Work of the Hague tribunal in Racak case criticized

No interest in fallen Serbs Work of the Hague tribunal in Racak case criticized
Markus Bickel

SARAJEVO/HELSINKI, January - Finnish pathologist Helena Ranta has expressed lack of comprehension regarding the work of the UN's Hague tribunal in the case of the so-called massacre of Racak.

In an interview with "Berliner Zeitung", the head of the forensic team sent by the EU to investigate occurrences in the Kosovo village of Racak in January, 1999, criticized that indications of serious fighting between Serbian soldiers and Albanian fighters on the night of 15th to 16th of January, 1999, in the Racak area had been inadequately pursued.

The tragedy in the Kosovo village exactly five years ago in which more than 40 Albanians died was used by Western politicians to convince the public of the necessity of the approaching NATO attack on Yugoslavia. U.S. diplomat William Walker played a central role. The chief of OSCE's Kosovo mission immediately accused the Serbs of having summarily executed 45 unarmed Albanian civilians in Racak. The Serbian side rejected this view and spoke about UCK fighters fallen in battle.

Ranta said she knows that "KLA fighters were buried near to Racak" at that time. "I had already gotten information proving that there several Serbian soldiers were also shot. Unfortunately, we will probably never find out the exact number of the Serbs that fell on that night." The question needs to be asked "why the Tribunal is not interested in this number." Ranta criticized that the indictment against the Yugoslav ex-president Milosevic in the Racak case largely follows the version of events put forward by Walker. "If ambassador Walker says that there has been a massacre in Racak, that statement has no legal effect. Even at that time I expressed that the OSCE observers had forgotten all the steps one usually expects by way of protection of the scene: its isolation, the exclusion of unauthorized persons as well as gathering of evidence." Ranta demanded the publishing of the pictures of two other photographers in addition to the OSCE photos of the scene which were also taken a few hours before the arrival of the OSCE observers.

The pictures showed "that at least one of the bodies was later moved. This body did not appear in the OSCE pictures."

During the days before beginning of the NATO attacks on Yugoslavia it was clear "that a whole series of governments had an interest in a version of Racak events which held only the Serbian side responsible," said Ranta. "However, I could not provide them with this version." She had gotten her instructions from the German diplomat, Ambassador Pauls, the representative of the German EU presidency of that time, who asked her to prepare a written tatement.

"Afterwards I had to show this individual statement to William Walker, who was obviously far from enthusiastic when he read it." Nevertheless, she agreed to participate in the important news conference on March 17, 1999. "On that occasion, I sat together with the German ambassador in Belgrade, Gruber, and a Finnish diplomat on the stage. I hoped that both men would support me." Unfortunately, that was not the case. "Instead, I had the feeling of having been left in a lurch," said Ranta. As a the result of this news conference dominated by Walker, most media considered the version of a Serbian massacre over Albanian civilians confirmed. Few days later the NATO air attacks on Yugoslavia began.

There are names, but they are not easily found. You have to dig deep to find them, and there is good reason for that. Much of “indictment” does not make any sense.

According to “witnesses” of alleged massacre “Yugoslav Government War Crimes in Racak”
Source (HRW): http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/kosovo98/racak.shtml

Ten households of the Beqa family live in the part of Racak called Upper Mahalla on the edge of the village. According to one member of the family, whose son and husband were both killed, at around 7:00 a.m. thirty members of the Beqa family tried to run toward the nearby forest when they heard the police. She told Human Rights Watch that more then forty policemen wearing blue uniforms and without masks began shooting at them from a distance of twenty meters from the top of the hill.

More “then forty policemen” armed with automatic weapons “without masks began shooting at them from a distance of twenty meters”, and result -- only 3 dead and 2 wounded!!! Incredible luck, I guess.
Second, only alleged victim old 22 years is SHABANI, Bajrush; note that he is not Beqa he is Shabani.
Source (“indictment”):http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mil-ii990524e.htm

Also note, there is mention only of BEQIRI “victims” in the “indictment”, there are no Beqa on that list.
According to the “indictment”,
MEHMETI, Bajram Male
MEHMETI, Hanumshah Female
are victims. Allegedly they are villagers living in Racak, everybody should know them but there is no mention of age. Or any other data! No address, no ID, no description – nothing, nada, zero! And they are not only ones. For 24 names!!!! out of 45 they are not able to tell age (at least approximately) for fellow villagers.

Take for example this:
HRW: Searching for Weapons and the Killing of Nazmi Ymeri (76)
“indictment” ZYMERI, Njazi Male (mo age)
HRW: Mufail Hajrizi
“indictment” - HAJRIZI, Myfail

But let us not dwell on such details - names and positive ID.
What really amazes me is Serb incompetence! Their policeman and soldiers are really bungling and inept!
HRW: Two or three policeman beat them with wooden sticks. One was kicking them in the face with his boots. The others were just watching. It was terrible. The men were screaming, and their heads were covered with blood. A policeman locked me in the cellar with the women, but I could hear screaming for the next half an hour.
They are beating people “with wooden sticks” for half an hour and they are still able to scream!! Amazing toughness. It is strange and gets stranger!
HRW: One bullet crossed through his pocket, and another one is still in his belt.

And so on, and so forth.

HRW: Some time around 1:00 p.m. the police led the twenty-three men out of Osmani's yard.
“indictment” - A group of approximately 25 men attempted to hide in a building, but were discovered by the Serb police.

HRW: His throat and half his face had been cut by a knife. On the top of his head was a wooden stick with some paper.
Or this
Journalists at the scene early on January 16 told Human Rights Watch that many of these twenty-three men also had signs of torture, such as missing finger nails.

According to so-called “indictment”.
In one such incident, on 15 January 1999, 45 unarmed Kosovo Albanians were murdered in the village of Racak in the municipality of Stimlje/Shtime.

No mention of this torture in “indictment”. “unarmed”, but wait according to witnesses:
HRW: I heard the police ask them [the men] where is the headquarters of our army [the KLA], and they answered where it was.

So, Racak really was KLA military stronghold, terrorist base, second Srebrenica. Which, according to HRW, means:

All of them (“victims”) were wearing rubber boots typical of Kosovo farmers rather than military footwear.

But from Ranta’s testimony we learn following:
Milosevic::
But in Dunjic's report, for example, it says these military boots

13 on 23 persons. As you can see, they were not able to take these boots off

14 because had they removed the footwear because of religious custom, they

15 would have removed the footwear of all the persons. But they removed only

16 the footwear of those wearing military boots. They were unable to take

17 off the underwear showing their military status.

and much, much more
9 Q. Mrs. Ranta, on all these photographs here, you have people wearing

10 military boots. Here, have a look at them. And in the report of

11 Professor Dunjic and other professors, expert witnesses, it says that they

12 even have markings, a "O" signifying that they were made in Germany. And

13 here, have a look at these photographs. There you can see the military

14 boots.
Source: http://www.un.org/icty/transe54/030312ED.htm

Conclusion: So-called Hague tribunal's indictment is not a serious legal document supported by probative evidence.

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