Macedonia: Rights Defenders Under Attack (January
19, 2002)
MACEDONIA: CHURCH ENRAGES ALBANIANS (January
17, 2002)

Macedonia Pardons 11 Guerrillas to Launch Amnesty (December 5, 2001)

Macedonians accused of war crimes: Call for Hague to investigate role of hardline interior minister (October 6, 2001)
  '...tribunal to investigate Mr Boskovski for "grave violations of the Geneva convention, violations of the laws governing wars and crimes against humanity".'
  'At the same time harassment of Albanians around Macedonia was stepped up, with kidnappings, killings and torture, it claims. It says the campaign reached its peak when a majority of ethnic Albanian civilians were driven out of the southern town of Manastir and their homes and businesses damaged.'

Human Rights Watch: Macedonian Troops Commit Grave Abuses (Sep 5th, 2001) -  "The Macedonian government must answer to the people of Ljuboten. It is deeply disturbing that the Minister of Interior appears to have been so intimately involved in one of the worst abuses of the war. We demand an immediate and impartial investigation." - Elizabeth Andersen, Executive Director, Europe and Central Asia division

• The complete report is available on the HRW website at:
  http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/macedonia/.

• To access the photo gallery accompanying the report, please see:
  http://www.hrw.org/campaigns/macedonia/photos/.

Massacre report names Macedonia interior minister  (The Telegraph - August 26, 2001)
   "Ljubce Boskovski, an ultra-nationalist and a bitter opponent of the current British-led Nato disarmament mission, will be accused by Human Rights Watch, an American-based pressure group, of involvement in the incident in Ljuboten."
  "Outside, Fasli heard a baying mob shouting "Let us kill them. Gas chambers for Shiptars!" Shiptar is a derogatory term for an Albanian."

Police Abuse Against Albanians Continues in Macedonia (Human Rights Watch - 08/22/2001)
  "Persistent police abuse in Macedonia is simply shocking. Macedonia must urgently address the violence in its police stations. Ethnic Albanians are being severely abused, and in some cases beaten to death, without the slightest prospect of accountability."
[ full report]

Albanians slaughtered in Macedonia (August 15, 2001)
   "MACEDONIAN security forces shot dead five unarmed ethnic Albanian villagers in cold blood on the eve of Monday's ceasefire signing, witnesses said yesterday." "The victims on the hillside had each been shot from behind as they fled. Bajram Jashari, a 30-year-old farmer was lying on his back, not far from two dead cows."

Fleeing Albanians shot in the back by police (August 15, 2001)

FactsAbout: Macedonian police brutality, abuse and massacres in Luboten/Ljuboten on Aug 11-12th, 2001

FactsAbout: Destruction of Albanian property and Islamic cultural objects

Key Elements of Peace Accord (August 14, 2001)

Key Events in Macedonia's Standoff (August 13, 2001)

Ali Ahmeti: "NLA Supports the Peace Agreement"  (August 11, 2001)

  MOSQUE SET ON FIRE, [Albanian] SHOPS DEMOLISHED  (August 9, 2001) "...the crowd set fire to a mosque in central Prilep and ransacked a number of shops owned by Albanian and other Muslim Macedonians."

Macedonians Will Sign Peace Deal on Monday -Envoy (August 8, 2001)

Evidence of a Macedonian Execution: Scene in Ethnic Albanian House in Skopje Belies Police Account of Killing  (WashingtonPost August 8, 2001) "There was no evidence at the scene to support the government version of events," said Peter Bouckaert, an investigator in Skopje for Human Rights Watch, who also inspected the house. "There was no sign of an exchange of fire, and the victims appeared to have been shot as they were lying on the floor."

