SERBIAN "ETHNIC CLEANSING" OF
ALBANIANS IN KOSOVA
Kosova lies on the south of former Yugoslavia, bordered by Serbia proper
to the northeast, Montenegro to the north, Macedonia to the south and Albania to the
southwest. More than 90% of its 2 million people are Albanians, and most of the rest are
Serbs. Albanians also live in large numbers in aforementioned areas bordering Kosova: 1
million in Macedonia; 100,000 in Montenegro; 50,000 in Serbia proper (Presheve, Medvegje,
and Bujanovc); and 3.5 million in the state of Albania - a divided nation of 7 million
people living side by side in the Balkans.
THE KOSOVA PROBLEM SINCE WORLD WAR II
The 1946 Yugoslav constitution recognized the separate identity of
Kosova. At the same time, it divided Albanian - inhabited lands among Serbia, Albania,
Macedonia, and Montenegro. In 1963, under the influence of Serbian secret police, boss
Alexander Rankovic, Kosova was incorporated as commune in Serbia. After Rankovics
fall in 1974, Kosova was reinstated as an autonomous Province and given federal
representation equal to that of the six Yugoslav republics of Serbia, Croatia,
Bosnia-Herzegovina, Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro.
Following Titos death, persecution by Serbian Government troops ensued, which led
to massive student uprising in Kosova in 1981. The Serbian police and troops killed at
least twenty-two Albanians and beat wounded and arrested thousands more. From 1981 to
1988, official statistics confirm the arrest and jailing of more than 7000 people and the
incredible figure of 586,000 Albanians (about 1/3 of the Albanian population) who passed
through the hands of police for one reason or another.
Serbian determination to strip Kosova of its independence accelerated the violence. In
1989, the Serbian authorities forcibly abolished the autonomy of Kosova and sent Yugoslav
tanks to patrol the streets. Six days of rioting ensued, during which more than 100
Albanians were killed and more than 900 arrested.
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