KOSOVO: EU PLANS FOR THE PENITENTIARY SYSTEM

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 PRISTINA 000778 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR, EUR/SCE, DRL, INL, AND S/WCI, NSC FOR BRAUN, USUN FOR DREW SCHUFLETOWSKI, USOSCE FOR STEVE STEGER, OPDAT FOR ACKER E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/11/2017 TAGS: PGOV KJUS KCRM EAID KDEM UNMIK KV SUBJECT: KOSOVO: EU PLANS FOR THE PENITENTIARY SYSTEM REF: PRISTINA 640 Classified By: COM TINA KAIDANOW FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Following the August 2007 escape of seven of Kosovo's most dangerous criminals from Dubrava Prison (reftel),which highlighted security problems in Kosovo's penitentiary system, the European Union Planning Team for Kosovo (EUPT) shared with USOP its assessment of Kosovo's prisons and plans for the European Security and Defense Policy (ESDP) rule of law mission's prison component. The EU believes Kosovo's prisons generally meet European standards, but also recognizes that security is a serious problem and local capacity is weak. To overcome these challenges the EU intends to create an ESDP Corrections Unit with 77 internationals. It will monitor and mentor Kosovo Corrections Service (KCS) employees and take over from UNMIK Police responsibility for prisoner transport, perimeter security at Dubrava and supervision of Dubrava's Block One, where high-risk prisoners reside. The EU hopes the new model will improve efficiency, build KCS capacity and help Kosovars meet the goal of completely transitioning the penitentiary system. END SUMMARY. Kosovo's Prisons Today ¶2. (SBU) Kosovo has one prison for sentenced convicts in Dubrava, a correctional center for juveniles and women in Lipjan, and five detention centers at the district court seats in Prizren, Gjilan, Pristina, Mitrovica and Peja. According to EU estimates, about 75 percent of the approximately 1,350 prisoners and 40 pre-trial detainees reside in Dubrava. In order to avoid conflicts with the Kosovo Albanian majority, convicted Serbs reside in the Mitrovica Detention Center. The prisons and detention centers generally meet international and European standards. ¶3. (SBU) The Kosovo Correctional Service (KCS),which UNMIK established in 1999, oversees all of Kosovo's prison facilities and falls under the Ministry of Justice (MOJ). UNMIK's Penal Management Division (PMD) retains the right to intervene only in emergency situations in Dubrava Prison, the rest of the facilities having been transitioned to Kosovar administration. The European Union Planning Team for Kosovo (EUPT) estimates that the KCS has 1,600 staff, and believes that there is a good level of ethnic diversity and gender balance among them. Thirteen internationals, including a former director who now has a monitoring and advising role, augment the KCS staff. UNMIK Police handles transport of high-risk prisoners and outside perimeter patrols of Dubrava Prison and, to a lesser extent, the Mitrovica Detention Center. UNMIK Police also has 12 international police officers (IPOs) who act as supervisors for Block One of Dubrava, where high-risk prisoners dwell. Weak KCS Capacity and Poor Security Plague Kosovo's Prisons ¶4. (C) While the EUPT believes the infrastructure and organization of Kosovo's prisons are generally good, periodic security incidents over the last seven years have illustrated that local capacity remains weak. These incidents include the escape of more than 30 defendants (including many indicted for ethnically-motivated crimes) in 2000, a 2003 riot that left five dead and 15 injured, and the August 2007 escape of seven of Kosovo's most dangerous criminals. Three of the recent escapees, Xhavit Morina, Ramadan Shyti and Lirim Jakupi, have ties to ethnic Albanian extremist groups and were involved in armed clashes in Macedonia this month. Morina (a.k.a. Commander Drenica) was killed in a gunbattle between two ethnic Albanian extremist groups on November 1 in a village near Tetovo, Macedonia. Shyti and Jakupi (a.k.a. Commander Nazi) were involved in an armed clash with Macedonian police in the same village on November 7. Shyti was killed in the incident, while Jakupi has not been apprehended. ¶5. (C) Shortly after the prison break, the EUPT sent a report PRISTINA 00000778 002 OF 002 to Brussels which acknowledged the security problems in Kosovo's penitentiary system. They wrote that KCS technical and organizational security systems are insufficient to cope with serious threats and that the KCS still lacks the capacity to handle crises without external assistance, control the Dubrava Prison perimeter, supervise Block One of Dubrava, or handle prisoner transport. They also identified a number of potential future problems with Kosovo's penitentiary system that could plague the envisioned ESDP rule of law mission. They include an increase in the number of high-risk prisoners as criminal investigative capabilities improve, Kosovo Albanian staff supporting escape attempts by prisoners they view as war heroes, assistance for escapes from political groups or organized crime elements, preferential or discriminatory treatment of selected prisoners by corrupt or ethnically-motivated staff members, and the politicization of the KCS as a result of stronger MOJ influence and an injection of political appointees. EUPT Plans for Kosovo's Prison System ¶6. (C) According to EUPT documents shared with USOP, the EU plans to transfer prisoner escort, perimeter control in Dubrava, and supervision of Block One of Dubrava from the international police to the correctional system in order to create a more sustainable admistrative structure and better respond to security challenges. Initially, internationals will handle the transferred functions, but EUPT hopes to transition them as soon as practicable. The EUPT currently envisions an ESDP Correctional Unit with 77 internationals. The unit head and deputy unit head will have three groups under them, Headquarters, Dubrava, and Escort and Special Security Groups. The Headquarters Group will include two experts in security, one in economic management, one in penal administration, and one auditor. The Dubrava Group will have a team leader, deputy team leader, 20 perimeter control officers and 10 Block One supervisors. The Escort and Special Security Group will have two coordinators for prisoner escorts and 36 escort officers. KCS and ESDP staff will be co-located to maximize interaction and capacity-building in order to encourage a more rapid transition. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: The August 2007 escape of seven of Kosovo's most dangerous prisoners, including three who have ties to ethnic Albanian extremist groups and have recently been involved in armed clashes in Macedonia, illustrates the importance of strengthening the KCS's capacity, as well as the regional security implications of failing to do so. USOP will continue to monitor the EU's correctional system-related planning, as well as developments at the Dubrava Prison and within the KCS. END COMMENT. KAIDANOW