Yougoslavia, Federal Rep.of
24.07.02
Urgent Interventions
Yugoslavia: Police denies ill-treatment of three children
Case YUG 170702.1.CC
Follow-up to Case YUG 170702.CC
CHILD CONCERN
Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment
Geneva, 24 July 2002
The International Secretariat of OMCT has received new information regarding the following situation in Yugoslavia.
New information
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Humanitarian Law Centre (HLC) that on 19 July 2002, the Belgrade Police Department denied the ill-treatment of three boys, one with developmental problems, which allegedly occurred in Americ village near Mladenovac on 9 July. The Department's denial was based on a statement by Mladenovac Police Chief Dragisa Cvetkovic that the officers concerned had not exceeded their authority.
According to the information received, no action has been undertaken so far to investigate into the alleged ill-treatment and no effort has been made by the police authorities to speak with the three children. The children claimed they were insulted and ill-treated during an illegal search of their home for weapons allegedly owned by their father, who is currently serving a prison sentence, and at a time when their mother was not at home.
Brief reminder of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT had been informed by the Humanitarian Law Centre (HLC) that three boys, one of whom has developmental problems, were abused and insulted by four police officers on 9 July 2002. During an illegal search of the boys' home, the police reportedly forced the retarded 15-year-old D. Dj. to dig holes in the yard to uncover firearms allegedly hidden by their father Dragan Djuric, who is currently serving a three-year prison term.
According to the information received, Elizabeta Djuric, the boys' mother, left the family's home in Americ village early that morning for the nearby town of Mladenovac on some administrative business. At 9 a.m., a police car stopped at the gate. An officer known to the boys as Nebojsa Blagojevic, and three others, two in uniform and one in plain clothes, got out.
The plainclothes officer allegedly asked D. Dj. about the weapons. When the boy replied that he knew nothing, one of the uniformed police said in a threatening tone: "Tell us where the guns are or we'll break you in two. And after that we'll go to the station and connect you to the electricity."
When S. Dj., one of the brothers, protested the use of the violent words, the officer told him to keep quiet and took D. Dj. behind the house, gave him a spade and ordered him to dig. According to the information received, D. Dj. was forced to dig for two hours, with the police shouting at him: "Where are the weapons? Dig or we'll bury you!" The boy dug about a dozen holes, some quite deep, and when nothing was found the police left, laughing loudly.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT is gravely concerned about the Yugoslav Police’s attitude and fears that a denial of responsibility without a proper investigation will produce a pattern of impunity which will pave the way for similar abuses. Furthermore OMCT would like to recall that Yugoslavia is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which clearly states that: “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” (art. 37 (a)).
Action Requested
Please write to the Yugoslavian authorities urging them to:
i. guarantee an immediate investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of the afore-mentioned children, identify those responsible, bring them before a civil competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
ii. guarantee adequate reparation to the victims and also physical and psychological recovery;
iii. guarantee all human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Addresses
· His Excellency Vojislav Kostunica, President of The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bulevar Lenjina 2, Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia; fax: +381 11 3111668, e-mail: vojislav.kostunica@gov.yu
· His Excellency Dragiša Pešiæ, Prime Minister of The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bulevar Mihaila Pupina 2, Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia. Fax: +381 11 604446 / +381 11 637185, E-mail: dragisa.pesic@gov.yu
· His Excellency Minister Vladan Batic, The Ministry of Justice, Nemanjina 22-24, fax: +381 11 3616419 / +381 11 3616535, E-mail: kabinet@mpravde.sr.gov.yu
· His Excellency Goran Svilanovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Kneza Milosa 3, Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia, Fax : (+ 381) 11 3618052 / (+ 381) 11 3618010, E-mail: goran.svilanovic@gov.yu
· His Excellency Zoran Zivkovic, Minister of Internal Affairs of The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 2, Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia, fax: (+ 381) 11 3117159,E-mail: zoran.zivkovic@gov.yu
· His Excellency Zoran Djindjic, Prime Minister of the Serbian Government, 11 Nemanjina St., Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia, Fax: (+381) 11 3617587, E-mail: press@uzzpro.sr.gov.yu
· The Federal Ministry of National and Ethnic Communities
· Minister Rasim Ljajic, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 2, Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia, fax: (+381) 11 3112916, E-mail: rasim.ljajic@gov.yu
· The Ministry of Interior Republic of Serbia, Minister Dusan Mihajlovic, Kneza Milosa 101, fax: (+381) 11 3617585 / (+381) 11 3617814, E-mail: muprs@mup.sr.gov.yu
Please also write to the embassies of Yugoslavia in your respective country.
Geneva, 24 July 2002
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.
Follow-up to Case YUG 170702.CC
CHILD CONCERN
Cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment
Geneva, 24 July 2002
The International Secretariat of OMCT has received new information regarding the following situation in Yugoslavia.
