria” internazionale restano in silenzio. Gli USA e i media
occidentali non hanno catturato sui loro schermi radar nessuno di
questi eventi, o hanno più precisamente e di buon grado ignorato tali
orrori. (vedere il nostro rapporto The Current Plight of the Roma in
Kosovo [L’Attuale Condizione degli Zingari in Kosovo], disponibile
dalla Voice of Roma, P.O. Box 514, Sebastopol, CA 95473.)
La maggioranza degli zingari rimasti in Kosovo (25,000 su una
popolazione che prima della guerra era di 150,000) sono profughi
interni, pur non possedendone lo status officiale. Questi zingari sono
invece etichettati come “profughi interni, apolidi” (IDPs), che,
rispetto ai profughi ufficiali, vedono ulteriormente ridotti i loro
diritti, segregati, limitati in campi con servizi ed attrezzature
scarsissime. Alcuni zingari vivono in enclaves controllate dai serbi.
Nessun altro gruppo etnico si trova nei campi IDPs, soltanto gli
zingari. Perché è così? Soltanto gli zingari non hanno una patria, una
nazione sicura come porto di salvezza. I serbi sono fuggiti in Serbia,
i bosniaci in Bosnia, i Turchi in Turchia e i gli slavi mussulmani in
Macedonia o in Europa occidentale.
I più poveri fra i poveri, stanziati nei campi IDP, gli zingari
affrontano un considerevole livello di discriminazione e oppressione,
che minaccia le loro stesse vite mutilando e paralizzandone la cultura.
Per darvi appena un’idea, l’ONU fornisce a ciascuno zingaro nei campi
IDP una razione mensile di otto chili (17 libbre) di farina, due
cipolle, due pomodori, mezzo chilo (una libbra) di formaggio, ed un po’
di frutta (solitamente marcia). Oltre a questo, vi sono soltanto tre
litri di olio da cucina per famiglia, indifferentemente dal numero di
elementi che la compongono; e non è possibile disporre di altre
forniture (interviste a profughi in campi IDP del Kosovo e Macedonia).
Se queste popolazioni stanno combattendo per sopravvivere fisicamente,
cosa accadrà alla loro cultura?
Un altro esempio che potrei fornire riguarda la richiesta da parte di
un delegato VOR che domandava di poter accedere all’acqua potabile e
per cucinare in un campo di zingari. Il rappresentante ONU replicò.
“Oh, gli zingari sanno come avere cura di se stessi. Sono nomadi; hanno
vissuto le loro vite così.” Se gli zingari devono fronteggiare un tale
abbandono, rigetto da coloro i quali la loro sopravvivenza fisica
dipende, come riusciranno a sopravvivere sia fisicamente che
culturalmente?
Questo stereotipo radicato, che gli zingari siano vagabondi, girovaghi
barbari e selvaggi, e che conseguentemente non abbiano le stesse
necessità dei membri delle società “civilizzate” è contraddetta dai
dati di fatto. In Kosovo, gli zingari hanno vissuto in case per oltre
settecento anni, e la maggioranza di loro non ha mai visto una carovana
di girovaghi. L’effetto di tali stereotipi è quello di disumanizzare
gli zingari e distruggere la loro infrastruttura culturale.
Nel Kosovo “libero” di oggi, nessuno zingaro può spostarsi
liberamente; i suoi figli non possono andare a scuola e non hanno il
permesso di parlare la loro lingua madre. A causa dell’abbandono
forzato delle loro case e del confino coatto nei campi, gran parte
degli zingari ancora in Kosovo non hanno potuto vedere i componenti
delle famiglie vicine da più di tre anni. Ciò implica, fra le altre
cose, che i matrimoni non possono contrarsi secondo le regole sociali
degli zingari. Cosa accade ad una società nella quale è impossibile
formare nuove famiglie?
Come possiamo cambiare la situazione degli zingari, ovunque possa
accadere loro di trovarsi? Qual è la nostra responsabilità verso un
popolo che è stato così ingiuriato ed ignorato per secoli?
Traduzione a cura di Enrico Vigna (SOS Yugoslavia)
compensation for families of victims of 1999 bombing /
ripagare le vittime civili dei bombardamenti nato in serbia?
=== ITALIANO ===
http://www.exju.org/comments/616_0_1_0_C/
[ex-nju] jugonews 19-26 gennaio '04
la jugonotizia in rilievo:
ripagare le vittime civili dei bombardamenti nato in serbia?
il ‘difensore civico’ per il kosovo marek novicky
[http://www.ombudspersonkosovo.org/%5d ha chiesto al segretario generale
della nato, jaap de hoop scheffer, in una lettera spedita il 22 gennaio
che alle famiglie delle vittime dei bombardamenti della nato in kosovo
nel 1999 venga assegnato un risarcimento per i danni morali, perché gli
attacchi sono avvenuti a danno di civili e non militari. nella lettera
viene menzionato l’attacco all’autobus vicino a podujevo
[http://www.sramota.com/nato/savine_vode/%5d e all’edificio della posta a
pristina in cui morirono 47 civili, rammentando che finora tutti i
tentativi dei familiari sono rimasti vani. in precedenza, novicki aveva
inviato la stessa richiesta anche all’ex segretario generale george
robertson, senza ricevere alcuna risposta. “in questo senso desidero
ricevere una risposta ora, perché la nato persiste a negare a queste
persone qualsiasi forma di aiuto” ha detto novicki nella sua lettera
inviata a scheffer.
