Over the past five months, the miserable situation of approximately 3,000 Serbs and Gypsies trapped in Orahovac, Kosovo, has become more widely known to the world public. We fully support the work of Jared Israel (emperors-clothes.com), Cedomir Prelincevic (the leader of Pristina's Jewish community, and refugee from Pristina, Kosovo), and others who have tried to bring this plight to more people's attention over the past four months. There certainly has been a media blackout. The entrapment and ghettoization of Orahovac actually began in the middle of June 1999, when KFOR (NATO) and KLA forces entered the town.

Today, Orahovac is a ghetto -- for Serbs and Gypsies. Ethnic Albanians have complete freedom of movement however, although NATO troops and barbed wire, as well as NATO-supported Albanian checkpoints and roadblocks keep all Serbs and Gypsies inside Orahovac. According to interviews by Jared Israel of 3 Orahovac women, the reason for all the misery is because some Albanians gave KFOR a list of 200 Serbian names, of alleged war criminals. For this, thousands of people including women, children, the elderly, and the sick, have been held in a de facto concentration camp for roughly four months.

For more information, refer to these news and commentary links:

11/23/99 - KFOR Col. van Loon admits Jewish leader's charge that "Orahovac is a new Warsaw Ghetto" but insists it's "a good product." Read his arguments & see how:
The Women of Orahovac answer the Colonel

11/23/99 - According to major news sources, the Albanian roadblocks have come down in the past day, except for one. I do not know if the "one" is strategically significant. I do not know if electricity, water, and grocery services have been restored to the Ghetto. What my feeling is, is that the Kosovo Albanians want to look good in front of "international opinion" since President Clinton visited Kosovo today. As far as Albanian complaints that if the Russian troops were allowed in they would protect the Serbs, well obviously that is not the case. Those are not Russian troops -- they are NATO troops. The Russian commanders are NATO commanders. That is how things are.

Save the Families of Orahovac! - a call to action, and the interviews of three Orahovac women by Jared Israel et al; 2 November 1999. If you want to learn more, or help get the families out, you must read this page.

Serbs and Gypsies Trapped in Kosovo Town Cry for Evacuation - Yahoo/Agence French Press story; Sunday 31 October 1999. A generally straight Western media article. Original copy - will expire within two months.

Holland Report - also by Jared Israel. At an antiwar conference, Jared and Cedda spoke about the situation in Orahovac; many Dutch citizens and government representatives were extremely disturbed by current circumstances, and how their Dutch KFOR soldiers are part of it all...

The students who comprise the Balkan Information Project fully support the International Humanitarian Committee on Orahovac. Their demands are ours as well:

"WE DEMAND that KFOR troops guarantee safety, food, water, electricity and phones - normal living conditions - for the Serbs of Orahovac.

"WE DEMAND that KFOR troops guarantee the safe movement of ANYONE in Orahovac.

"WE DEMAND that KFOR immediately institute a PROTECTED bus route from Orahovac to the Yugoslav-controlled part of Serbia."