Kosovo/Kosova As Seen, As Told The OSCE-KVM did not have the full co-operation of the judiciary. For example, in Pristina District Court the Public Prosecutor and the President of the Court refused to meet human rights officers. Trial schedules were difficult to obtain and the OSCE-KVM was often misinformed about scheduled trials. In one instance, a human rights officer was only allowed in the courtroom after senior mission staff 29 intervened. Court officials displayed a high degree of distrust of the OSCE-KVM and alleged that the 30 OSCE-KVM was likely to believe "Albanian propaganda". The OSCE-KVM encountered frequent obstacles to its access to Pristina hospital. This was particularly acute when human rights officers attempted to verify the location and condition of those wounded who were suspected of terrorist acts. The OSCE-KVM was often refused access to medical staff to discuss allegations of medical discrimination against Kosovo Albanians. Access to the morgue to verify the identification and condition of dead bodies was routinely denied. On several occasions, access was granted only after the Head of Mission intervened with officials in Belgrade. 31 Freedom of movement was a problem throughout the time the OSCE-KVM was deployed in Kosovo. Both UCK and Serbian authorities set up checkpoints. The OSCE-KVM was at times refused access to areas beyond these checkpoints without any legitimate reason. 32 The impact of the work of the Human Rights Division Despite the factors limiting the capacity of the Human Rights Division to perform its tasks optimally, the impact of the work done was significant. The OSCE-KVM contributed to a general reduction in the level of fear among the population in Kosovo. For example, the presence of human rights officers on intercity buses resulted in fewer cases of abuse by the police, who often stopped buses at checkpoints and harassed the Kosovo Albanian passengers, beat them or arrested them. There was a noticeable change in the atmosphere on buses monitored by the Human Rights Division. 33 Human rights officers reported that judges, who would otherwise convict a suspected terrorist on very dubious legal grounds, would hesitate when OSCE-KVM and other organizations were present in the courtroom. Families of those detained said that after OSCE-KVM began monitoring trials detention beatings were reduced. The substantial number of OSCE-KVM human rights officers made it possible to have a wide presence at these trials. The impact of daily interventions at police stations was also evident. People who were afraid to go as ordered for an "informative talk" (see also Chapter 10, Violation of the right to a fair trial), or were afraid to approach the police in general, often asked OSCE-KVM to assist them or accompany them to the police station. The mere presence of OSCE-KVM improved the human rights situation in Kosovo, albeit the improvement must be viewed in the light of the overall appalling conditions for human rights in any state of armed conflict. Some of the OSCE-KVM's impact could be measured in a tangible way. For example, when OSCE-KVM opened a field office in the small village of Slapuzane/Slapuzhan (Suva http://www.osce.org/kosovo/documents/reports/hr/part1/ch2.htm (8 of 16)12/5/2003 11:48:40 AM