Albanian FM dismisses organ trafficking claims

Albania's foreign minister has baulked at claims of the murder of Serb civilians in Albania and the smuggling of their organs, calling them “fictitious." In her recently published memoirs, entitled “The Hunt”, former Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte said that she had received such allegations but had not asked for their confirmation. Albanian FM dismisses organ trafficking claims “We feel sorry that the former international chief prosecutor wrote a book full of fiction and nonsense, which is not only immoral but also libelous,” said Lulzim Basha. The Human Rights Watch NGO has called on the Kosovo government to verify the claims. The NGO said that Del Ponte had come across evidence that in June 1999, Kosovo Albanians had transferred more than 300 people, mainly Serb civilians, to the north of Albania, close to the city of Burel, some 80 km from Tirana. There, “doctors extracted internal organs from the prisoners,” Human Rights Watch reported. However, Basha said that those statements had been “contrived by some people who were trying to call the just war of the Kosovo people illegal… and to tarnish the image of Kosovo and Albania.” Hundreds of Serbs and Kosovo Albanians went missing during the Kosovo war in 1998-1999. Hague Tribunal spokeswoman Olga Kavran announced earlier this month that UN investigators “haven’t found sustainable evidence” for those allegations. The War Crimes Prosecution in Belgrade said that they had submitted an official request to the UN mission to look into reports that certain UNMIK officials had hampered the investigation into the human organs scandal. The Prosecutor’s Office also asked the International Red Cross to state if there was any evidence of prisoner camps in Albania and if there was, to say where they were located. Requests for a similar investigation have been sent to the Albanian state prosecutor, said spokesman Bruno Vekaric.

Albanian FM dismisses organ trafficking claims

“We feel sorry that the former international chief prosecutor wrote a book full of fiction and nonsense, which is not only immoral but also libelous,” said Lulzim Basha.

The Human Rights Watch NGO has called on the Kosovo government to verify the claims.

The NGO said that Del Ponte had come across evidence that in June 1999, Kosovo Albanians had transferred more than 300 people, mainly Serb civilians, to the north of Albania, close to the city of Burel, some 80 km from Tirana.

There, “doctors extracted internal organs from the prisoners,” Human Rights Watch reported.

However, Basha said that those statements had been “contrived by some people who were trying to call the just war of the Kosovo people illegal… and to tarnish the image of Kosovo and Albania.”

Hundreds of Serbs and Kosovo Albanians went missing during the Kosovo war in 1998-1999.

Hague Tribunal spokeswoman Olga Kavran announced earlier this month that UN investigators “haven’t found sustainable evidence” for those allegations.

The War Crimes Prosecution in Belgrade said that they had submitted an official request to the UN mission to look into reports that certain UNMIK officials had hampered the investigation into the human organs scandal.

The Prosecutor’s Office also asked the International Red Cross to state if there was any evidence of prisoner camps in Albania and if there was, to say where they were located.

Requests for a similar investigation have been sent to the Albanian state prosecutor, said spokesman Bruno Vekarić.