By mid-May more than 920,000 ethnic Albanians had been forced over the border into neighbouring states. The refugees' accounts indicate that organised crimes against humanity have been committed in Kosovo. Yugoslav forces and Serb paramilitaries systematically emptied towns and villages of their ethnic Albanian populations, killing and beating civilians. Large numbers, perhaps many thousands, of unarmed ethnic Albanians have been executed or have 'disappeared'. The refugees tell of how Serbian troops, police or paramilitaries destroyed homes, separated men from women and summarily executed the men or led them away to an unknown fate.
Some women speak of rape.
Many have been robbed of valuables and identity documents. She saw the men being brutally beaten before she and the other refugees were ordered to move on. Then Zylfia Arifi heard a single shot behind her, followed by a burst of gunfire. She did not dare look back. AI believes human rights measures must be included in any agreements.