erp.kim [http://www.kosovo.com/erpkiminfo_jan04/erpkiminfo23jan04b.html%5d
=== ENGLISH ===
Kosovo ombudsman asks NATO alliance to consider possibility of
compensation for families of victims of 1999 bombing
http://www.kosovo.com/erpkiminfo_jan04/erpkiminfo23jan04b.html
---
ERP KiM Newsletter 23-01-04b
Kosovo ombudsman asks NATO alliance to consider
possibility of compensation for families of victims of
1999 bombing
In an open letter to new NATO secretary general of
NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Kosovo ombudsman Marek Antoni Nowicki
asks for consideration of the possibility of compensation
for families of victims of the 1999 bombing
ERP KIM Info Service
Gracanica, January 23, 2004
(Photo: Marek Antoni Nowicki in search of justice for
victims of NATO bombing)
In today's newsletter we include a letter sent on
January 22, 2004 by Kosovo ombudsman Marek Antoni Nowicki
(Poland) to the new NATO secretary general Jap de Hoop Scheffer
regarding several requests by families of victims killed
during the NATO bombing of Kosovo and Metohija in 1999
for monetary compensation and public acknowledgement,
providing moral satisfaction of responsibility for
attacks on objects that were civil, not military, in nature. The
letter cites especially the bombing of a passenger bus in
Luzani (near Podujevo) resulting in the deaths of 47
persons and the injury of many more, and the bombing
of the post office in central Pristina. Nowicki states
that so far all attempts by these persons to obtain compensation
or public acknowledgement from NATO for their losses have
been in vain, as they have met with absolute silence
on the part of NATO.
Nowicki sent the same request earlier to former
secretary general Lord Robertson but never even
received a response to his letter. Mr. Nowicki therefore
stresses in his new letter:
"In this context, I would respectfully ask you to
provide me with a response as to why NATO persists in
its unwillingness to provide these people with some
kind of relief. Such relief includes, but is not limited to
the possibility of compensation. I sincerely hope that you will
give this request more consideration than your
predecessor did."
Mr. Nowicki concludes his letter with the statement
that he considers it his moral duty as Kosovo
ombudsman not to allow the fate of these people to be
forgotten, emphasizing that he looks forward to a positive response
from NATO his letter.
We enclose the letter we received from the Office of the
Ombudsman Mr. Nowicki in its entirety.
---
Marek Antoni Nowicki
Ombudsperson
Ombudsperson Institution in Kosovo
Institucioni i ombudspersonit në Kosovë
Institucija ombudspersona na Kosovu
Address: Agim Ramadani Str. (Ex "Kosovodrvo"
building), Pristina KOSOVO
Adresa: Rr. Agim Ramadani (Ish ndërtesa "Kosovodrvo"),
Prishtinë KOSOVA
Adresa: Ul. Agim Ramadani (Bivsa zgrada "Kosovodrvo"),
Pristina KOSOVO
Tel: ++381 (0) 38 501 401, 545 303, 540 447, 548 087,
Fax: ++381 (0) 38 545 302
e-mail: ombudspersonkosovo@...
web site: www.ombudspersonkosovo.org
22 January 2004
Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Secretary General
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
Blvd. Leopold III
1110 Brussels
Belgium
E-mail: natodoc@...
Dear Mr. de Hoop Scheffer,
Over the years, following the establishment of the Ombudsperson
Institution in Kosovo in 2000, a great number of residents of
Kosovo have approached me regarding the loss of family
members during the NATO air strikes in 1999. Many of
these cases refer to incidents acknowledged by NATO to
having been mistakes – examples are the bombing of a
passenger bus on a bridge near the village of Lluzane, causing 47 dead
and injuring many more and the bombing of a post office
in central Prishtinë/ Priština.
So far, these persons’ attempts to obtain some sort of compensation or
public acknowledgement from NATO for their losses have
been in vain, as they have met with absolute silence
on the part of NATO. On 21 May 2001, I sent a letter
to your predecessor Lord George Robertson asking him for
some type of recognition in this matter, including the provision of
compensation. Copies of the letter were sent to the
Foreign Ministers of all NATO Member States and to
Javier Solana, the EU High Representative for the
Common Foreign and Security Policy. The letter to Lord Robertson
met with no response. I enclose it in copy for your
information and convenience.
Given the amount of grief caused by these incidents and the fact that
the families of the victims have been waiting for over
four years now to receive an official recognition of
the anguish suffered as a consequence of these tragic
incidents, I consider it important to address this issue
yet again.
In this context, I would respectfully ask you to provide me with a
response as to why NATO persists in its unwillingness to
provide these people with some kind of relief. Such
relief includes, but is not limited to the possibility
of compensation. I sincerely hope that you will give
this request more consideration than your predecessor did.
I am well aware of the fact that I have no formal jurisdiction over
NATO or any of its member states, but I still consider
it as my moral duty as Ombudsperson in Kosovo not to
let the fate of these people be forgotten. The
Ombudsperson Institution in Kosovo is still prepared to serve as a
contact point between NATO and the families of the victims,
should this be requested by either side.
