91998E1098

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1098/98 by Olivier Dupuis (ARE) to the Council (31 March 1998)

Subject: The case of Mr Ukshin Hoti

Mr Ukshin Hoti, a lecturer in political science at the University of Pristina (Kosovo), has been in prison since 1994 following a trial in what were, to say the least, dubious circumstances and at the end of which he was found guilty of 'having threatened the constitutional order' and of 'undermining the territorial integrity of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia'. Mr Hoti had previously been arrested in 1981 for 'counter-revolutionary crimes' and again in 1993. He has already spent eight years of his life in prison for his beliefs, linked to his activism in favour of a non-violent, negotiated solution to the problem of Kosovo.

What action has the Council taken and what steps does it intend to take to secure Mr Hoti's release by the Serbian authorities, and what steps does it intend to take to secure the support of the Kosovar authorities for his release?

Answer (4 June 1998)

The Council deeply regrets the sentence imposed on Mr Ukshin Hoti and the circumstances of his condemnation.

The Council points out that freedom of expression is a universal fundamental right that every democratic country has the duty to guarantee, as is the right to a free and fair trial. Respect for human rights and democratic principles are basic elements of the Union's regional approach and pillars of the conditionality policy towards the Federal Republic of Yougoslavia (FRY). It is precisely because of dissatisfaction on the issue of Kosovo and on the FRY's record on human rights that the Union withdrew, at the end of 1997, the Autonomous Trade Measures granted to the FRY on 29 April 1997. A lasting solution to the Kosovo issue and a full respect of human rights and democratic principles remain in the forefront of EU requests in dealing with the FRY, and a condition for improving bilateral relations.

Action in favour of the release of Mr Hoti must be seen within the overall EU action in favour of respect of human rights and democratic standards in the FRY. In this framework, the EU will continue to press the Serb authorities on all cases similar to that raised by the Honourable Member.