Ten Macedonian Soldiers Killed in Ambush (August 8, 2001)

MASSACRE IN SKOPJE QUARTERS OF GAZI BABA: Police Executed Five Albanians While Sleeping (August 7, 2001)
"One part of the police broke inside the house of Muzafer Halimi and executed at least three people while there were still sleeping." - Neighbors

Macedonia's [Government] Demands Hurt Peace Talks (August 6, 2001)

Macedonian Parties Make Breakthrough on Language (August 1, 2001)

[Macedonian] Hardliners 'plot to start civil war in Macedonia' (July 31, 2001)

Macedonian mobs attack U.S. and German embassies (July 24, 2001)

Macedonia Party Denounces Peace Plan (July 17, 2001)

Massacre waiting to happen - Scotland On Sunday (July 8, 2001)
  "A SENIOR government official has warned that Macedonian armed forces could massacre Albanian civilians unless the international communityintervenes in the country's burgeoning civil war."
   "He said some elements of the police were not under government control and one of the major Macedonian political parties, a partner in the coalition government, was actively destabilising peace efforts and fomenting ethnic hatred."
  "The official, a Macedonian Slav, said there was a real danger of some Macedonians committing war crimes on a scale seen in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo.

Conflict in Macedonia - washingtonpost.com Discussion with Frederick C. Abrahams (July 8, 2001)

Macedonia, Rebels Sign Truce to Facilitate Talks (July 5, 2001)

Macedonia Paramilitary Threat Emerges: AP (7/03/2001)
  "Pamphlets emblazoned with a lion symbolizing a group calling itself Paramilitary 2000 delivered a powerful threat to ethnic Albanian shopkeepers: Close shop or we'll burn down your businesses."
  "Since the threat, up to 30,000 Albanians, mostly from Skopje, have left for Kosovo, bringing the number of refugees who have taken refuge in the Serbian province to 100,000 since the insurgency began four months ago."

Council of Europe calls for peace in Macedonia (6/28/2001)

Albanians live in fear of forced exodus from Macedonia(6/27/2001)

Ethnic cleansing in making?
Pamphlet Raises Ethnic Tensions
Human Rights Watch (New York, June 25, 2001):
Excerpt from the "MACEDONIA PARAMILITARY 2000 ORDER": 
  "We order all Shiptars [derogatory term for ethnic Albanians-tr.] who have objects for sale-shopkeepers here and around the Kwantaskhi bazaar-to leave within three days, and for those Shiptars from Aracinovo, the deadline is 24 hours. After this deadline, all the shops will be burned, and if someone tries to protect [them], the same will be killed without warning." 
  "We inform Shiptars of the Macedonian republic that for every killed police officer or soldier 100 Shiptars who do not have citizenship or who took citizenship after 1994 will be killed. For every police officer or soldier disabled, 50 Shiptars will be killed. For every wounded police officer or soldier wounded, 10 Shiptars will be killed, no matter what gender or age." [full article ]

Macedonia Brutality Fuels Rebels: AP (Jun 16h, 2001): "It was not the cracked bones or the painful back injuries that made Nazim Bushi's teeth clutch with anger."
  "Supporters of Bushi, an ethnic Albanian officer serving with the Macedonian police at the military airport in Skopje, say he is a victim of police brutality that has proliferated since ethnic Albanian militants took up arms in February, demanding broader rights and claiming discrimination by majority Macedonian Slavs."
  "Already, the rebels claim police harassment of ethnic Albanian civilians is feeding them with new recruits." [full article]

Police conducted forced entry into the apartments of "FAKTI" journalists

IWPR EDITOR [Veton Latifi] DETAINED IN MACEDONIA

Rioters Burn Albanian Homes in Bitola
Police Fail to Stop Violencend several graves had been broken open. The windows of the mosque were broken, and rioters had set the carpets inside the mosque on fire..."
   " Witnesses interviewed by Human Rights Watch stated that the rioters had yelled slogans including "Death to Albanians," "Pure Bitola," "Albanians Out of Bitola," "Get Out Albanians," and other such statements. The rioters told some of the ethnic Albanians that they had a week to get out of town before being targeted again." [ full article ]