I hope for and would appreciate your attention in this matter and look
forward to a positive response, expected and hoped for
by these families and the people of Kosovo,
Yours sincerely,
Marek Antoni Nowicki
Ombudsperson
cc. Harri Holkeri, Special Representative of the
Secretary-General, UNMIK
Holger Kammerhof, KFOR Commander
Foreign Ministers of the NATO Member States
encl. Letter of 21 May 2001 to Lord Robertson,
former Secretary General of NATO
---
Reference:
NATO bombing of Serbia, 1999
The White book: Documents, facts, photos
(the original link on the web-site of the former Yugoslav Foreign
Ministry was removed with all material referring to the bombing
campaign. However the materials have been preserved on some other links
and we are enclosing one of them)
Book1:
http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/yugoslavia/milosevic/bela/bela/
index.htm
Book2:
http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/yugoslavia/milosevic/bela/bela2/
NATO_agr.htm
---
ERP KIM Info-Service is the official Information Service of the
Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren and works with the
blessing of His Grace Bishop Artemije.
Our Information Service is distributing news on Kosovo related
issues. The main focus of the Info-Service is the life of the
Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian community in the
Province of Kosovo and Metohija. ERP KIM Info Service works in
cooperation with www.serbian-translation.com as well as the
Kosovo Daily News (KDN) News List
Disclaimer:
The views expressed by the authors of newspaper articles or
other texts which are not official communiqués or news reports
by the Diocese are their own and do not necessarily represent
the views of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Additional information on our Diocese and the life of the Kosovo
Serb Community may be found at:
http://www.kosovo.com
Copyright 2004, ERP KIM Info-Service
ripagare le vittime civili dei bombardamenti nato in serbia?
=== ITALIANO ===
http://www.exju.org/comments/616_0_1_0_C/
[ex-nju] jugonews 19-26 gennaio '04
la jugonotizia in rilievo:
ripagare le vittime civili dei bombardamenti nato in serbia?
il ‘difensore civico’ per il kosovo marek novicky
[http://www.ombudspersonkosovo.org/%5d ha chiesto al segretario generale
della nato, jaap de hoop scheffer, in una lettera spedita il 22 gennaio
che alle famiglie delle vittime dei bombardamenti della nato in kosovo
nel 1999 venga assegnato un risarcimento per i danni morali, perché gli
attacchi sono avvenuti a danno di civili e non militari. nella lettera
viene menzionato l’attacco all’autobus vicino a podujevo
[http://www.sramota.com/nato/savine_vode/%5d e all’edificio della posta a
pristina in cui morirono 47 civili, rammentando che finora tutti i
tentativi dei familiari sono rimasti vani. in precedenza, novicki aveva
inviato la stessa richiesta anche all’ex segretario generale george
robertson, senza ricevere alcuna risposta. “in questo senso desidero
ricevere una risposta ora, perché la nato persiste a negare a queste
persone qualsiasi forma di aiuto” ha detto novicki nella sua lettera
inviata a scheffer.
erp.kim [http://www.kosovo.com/erpkiminfo_jan04/erpkiminfo23jan04b.html%5d
=== ENGLISH ===
Kosovo ombudsman asks NATO alliance to consider possibility of
compensation for families of victims of 1999 bombing
http://www.kosovo.com/erpkiminfo_jan04/erpkiminfo23jan04b.html
---
ERP KiM Newsletter 23-01-04b
Kosovo ombudsman asks NATO alliance to consider
possibility of compensation for families of victims of
1999 bombing
In an open letter to new NATO secretary general of
NATO Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, Kosovo ombudsman Marek Antoni Nowicki
asks for consideration of the possibility of compensation
for families of victims of the 1999 bombing
ERP KIM Info Service
Gracanica, January 23, 2004
(Photo: Marek Antoni Nowicki in search of justice for
victims of NATO bombing)
In today's newsletter we include a letter sent on
January 22, 2004 by Kosovo ombudsman Marek Antoni Nowicki
(Poland) to the new NATO secretary general Jap de Hoop Scheffer
regarding several requests by families of victims killed
during the NATO bombing of Kosovo and Metohija in 1999
for monetary compensation and public acknowledgement,
providing moral satisfaction of responsibility for
attacks on objects that were civil, not military, in nature. The
letter cites especially the bombing of a passenger bus in
Luzani (near Podujevo) resulting in the deaths of 47
persons and the injury of many more, and the bombing
of the post office in central Pristina. Nowicki states
that so far all attempts by these persons to obtain compensation
or public acknowledgement from NATO for their losses have
been in vain, as they have met with absolute silence
on the part of NATO.
Nowicki sent the same request earlier to former
secretary general Lord Robertson but never even
received a response to his letter. Mr. Nowicki therefore
stresses in his new letter:
"In this context, I would respectfully ask you to
provide me with a response as to why NATO persists in
its unwillingness to provide these people with some
kind of relief. Such relief includes, but is not limited to
the possibility of compensation. I sincerely hope that you will
give this request more consideration than your
predecessor did."
