OSCE Permanent Council calls on FRY to release detainees

VIENNA, 7 September 2000 - The 54-member OSCE Permanent Council called on the authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) today to speed up legal procedures and to rapidly release from detention in Belgrade the two British OMIK members, Adrian Prangnell and John Yore and their two Canadian friends, Shawn Going and Liam Hall. There is no legitimate basis for their continued detention.

At the meeting, Permanent Council delegates expressed a strong negative reaction to the decision by the military authorities of the FRY to extend the detention of the four persons for one further month. The prolongation of the detention period was regarded as motivated by political purposes.

The Permanent Council expressed its deep regret that diplomatic efforts have until now met with only little response from the authorities of the FRY. Though the fact is welcomed that the detainees are no longer being held in solitary confinement, there remains concern that they are being denied regular contact with their families. The authorities of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia are called upon to respect all their international obligations.

The Austrian Chairperson of the Permanent Council, Ambassador Jutta Stefan-Bastl, recalled that the two British citizens detained are members of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. The detention is therefore not only regarded as a bilateral matter, but as a concern of the whole OSCE. The OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austrian Foreign Minister Benita Ferrero-Waldner, remains concerned by the detention and will continue her diplomatic efforts in order to achieve a rapid release of all the detained.

For further information contact the Press and Public Information Section of the OSCE Secretariat, tel.: (+ 43-1) 514 36 180 or e-mail: info@osce.org