Kosovo/Kosova As Seen, As Told
KOSOVO / KOSOVA
As Seen, As Told
Contents
An analysis of the human rights findings of the
OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission
October 1998 to June 1999
The OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission (OSCE-KVM) was created in October 1998 as
part of the international response to events in Kosovo. Recognizing that the Kosovo crisis
was in large part a human rights crisis, the mission had a mandate to monitor, investigate
and document allegations of human rights violations committed by all parties to the
conflict. By the time the OSCE-KVM stood down on 9 June 1999, its Human Rights
Division had amassed hundreds of in-country reports, and had taken statements from
nearly 2,800 refugees.
This report presents a comprehensive analysis of the human rights findings of the OSCEKVM. It gives an overview of the nature of the human rights and humanitarian laws
violations in Kosovo. It looks at the specific impact of those violations on different groups
in Kosovo society. It also gives a geographical human rights "map", describing events in
hundreds of towns and villages throughout Kosovo.
The analysis reveals a pattern of human rights and humanitarian law violations on a
staggering scale, often committed with extreme and appalling violence. The organized and
systematic nature of the violations is compellingly described. Surveying the entire period
of the OSCE-KVM's deployment, it is evident that human rights violations unfolded in
Kosovo according to a well-rehearsed strategy.
[ Contents ]
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