Mr. Nowicki concludes his letter with the statement
that he considers it his moral duty as Kosovo
ombudsman not to allow the fate of these people to be
forgotten, emphasizing that he looks forward to a positive response
from NATO his letter.
We enclose the letter we received from the Office of the
Ombudsman Mr. Nowicki in its entirety.
---
Marek Antoni Nowicki
Ombudsperson
Ombudsperson Institution in Kosovo
Institucioni i ombudspersonit në Kosovë
Institucija ombudspersona na Kosovu
Address: Agim Ramadani Str. (Ex "Kosovodrvo"
building), Pristina KOSOVO
Adresa: Rr. Agim Ramadani (Ish ndërtesa "Kosovodrvo"),
Prishtinë KOSOVA
Adresa: Ul. Agim Ramadani (Bivsa zgrada "Kosovodrvo"),
Pristina KOSOVO
Tel: ++381 (0) 38 501 401, 545 303, 540 447, 548 087,
Fax: ++381 (0) 38 545 302
e-mail: ombudspersonkosovo@...
web site: www.ombudspersonkosovo.org
22 January 2004
Mr. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
Secretary General
North Atlantic Treaty Organisation
Blvd. Leopold III
1110 Brussels
Belgium
E-mail: natodoc@...
Dear Mr. de Hoop Scheffer,
Over the years, following the establishment of the Ombudsperson
Institution in Kosovo in 2000, a great number of residents of
Kosovo have approached me regarding the loss of family
members during the NATO air strikes in 1999. Many of
these cases refer to incidents acknowledged by NATO to
having been mistakes – examples are the bombing of a
passenger bus on a bridge near the village of Lluzane, causing 47 dead
and injuring many more and the bombing of a post office
in central Prishtinë/ Priština.
So far, these persons’ attempts to obtain some sort of compensation or
public acknowledgement from NATO for their losses have
been in vain, as they have met with absolute silence
on the part of NATO. On 21 May 2001, I sent a letter
to your predecessor Lord George Robertson asking him for
some type of recognition in this matter, including the provision of
compensation. Copies of the letter were sent to the
Foreign Ministers of all NATO Member States and to
Javier Solana, the EU High Representative for the
Common Foreign and Security Policy. The letter to Lord Robertson
met with no response. I enclose it in copy for your
information and convenience.
Given the amount of grief caused by these incidents and the fact that
the families of the victims have been waiting for over
four years now to receive an official recognition of
the anguish suffered as a consequence of these tragic
incidents, I consider it important to address this issue
yet again.
In this context, I would respectfully ask you to provide me with a
response as to why NATO persists in its unwillingness to
provide these people with some kind of relief. Such
relief includes, but is not limited to the possibility
of compensation. I sincerely hope that you will give
this request more consideration than your predecessor did.
I am well aware of the fact that I have no formal jurisdiction over
NATO or any of its member states, but I still consider
it as my moral duty as Ombudsperson in Kosovo not to
let the fate of these people be forgotten. The
Ombudsperson Institution in Kosovo is still prepared to serve as a
contact point between NATO and the families of the victims,
should this be requested by either side.
I hope for and would appreciate your attention in this matter and look
forward to a positive response, expected and hoped for
by these families and the people of Kosovo,
Yours sincerely,
Marek Antoni Nowicki
Ombudsperson
cc. Harri Holkeri, Special Representative of the
Secretary-General, UNMIK
Holger Kammerhof, KFOR Commander
Foreign Ministers of the NATO Member States
encl. Letter of 21 May 2001 to Lord Robertson,
former Secretary General of NATO
---
Reference:
NATO bombing of Serbia, 1999
The White book: Documents, facts, photos
(the original link on the web-site of the former Yugoslav Foreign
Ministry was removed with all material referring to the bombing
campaign. However the materials have been preserved on some other links
and we are enclosing one of them)
Book1:
http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/yugoslavia/milosevic/bela/bela/
index.htm
Book2:
http://www.aeronautics.ru/archive/yugoslavia/milosevic/bela/bela2/
NATO_agr.htm
---
ERP KIM Info-Service is the official Information Service of the
Serbian Orthodox Diocese of Raska and Prizren and works with the
blessing of His Grace Bishop Artemije.
Our Information Service is distributing news on Kosovo related
issues. The main focus of the Info-Service is the life of the
Serbian Orthodox Church and the Serbian community in the
Province of Kosovo and Metohija. ERP KIM Info Service works in
cooperation with www.serbian-translation.com as well as the
Kosovo Daily News (KDN) News List
Disclaimer:
The views expressed by the authors of newspaper articles or
other texts which are not official communiqués or news reports
by the Diocese are their own and do not necessarily represent
the views of the Serbian Orthodox Church
Additional information on our Diocese and the life of the Kosovo
Serb Community may be found at:
http://www.kosovo.com
Copyright 2004, ERP KIM Info-Service
[Lettonia: la signora Albright in visita nei paesi baltici riceve
onoreficenze ed a sua volta loda il governo lettone per il suo zelo ad
entrare nella NATO e per la sua politica di apartheid razzista
antirusso; nel frattempo, i neonazisti ed i reduci delle SS celebrano
ufficialmente e tranquillamente le loro ricorrenze...]
Da: Rick Rozoff
Data: Gio 29 Gen 2004 04:20:57 Europe/Rome
A: antinato@...
