Kosovo/Kosova As Seen, As Told KOSOVO / KOSOVA As Seen, As Told PART III : The violation of human rights in Kosovo (Chapter 8) Contents MISSING PERSONS Previous Next 1 The many cases dealt with by the OSCE-KVM in which the UCK was confirmed or alleged to have abducted Kosovo Serbs are dealt with in Chapter 19, Kosovo Serbs. When the OSCE-KVM was deployed inside Kosovo, most of the civilians who were reported to it as "missing persons" as a result of the conflict had in fact gone missing between June and September 1998, i.e. before the signing of the agreement between the FRY and the OSCE on 26 October 1998. The OSCE-KVM Human Rights Division worked with the Serb community in an attempt to locate those people and addressed itself to the UCK on this issue. Priority was given, however, to the cases of those who were reportedly abducted during the time of the OSCE-KVM deployment in Kosovo, and extensive resources were employed, often successfully, in securing a release from the UCK. Judging by statements taken by the OSCE-KVM from refugees which relate to the period 20 March-9 June 1999, there are a large number of Kosovo Albanians whose fate is reported as unknown after they had last been seen in the custody of FRY or Serbian forces. It has been beyond the scope of this report's analysis and follow-up of the OSCE-KVM's data to determine specifically whether any of those people have "disappeared" according to the definition as set out in the UN Declaration on the Protection of all 2 Persons from Enforced Disappearance, i.e. that a person has been "arrested, detained or abducted against their will or otherwise deprived of their liberty by officials of different branches or levels of Government, or by organized groups or private individuals acting on behalf of, or with the support, direct or indirect, consent or acquiescence of the Government, followed by a refusal to disclose the fate or whereabouts of the persons concerned or a refusal to acknowledge the deprivation of their liberty, 3 which places such persons outside the protection of the law". Notes 1 To read further on issues relating to missing persons in Kosovo, see Chapter 9, Arbitrary arrest and detention, and Chapter 19, Kosovo Serbs. http://www.osce.org/kosovo/documents/reports/hr/part1/ch8.htm (1 of 2)12/5/2003 11:51:59 AM