New information
The International Secretariat of OMCT has been informed by the Humanitarian Law Centre (HLC) that on 19 July 2002, the Belgrade Police Department denied the ill-treatment of three boys, one with developmental problems, which allegedly occurred in Americ village near Mladenovac on 9 July. The Department's denial was based on a statement by Mladenovac Police Chief Dragisa Cvetkovic that the officers concerned had not exceeded their authority.
According to the information received, no action has been undertaken so far to investigate into the alleged ill-treatment and no effort has been made by the police authorities to speak with the three children. The children claimed they were insulted and ill-treated during an illegal search of their home for weapons allegedly owned by their father, who is currently serving a prison sentence, and at a time when their mother was not at home.
Brief reminder of the situation
The International Secretariat of OMCT had been informed by the Humanitarian Law Centre (HLC) that three boys, one of whom has developmental problems, were abused and insulted by four police officers on 9 July 2002. During an illegal search of the boys' home, the police reportedly forced the retarded 15-year-old D. Dj. to dig holes in the yard to uncover firearms allegedly hidden by their father Dragan Djuric, who is currently serving a three-year prison term.
According to the information received, Elizabeta Djuric, the boys' mother, left the family's home in Americ village early that morning for the nearby town of Mladenovac on some administrative business. At 9 a.m., a police car stopped at the gate. An officer known to the boys as Nebojsa Blagojevic, and three others, two in uniform and one in plain clothes, got out.
The plainclothes officer allegedly asked D. Dj. about the weapons. When the boy replied that he knew nothing, one of the uniformed police said in a threatening tone: "Tell us where the guns are or we'll break you in two. And after that we'll go to the station and connect you to the electricity."
When S. Dj., one of the brothers, protested the use of the violent words, the officer told him to keep quiet and took D. Dj. behind the house, gave him a spade and ordered him to dig. According to the information received, D. Dj. was forced to dig for two hours, with the police shouting at him: "Where are the weapons? Dig or we'll bury you!" The boy dug about a dozen holes, some quite deep, and when nothing was found the police left, laughing loudly.
The International Secretariat of the OMCT is gravely concerned about the Yugoslav Police’s attitude and fears that a denial of responsibility without a proper investigation will produce a pattern of impunity which will pave the way for similar abuses. Furthermore OMCT would like to recall that Yugoslavia is a party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which clearly states that: “No child shall be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment” (art. 37 (a)).
Action Requested
Please write to the Yugoslavian authorities urging them to:
i. guarantee an immediate investigation into the alleged ill-treatment of the afore-mentioned children, identify those responsible, bring them before a civil competent and impartial tribunal and apply the penal, civil and/or administrative sanctions provided by law;
ii. guarantee adequate reparation to the victims and also physical and psychological recovery;
iii. guarantee all human rights and fundamental freedoms in accordance with international human rights standards, particularly the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Addresses
· His Excellency Vojislav Kostunica, President of The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bulevar Lenjina 2, Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia; fax: +381 11 3111668, e-mail: vojislav.kostunica@gov.yu
· His Excellency Dragiša Pešiæ, Prime Minister of The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bulevar Mihaila Pupina 2, Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia. Fax: +381 11 604446 / +381 11 637185, E-mail: dragisa.pesic@gov.yu
· His Excellency Minister Vladan Batic, The Ministry of Justice, Nemanjina 22-24, fax: +381 11 3616419 / +381 11 3616535, E-mail: kabinet@mpravde.sr.gov.yu
· His Excellency Goran Svilanovic, Minister of Foreign Affairs of The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Kneza Milosa 3, Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia, Fax : (+ 381) 11 3618052 / (+ 381) 11 3618010, E-mail: goran.svilanovic@gov.yu
· His Excellency Zoran Zivkovic, Minister of Internal Affairs of The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 2, Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia, fax: (+ 381) 11 3117159,E-mail: zoran.zivkovic@gov.yu
· His Excellency Zoran Djindjic, Prime Minister of the Serbian Government, 11 Nemanjina St., Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia, Fax: (+381) 11 3617587, E-mail: press@uzzpro.sr.gov.yu
· The Federal Ministry of National and Ethnic Communities
· Minister Rasim Ljajic, Bulevar Mihajla Pupina 2, Novi Beograd, Yugoslavia, fax: (+381) 11 3112916, E-mail: rasim.ljajic@gov.yu
· The Ministry of Interior Republic of Serbia, Minister Dusan Mihajlovic, Kneza Milosa 101, fax: (+381) 11 3617585 / (+381) 11 3617814, E-mail: muprs@mup.sr.gov.yu
Please also write to the embassies of Yugoslavia in your respective country.
Geneva, 24 July 2002
Kindly inform us of any action undertaken quoting the code of this appeal in your reply.