Oggetto: [yugoslaviainfo] Albright Praises Apartheid, Neo-Nazi Latvia
For 'NATO Readiness'
1) Madeleine Albright Praises Latvia For 'Progress,'
NATO Readiness
2) Mass Protests In Latvia's Capital Against
Apartheid, Ethnic Cleansing Laws
3) Latvian Police, State Security Personnel Videotape
All Protesters
4) Latvian Government Formally Celebrates Waffen SS
Veterans, Consecrates Their Cemetery
5) Latvian Waffen SS Honors Its Colleagues (March 3,
2000)
1)
http://www.rferl.org/newsline/3-cee.asp
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 28, 2004
FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE LAUDS LATVIA'S PROGRESS
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on
27 January praised Latvia's upcoming accession to NATO
and said she hopes it will help improve regional
stability, BNS reported. At a press conference
following her meeting with President Vaira
Vike-Freiberga, Albright stressed the importance of
NATO having a constructive dialogue with Russia.
Albright's discussions with Vike-Freiberga centered on
the role of the World's Women Leaders Council and the
role of women in politics and the economy. In earlier
talks with Prime Minister Einars Repse, Albright noted
Latvia's progress in EU and NATO integration. As part
of her two-day visit, Albright on 27 January received
an honorary doctor's degree from the University of
Latvia for her achievements in politics and
contribution to Latvia's independence through her
promotion of Latvian-U.S. relations. She also attended
a book signing on 26 January to promote her book,
"Madame Secretary," during which she stressed the need
for Latvia to improve its policies toward minorities.
SG
------------------------------------------------------
2)
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=341845&PageNum=6
Itar-Tass
January 23, 2004
Mass protests in Riga against ban on education in
Russian
-"Some teachers and school administrations are afraid
to openly protest against the inhuman school reform,"
said Jakov Plinner, Chairman of the parliamentary
opposition bloc " For human rights in United Latvia."
-The amended law erased all the previous concessions
made by the Latvian government to the Russian-
speaking population that account for around 40 percent
of the overall population of Latvia.
RIGA, January 23 (Itar-Tass) -- A 4,000-strong picket
was staged by students of nine Russian schools in Riga
on Friday under the slogan" Hands off our schools".
The protesters hurled snow balls at the building of
the Latvian Education Ministry. Today’s protest act
against the ban on secondary education in Russian was
the biggest protest act in Latvia’s modern history.
In one of the schools protesting schoolchildren were
locked inside by the school administration. "Some
teachers and school administrations are afraid to
openly protest against the inhuman school reform,"
said Jakov Plinner, Chairman of the parliamentary
opposition bloc " For human rights in United Latvia."
On Thursday, the Latvian Seim approved at second
reading the amended law on education that tightened
the school reform that is very unpopular in Latvia.
The amended law envisages that the Russian language
should be taught in senior classes as a language
course and used for studies of literature only.
The amended law erased all the previous concessions
made by the Latvian government to the Russian-
speaking population that account for around 40 percent
of the overall population of Latvia.
Dozens of policemen and security personnel were
summoned to maintain order during protest acts in the
Latvian capital. Police did not interfere, but
recorded the pickets on videotape.
“Our resistance to reform is growing stronger from day
to day,” one of the leaders of the organization in
support of Russian schools Yuri Petropavlovsky told
Itar-Tass.
------------------------------------------------------
3)
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=341132&PageNum=6
Itar-Tass
January 23, 2004
Russian school students march in Riga to protest
school reform
-Dozen of policemen and local security service
officers were mustered to maintain order during the
protest march in the Latvian capital, but they have
not intervened - only videotaped all the protesters.
RIGA, January 23 (Itar-Tass) - Students from eight
Russian schools in Latvia have converged on Riga to
take part in an action of protest against the bank on
teaching secondary school classes in Russian.
Dozen of policemen and local security service officers
were mustered to maintain order during the protest
march in the Latvian capital, but they have not
intervened - only videotaped all the protesters.
Latvian Education and Science Minister Karlis
Sadurskis has already warned that all those who draw
children into politics and encourage them to miss
classes will be taken to legal account.
“Our resistance to reform is growing ever stronger
from day to day,” one of the leaders of organization
for the protection of the Russian schools Yuri
Petropavlovsky said to ITAR-TASS on Friday.
The Latvian Sejm (parliament) on Thursday passed upon
the second of the three readings the amendments to the
Law on Education that make the already largely
unpopular reform procedures even more rigorous.
From now on, teachers at the Russian schools are
allowed to speak Russian only when teaching the
language itself and Russian literature to senior
school students.
The latest amendments abolish all the concessions,
which the government of Latvia earlier made to the
country’s Russian-speaking community that comprises
about 40 percent of the country’s population.
------------------------------------------------------
4)
http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/92/372/10978_Latvia.html
Pravda.ru
September 27, 2004
Latvia Opens SS Veterans Cemetery
The opening ceremony was very solemn
The ceremony to open the common cemetery of Latvian
legionaries - Nazi SS veterans - is taking place in
Latvia today. The solemn ceremony started at midday,
local time, it was broadcast on the national
television and radio. Former legionaries, their
relatives and followers are to take part in the
ceremony together with a lot of Latvian politicians
and leaders of Latvia's largest religious confessions.
