*EPF307 02/07/01
Text: U.N. Mission in Kosovo on First Trafficking Conviction
(Suspect convicted for trafficking women into prostitution) (530)

A Kosovo Albanian male has been convicted and sentenced on charges of trafficking in women and controlling them for the purpose of prostitution, according to a February 5 press release from the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

The trial -- in which two other suspects also face charges -- is the first use of new regulations imposed by UNMIK that allow any property used in connection with trafficking to be seized by authorities and sold to benefit a fund supporting victims.

The political and social turbulence of the last decade have made the Balkans one of the world regions where human trafficking has increased dramatically. International surveys indicate this crime is the most rapidly expanding form of organized criminal activity in the world.

Following is the text of the UNMIK press release:

(begin text)

Bringing Peace to KOSOVO

NEWS REPORTS

Kosovo: UN mission reports first conviction against trafficking of women

5 February - The first guilty verdict for trafficking in women has been issued in Kosovo, a United Nations spokesman reported today in Pristina.

A three-and-a-half-year sentence was imposed on a Kosovo Albanian male -- the first defendant in a trial under way in Pec in which three men were charged with trafficking in women and controlling them for the purpose of prostitution, said Derek Chappell, a spokesman for the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

"This verdict sends a strong message to those who would buy and sell human beings for profit: that the courts will support the police with strong sanctions," he said, adding that the trial saw the first use of new regulations signed into law shortly before the departure of the former head of UNMIK, Dr. Bernard Kouchner.

Under the regulations, any property used for trafficking purposes -- such as vehicles -- can be seized by the police and then sold to support a fund to repatriate the victims.

Meanwhile, in north Mitrovica, the Kosovo police entered an apartment and rescued three young Moldovan women who were being held against their will, the spokesman said. The women, smuggled from Serbia, expressed a desire to return to their home country.

The spokesman also reported a growing drug use in Kosovo. The latest incident occurred yesterday in Prize, where UNMIK police entered a house and found three people under the influence of narcotics. A Kosovo Albanian male was arrested after a search in the house discovered 10 grams of heroin, packaging supplies and an undisclosed amount of cash.

The incident came shortly after the seizure of 65 bags of heroin near Pristina two weeks ago and continuing seizure of drugs in the Gnjilane area, the spokesman said. The heightened profile of domestic drug abuse, he said, was a reflection of the UN police being able to focus on local problems, coupled with a greater willingness by local people to report crimes to the UNMIK and Kosovo police.

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(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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