Four Ethnic Albanians Slain in Yugoslavia as 10,000 Demonstrate
Police on Sunday shot and killed four ethnic Albanians, bringing to at least 14 the number killed in weekend political protests in Yugoslavia’s troubled southern province of Kosovo, witnesses said.
The four were killed as police battled about 10,000 demonstrators in Suva Reka, 30 miles southwest of Pristina, the regional capital, residents said.
Witnesses said police killed at least 10 ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in rioting on Saturday, including four in Orahovac, 190 miles south of Belgrade.
The weekend unrest was the worst violence to hit Kosovo since 28 people died last year when ethnic Albanians rioted against restrictions on the province’s self-rule. The restrictions were seen as biased in favor of Yugoslavia’s biggest republic, Serbia.
At Orahovac, witnesses said four men were killed Saturday when police opened fire on up to 2,000 Albanians demonstrating for free elections, the resignation of local leaders and freeing of political prisoners.
Villagers said at least two other men were killed nearby, and witnesses said three were shot in Djakovica, six miles from the Albanian border, and one in Pec.
Local journalists said there were new protests Sunday in Orahovac, but no details were available.
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