Three military orchestras of the Latvian Defense
Ministry will be playing at the ceremony. "The whole
Latvia will see that an old sanctuary has appeared in
the country," chairman of the National Warriors
Association Nikolay Romanovskis said.
It is very hard to be unbiased about the current
events in Latvia. Nevertheless, today's opening of the
cemetery is not the first example to show the Baltic
republic's attitude to WWII. Of course, one may
recollect that SS divisions had not been formed only
in Latvia. Nazis attracted the French, the Dutch, the
Croatians. The motto was common for all - to defend
Europe from the bolshevik danger. However, the
attitude to SS members was the same for all countries
after the war was over - people despised them.
Monuments or memorials in honor of SS members have
never been opened or unveiled in any country of West
Europe. However, it became a very pompous ceremony in
Latvia. At times, SS veterans organize demonstrations
in Germany, although the German government has always
tried to stand aloof from marching elderly men, who
were lucky to avoid a Soviet, an English, a French or
an American bullet. In addition, the German police had
to take a lot of efforts not to let antifascists beat
SS veterans on such demonstrations.
It is impossible to justify the things which take
place in Latvia today. In Latvia, SS veterans are
referred to as the military men, who defended their
fatherland from the Soviet invasion. That is why one
has to honor and respect them. Such a reference is
meant for people, whose minds have been fogged with
chauvinism, or for silly people, who study history on
Latvian text books.
Latvia has recently held the referendum devoted to the
country's membership in the EU. The majority of
Latvians supported the idea - they already imagine
themselves the "residents of the joint European
space." One may only congratulate Brussels: the
European Union will have the country that praises
Nazis' "deeds."
Vasily Bubnov
-----------------------------------------------------
5)
http://www.newsday.com/ap/international/ap144.htm
Associated Press
March 3, 2000
Latvian Waffen SS Honors Comrades
By STEVEN C. JOHNSON
RIGA, Latvia (AP) -- About 300 veterans of the Latvian
Waffen SS walked slowly through Riga on Thursday to
honor their fallen comrades in a
ceremony bitterly criticized by Russian and Jewish
groups.
The former soldiers, most in their 70s and 80s, said
they weren't making a political statement but
remembering 50,000 comrades who died in battle.
Many Latvians say the Latvian Waffen SS, also known as
the Latvian Legion, was a conscripted, front-line army
and wasn't the same thing as Germany's
SS -- Adolf Hitler's elite force that carried out the
Holocaust and other atrocities.
''We are not Nazis. But thousands of our comrades lost
their lives fighting,'' said 76-year-old Visvaldis
Lacis, a key organizer. ''Why can't
we remember them?''
The veterans, some in wheelchairs, others carrying
canes, gathered at a church to sing and pray before
filing across cobble-stoned streets and laying wreaths
at an independence monument. Many strained to walk the
short procession route. One collapsed from an apparent
heart attack and was rushed to a hospital, the Baltic
News Service reported.
Russia said the march showed contempt for millions of
Soviet war dead.
''What else must happen in Latvia to make the
international public realize that the ghosts of the
past, who sowed death and suffering for the people
of Europe, march in the towns of that country?'' the
Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Members of Latvia's 11,000-member Jewish community
also said the march was an affront to the memory of
80,000 Latvian Jews killed during the 1941-44
Nazi occupation.
''These men were Hitler's aides and they were fighting
for the Germans, not for a free Latvia.'' said
Alexander Bergman, a 74-year-old Holocaust
survivor. ''Besides, everyone knew what the Nazis were
doing here. It was no secret.''
Many Latvians accept veteran claims that they were
patriots fighting for Latvian independence against
Soviet invasion. Some Latvian onlookers clapped as the
marchers passed and shouted, ''Long live free
Latvia!''
Others, especially members of the million-strong
Russian-speaking minority, jeered or sang Soviet war
songs. One elderly women shook her cane at the
passing veterans.
''This is unforgivable,'' said Nina Noshina, a
78-year-old ethnic Russian. ''Why does Latvia
celebrate fascists when they are condemned everywhere
else?''
The government distanced itself from the event, and
lawmakers earlier this year withdrew recognition of
March 16 as an official day of remembrance to
mark a key 1944 battle against the Soviets.
Lawmaker Inese Birzniece said the controversy stems
from a misunderstanding of Latvia's history during
World War II.
The Soviets occupied Latvia at the start of the war in
1940, Germany ruled from 1941-44, and the Soviets
retook it in 1944. Latvia regained its independence in
1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
With Latvia sandwiched between the Nazi and Soviet
armies, 250,000 Latvians ended up fighting on one side
of the conflict or the other, usually after being
conscripted. Some 150,000 Latvian combatants died.
''These are not Nazis marching through Riga with
swastika armbands. These are old men remembering their
dead. No swastikas, no brown shirts, no Nazi
flags. It's not even a march, it's a shuffle,''
Birzniece said. ''The criticism has been unfair.''
onoreficenze ed a sua volta loda il governo lettone per il suo zelo ad
entrare nella NATO e per la sua politica di apartheid razzista
antirusso; nel frattempo, i neonazisti ed i reduci delle SS celebrano
ufficialmente e tranquillamente le loro ricorrenze...]
