PRISTINA, May 24, 2007  –  The leader of a gay and lesbian youth advocacy group and his staff have today received death threats which the police initially refused to take seriously.

The threat email was sent to the leader of Centre for Social Emancipation (QESh), Mr. ‘K.Z’.

Starting “In the name of Allah”, the email condemns ‘Mr. Z’ for his activities with the youth group and says he will end up in hell.

The email continues, in translation: “We will fu** you mother, burn you with all your belongings, amd will make you carry your intestines in your own hands, you lewd man”.

Mr. Z and his group are accused of “smearing the pure and freedom-seeking nation”, and that members of the group “will have their heads cut off”.

The email is said to have come from an email address that begins (in translation) “sharpknife”.

QESh is taking the email very seriously, especially as it says that Mr. K’s family should “prepare his funeral within two weeks”.

The group, who were joined by the Youth Initiative for Human Rights demanded that the Kosovo Police Service conduct a thorough investigation and bring the perpetrators in front of the justice.

But the police initially refused to open a case – they were said to have considered the case not serious enough.

The chief of the shift said that such threats are not considered serious and that he should initiate a private lawsuit.

“We believe that Mr. Z’s right to use all the possible legal remedies has been violated by the police officers,” said a spokesperson for the Centre for Social Emancipation of Kosovo tonight.

”His privacy was not respected as he was being interviewed in the reception room and at least seven different police officers and random citizens walked into the room, thus stopping the interview process and finding out what had happened.”

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