Macedonian Police Abuses Documented: Ethnic Albanian Men Separated, Tortured at Police Stations: Human Rights Watch (HRW May 31st, 2001): "Ethnic Albanian men fleeing the fighting in Macedonia face severe ill-treatment by the police. We have documented serious beatings and torture of ethnic Albanians at the Kumanovo and Skopje police stations in the last week. The victims we interviewed have the bruises and injuries to back up their claims of abuse." [ full article]

Macedonian Government Abuses in Runica: Village International Community Should Push for a Full Investigation: Human Rights Watch (HRW May 29th, 2001): "Our investigations show that Macedonian forces burned civilians' homes and beat some villagers last week in the village of Runica. These crimes must be impartially investigated, and those responsible brought to account." [full article]

Albanians Say Macedonian Troops "burned our school" and "and they burned the mosque and the cattle": Reuters (May 22, 2001): `` They smashed our windows when everyone was asleep and dragged us out. Then they poured petrol on buildings and set them on fire,'' she said. ``They burned our school which was built for us by (Italian charity) Caritas, and they burned the mosque and the cattle and horses in their stalls.'' [full article]

Police Brutality: NY Times (May 17th, 2001): Macedonia Albanian recounts how " he was beaten and interrogated while blindfolded and handcuffed for five days, before being dumped in the countryside on Tuesday miles from home." [full article]

Macedonian Forces Responsible for Killing and Destruction: Human Rights Watch (HRW) March 2001: "Available evidence suggests that government  forces were responsible for the deliberate killing of 16-year-old Omer Shabani ..." ; "... government forces were responsible for the wanton destruction and looting of villages perceived as being pro-NLA..."[Full Letter by HRW]

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Headlines: [all headlines on one page]

Macedonian police say seven shot dead in ambush attempt - March 2, 2002
MACEDONIA: EC AID UNDER FIRE - January 21, 2002
Macedonia: Rights Defenders Under Attack - January 19, 2002
MACEDONIA: CHURCH ENRAGES ALBANIANS - January 17, 2002
Macedonians Pay Price for Peace with Rebels - December 13, 2001
Macedonia Pardons 11 Guerrillas to Launch Amnesty - December 5, 2001
Macedonia pardons first Albanian rebels - December 5, 2001
ALBANIAN DOCTORS MISTREATED BY THE MACEDONIAN POLICE - December 4, 2001
The special police force ‘Lions’ places the peace process in Macedonia at risk - December 4, 2001
Macedonia UN Agencies Appeal for Relief Donations - December 3, 2001
Macedonia might free Albanian rebels - December 3, 2001
Macedonia's justice minister seeks amnesty for former rebels - November 27, 2001
Macedonia moderates quit coalition in blow to peace deal - November 22, 2001
Collapse of Macedonian coalition puts peace in peril - November 22, 2001
A Night that Could Have Brought the War Back - November 22, 2001
Macedonian MPs finally ratify peace-deal reforms for Albanians - November 17, 2001
Macedonia Says Reforms Bind Rebels to Accept State - November 17, 2001
Macedonia OKs Clear Amnesty for Former Guerrillas - November 16, 2001
Macedonia adopts new constitution - November 16, 2001
Fighting in northwest Macedonia, three police killed - November 12, 2001

News Archive of previous headlines

 

This map represents the areas around Albania historically inhabited by Albanians. Macedonia Albanians are concentrated in the western part of Macedonia, struggling for better lives within the existing borders. The map is intended to show that Macedonia Albanians have been living in those areas for many generations, contrary to some beliefs that Macedonia Albanians have come in Macedonia from Albania or Kosova.

Macedonia Albanian political factors have emphasized the integrity of the Macedonian territory and borders.

• Macedonia's Albanian grievances

• Rebels' Aims (NO CHANGE of Macedonian borders)

• Why War?

• Double vision in Macedonia

• DPA LEADER XHAFERI:
  "The representatives of 'NLA' are not terrorists"
  NLA "as a result of the dissatisfaction of the people"
  MACEDONIA WILL EXIST IF IT CHANGES ITS CONSTITUTION