Da: Rick Rozoff
Data: Gio 29 Gen 2004 04:20:57 Europe/Rome
A: antinato@...
Oggetto: [yugoslaviainfo] Albright Praises Apartheid, Neo-Nazi Latvia
For 'NATO Readiness'
1) Madeleine Albright Praises Latvia For 'Progress,'
NATO Readiness
2) Mass Protests In Latvia's Capital Against
Apartheid, Ethnic Cleansing Laws
3) Latvian Police, State Security Personnel Videotape
All Protesters
4) Latvian Government Formally Celebrates Waffen SS
Veterans, Consecrates Their Cemetery
5) Latvian Waffen SS Honors Its Colleagues (March 3,
2000)
1)
http://www.rferl.org/newsline/3-cee.asp
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty
January 28, 2004
FORMER U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE LAUDS LATVIA'S PROGRESS
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on
27 January praised Latvia's upcoming accession to NATO
and said she hopes it will help improve regional
stability, BNS reported. At a press conference
following her meeting with President Vaira
Vike-Freiberga, Albright stressed the importance of
NATO having a constructive dialogue with Russia.
Albright's discussions with Vike-Freiberga centered on
the role of the World's Women Leaders Council and the
role of women in politics and the economy. In earlier
talks with Prime Minister Einars Repse, Albright noted
Latvia's progress in EU and NATO integration. As part
of her two-day visit, Albright on 27 January received
an honorary doctor's degree from the University of
Latvia for her achievements in politics and
contribution to Latvia's independence through her
promotion of Latvian-U.S. relations. She also attended
a book signing on 26 January to promote her book,
"Madame Secretary," during which she stressed the need
for Latvia to improve its policies toward minorities.
SG
------------------------------------------------------
2)
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=341845&PageNum=6
Itar-Tass
January 23, 2004
Mass protests in Riga against ban on education in
Russian
-"Some teachers and school administrations are afraid
to openly protest against the inhuman school reform,"
said Jakov Plinner, Chairman of the parliamentary
opposition bloc " For human rights in United Latvia."
-The amended law erased all the previous concessions
made by the Latvian government to the Russian-
speaking population that account for around 40 percent
of the overall population of Latvia.
RIGA, January 23 (Itar-Tass) -- A 4,000-strong picket
was staged by students of nine Russian schools in Riga
on Friday under the slogan" Hands off our schools".
The protesters hurled snow balls at the building of
the Latvian Education Ministry. Today’s protest act
against the ban on secondary education in Russian was
the biggest protest act in Latvia’s modern history.
In one of the schools protesting schoolchildren were
locked inside by the school administration. "Some
teachers and school administrations are afraid to
openly protest against the inhuman school reform,"
said Jakov Plinner, Chairman of the parliamentary
opposition bloc " For human rights in United Latvia."
On Thursday, the Latvian Seim approved at second
reading the amended law on education that tightened
the school reform that is very unpopular in Latvia.
The amended law envisages that the Russian language
should be taught in senior classes as a language
course and used for studies of literature only.
The amended law erased all the previous concessions
made by the Latvian government to the Russian-
speaking population that account for around 40 percent
of the overall population of Latvia.
Dozens of policemen and security personnel were
summoned to maintain order during protest acts in the
Latvian capital. Police did not interfere, but
recorded the pickets on videotape.
“Our resistance to reform is growing stronger from day
to day,” one of the leaders of the organization in
support of Russian schools Yuri Petropavlovsky told
Itar-Tass.
------------------------------------------------------
3)
http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?NewsID=341132&PageNum=6
Itar-Tass
January 23, 2004
Russian school students march in Riga to protest
school reform
-Dozen of policemen and local security service
officers were mustered to maintain order during the
protest march in the Latvian capital, but they have
not intervened - only videotaped all the protesters.
RIGA, January 23 (Itar-Tass) - Students from eight
Russian schools in Latvia have converged on Riga to
take part in an action of protest against the bank on
teaching secondary school classes in Russian.
Dozen of policemen and local security service officers
were mustered to maintain order during the protest
march in the Latvian capital, but they have not
intervened - only videotaped all the protesters.
Latvian Education and Science Minister Karlis
Sadurskis has already warned that all those who draw
children into politics and encourage them to miss
classes will be taken to legal account.
“Our resistance to reform is growing ever stronger
from day to day,” one of the leaders of organization
for the protection of the Russian schools Yuri
Petropavlovsky said to ITAR-TASS on Friday.
The Latvian Sejm (parliament) on Thursday passed upon
the second of the three readings the amendments to the
Law on Education that make the already largely
unpopular reform procedures even more rigorous.
From now on, teachers at the Russian schools are
allowed to speak Russian only when teaching the
language itself and Russian literature to senior
school students.
The latest amendments abolish all the concessions,
which the government of Latvia earlier made to the
country’s Russian-speaking community that comprises
about 40 percent of the country’s population.
