Obeyed Laws, and Now He is in Jail

AIM Pristina, 29 December, 1999

Nerdzivane Ademi (29), ethnic Albanian from Kosovska Mitrovica, often placed an order in a radio station which mostly broadcasts musical program to listen to a song a part of the text of which says "Nobody can do us any harm". For a single broadcasting of the song she had to pay 20 dinars, and before it went on air the announcer always read a short message which began with words: "To my Ljulji".

Nerdzivana with two small daughters lives in the Serb part of ethnically divided Kosovska Mitrovica and she says that it is easier for her to spend long days with music. Her husband Ljulji is in a prison cell for five months already His real name is Ljuljzim and he is 30 years old. On 23 October, 1999, district public prosecutor's office raised charges against him, which according to the contents might as well be put up at the International Tribunal for war crimes in the Hague. The only difference is that in the Hague, if the worst came to the worst, he would have been sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison, while in Mitrovica, according to the laws now in force, he might even be sentenced to death.

Ljuljzim Ademi is indicted by fellow members of his ethnic group for murder of other Albanians. It is stated in the indictment that he "violated the rules of international law during the war and that together with a number of members of a paramilitary group intentionally ordered and perpetrated murders and torture".

His wife Nerdzivana claims that "none of it is true" and that "the Albanians raised charges against him only because at the time of NATO bombing he went to work". He is one of the rare Albanians who during the intervention of NATO forces against Yugoslavia (and Kosovo) worked as a policeman with the Serbian security forces. Armed with an automatic rifle, in police uniform, he worked every day guarding the building of the municipal assembly of Kosovska Mitrovica.

"He had a certificate in which it was written that he could go armed only from his home to the building of the municipal assembly and back. I claim that he is innocent", Nerdzivana repeats. The prosecutor, however, thinks differently. In the indictment signed by district public prosecutor Juzuf Mejzini crimes committed by Ademi are listed at great length and in detail on sic pages. In court documents it is stated that "on 24 April, 1999, with three members of the paramilitary, he savagely amputated a finger on the left hand of Albanian Hajro Beciri", then as it is stated in the indictment, they "stabbed him several times with a knife and deformed his face, and then shot the deceased Beciri several times from an automatic rifle".

All the items of the indictment are written in plural: "they killed, they shot". While reading the indictment, any man would get goose bumps. Names of the Albanians are listed who were on 4 April, 1999, shot by Ademi together with "unknown members of the paramilitary" (the expression used by the prosecutor) in Travnik, a settlement a few kilometres to south of the town. He is accused that he set exactly one hundred houses on fire together with the Serbs in his native village of Brabonjic. "Even if he were an incorrigible criminal, would he set on fire the village in which he was born in and in which his four sisters and father still live", his wife wonders.

The prosecutor's office is merciless. It is stated in the indictment that on 16 April in the village of Sipolje "he participated in the murder of seven persons of ethnic Albanian origin". He is also accused for the death of the identified Salja Bedri, Hamza Smaka, Sahiti Sami, Tahiri Mehdi, Avdulji Fatmir and Avdulji Fadilj.

Ljuljzim Ademi, like all the other prisoners who are under investigation is not allowed to speak to journalists. In the explanation of the indictment it is stated that "he was on a special assignment in the police" and that "he was a member of a group of certain Serb paramilitary which was active on the territory of Kosovska Mitrovica municipality".

War conflicts between the Serbs and the Albanians have not skirted the northern part of Kosovo, nor Kosovska Mitrovica itself. Escalation of violence was especially intensive in the direction of Vucitrn and Serbica

The Serb National Council which is after the arrival of KFOR peace forces the only relevant political factor of the Serbs stood in defence of Ljuljzim Ademi. It demanded that Ademi be brought back from the prison in Prizren to the one which is in the northern part of Mitrovica. In the beginning of December this was done after he had spent ten days in prison in Prizren.

"Ljuljzim Ademi is just another victim and he is awaiting a just trial for five months already. There will be no just trial, at least not in the current legal chaos. It is clear to any man here that Ademi has done nothing bad", believes Nikola Kabasic, lawyer by trade and spokesman of the Serb National Council. Kabasic adds that Ademi obeyed the laws of FRY and that he was in the military service in Surdulica, at the time when majority of Kosovo Albanians refused to put on the uniform of the Army of Yugoslavia.

It is interesting that the district public prosecutor's office considers Ljuljzim Ademi responsible for the murder of a Serb: Dejan Kostic who was murdered in his home a year ago. The wife of the murdered is ethnic Albanian Afrodita Kostic and she will be one of the witnesses who will testify in front of the jury once court proceedings begin.

Many believe that Ljiljzim Ademi would have been much happier if he had joined the military formation of Kosovo Albanians: the Kosovo Liberation Army. All his wife and he can do nowadays is try to prove to the public that they have done nothing wrong. Nerdzivana does not order broadcasting of the song from the beginning of this text any more. The editor of KIS radio station who is of Serb ethnic origin asked her not to make any more musical wishes. According to her words, he said that it is not "exactly convenient to publish an Albanian name on a Serb radio station". It is quite certain that Ljuljzim Ademi will be in his prison cell on the eve of year 2000. By the latest court decision his custody has been prolonged until 25 January 2000. He might be receiving similar court decisions for a long time to come because the court is overwhelmed by many cases which are already in procedure or are still awaiting trial. There were many murders in Kosovo

ENTREFILET:

At the time of the arrest, two automatic Kalashnyikov rifles were found at the home of Ljuljzim Ademi, with four clips and 13 bullets for the rifles, two 7.65 pistols made by Zastava, one bayonet, one bomb and one uniform. In his defence, Ademi said that the uniform belonged to his brother-in-law (who is a Serb) and who lives in Novi Sad. He denied that he has ever been outside Kosovska Mitrovica. The court rejected his defence in full.

Aim Pristina

Cvjetko UDOVICIC