------------------------------------------------------
4)
http://english.pravda.ru/world/20/92/372/10978_Latvia.html
Pravda.ru
September 27, 2004
Latvia Opens SS Veterans Cemetery
The opening ceremony was very solemn
The ceremony to open the common cemetery of Latvian
legionaries - Nazi SS veterans - is taking place in
Latvia today. The solemn ceremony started at midday,
local time, it was broadcast on the national
television and radio. Former legionaries, their
relatives and followers are to take part in the
ceremony together with a lot of Latvian politicians
and leaders of Latvia's largest religious confessions.
Three military orchestras of the Latvian Defense
Ministry will be playing at the ceremony. "The whole
Latvia will see that an old sanctuary has appeared in
the country," chairman of the National Warriors
Association Nikolay Romanovskis said.
It is very hard to be unbiased about the current
events in Latvia. Nevertheless, today's opening of the
cemetery is not the first example to show the Baltic
republic's attitude to WWII. Of course, one may
recollect that SS divisions had not been formed only
in Latvia. Nazis attracted the French, the Dutch, the
Croatians. The motto was common for all - to defend
Europe from the bolshevik danger. However, the
attitude to SS members was the same for all countries
after the war was over - people despised them.
Monuments or memorials in honor of SS members have
never been opened or unveiled in any country of West
Europe. However, it became a very pompous ceremony in
Latvia. At times, SS veterans organize demonstrations
in Germany, although the German government has always
tried to stand aloof from marching elderly men, who
were lucky to avoid a Soviet, an English, a French or
an American bullet. In addition, the German police had
to take a lot of efforts not to let antifascists beat
SS veterans on such demonstrations.
It is impossible to justify the things which take
place in Latvia today. In Latvia, SS veterans are
referred to as the military men, who defended their
fatherland from the Soviet invasion. That is why one
has to honor and respect them. Such a reference is
meant for people, whose minds have been fogged with
chauvinism, or for silly people, who study history on
Latvian text books.
Latvia has recently held the referendum devoted to the
country's membership in the EU. The majority of
Latvians supported the idea - they already imagine
themselves the "residents of the joint European
space." One may only congratulate Brussels: the
European Union will have the country that praises
Nazis' "deeds."
Vasily Bubnov
-----------------------------------------------------
5)
http://www.newsday.com/ap/international/ap144.htm
Associated Press
March 3, 2000
Latvian Waffen SS Honors Comrades
By STEVEN C. JOHNSON
RIGA, Latvia (AP) -- About 300 veterans of the Latvian
Waffen SS walked slowly through Riga on Thursday to
honor their fallen comrades in a
ceremony bitterly criticized by Russian and Jewish
groups.
The former soldiers, most in their 70s and 80s, said
they weren't making a political statement but
remembering 50,000 comrades who died in battle.
Many Latvians say the Latvian Waffen SS, also known as
the Latvian Legion, was a conscripted, front-line army
and wasn't the same thing as Germany's
SS -- Adolf Hitler's elite force that carried out the
Holocaust and other atrocities.
''We are not Nazis. But thousands of our comrades lost
their lives fighting,'' said 76-year-old Visvaldis
Lacis, a key organizer. ''Why can't
we remember them?''
The veterans, some in wheelchairs, others carrying
canes, gathered at a church to sing and pray before
filing across cobble-stoned streets and laying wreaths
at an independence monument. Many strained to walk the
short procession route. One collapsed from an apparent
heart attack and was rushed to a hospital, the Baltic
News Service reported.
Russia said the march showed contempt for millions of
Soviet war dead.
''What else must happen in Latvia to make the
international public realize that the ghosts of the
past, who sowed death and suffering for the people
of Europe, march in the towns of that country?'' the
Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Members of Latvia's 11,000-member Jewish community
also said the march was an affront to the memory of
80,000 Latvian Jews killed during the 1941-44
Nazi occupation.
''These men were Hitler's aides and they were fighting
for the Germans, not for a free Latvia.'' said
Alexander Bergman, a 74-year-old Holocaust
survivor. ''Besides, everyone knew what the Nazis were
doing here. It was no secret.''
Many Latvians accept veteran claims that they were
patriots fighting for Latvian independence against
Soviet invasion. Some Latvian onlookers clapped as the
marchers passed and shouted, ''Long live free
Latvia!''
Others, especially members of the million-strong
Russian-speaking minority, jeered or sang Soviet war
songs. One elderly women shook her cane at the
passing veterans.
''This is unforgivable,'' said Nina Noshina, a
78-year-old ethnic Russian. ''Why does Latvia
celebrate fascists when they are condemned everywhere
else?''
The government distanced itself from the event, and
lawmakers earlier this year withdrew recognition of
March 16 as an official day of remembrance to
mark a key 1944 battle against the Soviets.
Lawmaker Inese Birzniece said the controversy stems
from a misunderstanding of Latvia's history during
World War II.
The Soviets occupied Latvia at the start of the war in
1940, Germany ruled from 1941-44, and the Soviets
retook it in 1944. Latvia regained its independence in
1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union.
With Latvia sandwiched between the Nazi and Soviet
armies, 250,000 Latvians ended up fighting on one side
of the conflict or the other, usually after being
conscripted. Some 150,000 Latvian combatants died.
''These are not Nazis marching through Riga with
swastika armbands. These are old men remembering their
dead. No swastikas, no brown shirts, no Nazi
flags. It's not even a march, it's a shuffle,''
Birzniece said. ''The criticism has been unfair.''
