"Prosecution has new information in organ trade case"

BELGRADE Serbia’s War Crimes Prosecution has new information in the human organ trafficking case, daily Politika writes. According to the daily, the prosecution has information that the so-called Yellow House case and the Medicus clinic case are connected. "Prosecution has new information in organ trade case" Politika writes that the organ removal in the “yellow house” started in 1998 and the same people continued their illegal activities in the Pristina-based Medicus clinic. The information, that the prosecution obtained several months ago, confirms Council of Europe Rapporteur Dick Marty’s claims that the two cases are connected. While the victims in the “yellow house” in the Albanian village of Burrel were kidnapped Serb civilians and other non-Albanians from Kosovo, organs were extracted from persons who wanted to sell them in the Medicus clinic. The daily points out that the report written by Marty, who made a connection between the “yellow house” and the Medicus clinic, is one more reason for EULEX to treat this as one, rather than two separate cases. According to Politika, people who should be questioned and who could be possible suspects today live freely in Kosovo. The Serbian War Crimes Prosecution continues the investigation that should reveal the fate of several hundreds of missing Serbs from Kosovo. The Organized Crime Prosecution is also taking part in the investigation and Serbia also intensified cooperation with the Russian Prosecution after it had been determined that some of the victims were Russian citizens. Marty’s report, which was adopted by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly a year ago, accuses Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci and so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Drenica Group of organizing the human organ trafficking during and after conflicts in Kosovo in 1999. Former Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte also pointed to the organ trade in her book. She noted that Kosovo Albanians took more than 300 kidnapped persons to northern Albania in the summer of 1999. EULEX formed a working group tasked with investigating Marty’s allegations in June 2011. Seven prosecutors and investigators are still performing a preliminary investigation. Nezavisne novine

"Prosecution has new information in organ trade case"

Politika writes that the organ removal in the “yellow house” started in 1998 and the same people continued their illegal activities in the Priština-based Medicus clinic.

The information, that the prosecution obtained several months ago, confirms Council of Europe Rapporteur Dick Marty’s claims that the two cases are connected.

While the victims in the “yellow house” in the Albanian village of Burrel were kidnapped Serb civilians and other non-Albanians from Kosovo, organs were extracted from persons who wanted to sell them in the Medicus clinic.

The daily points out that the report written by Marty, who made a connection between the “yellow house” and the Medicus clinic, is one more reason for EULEX to treat this as one, rather than two separate cases.

According to Politika, people who should be questioned and who could be possible suspects today live freely in Kosovo.

The Serbian War Crimes Prosecution continues the investigation that should reveal the fate of several hundreds of missing Serbs from Kosovo. The Organized Crime Prosecution is also taking part in the investigation and Serbia also intensified cooperation with the Russian Prosecution after it had been determined that some of the victims were Russian citizens.

Marty’s report, which was adopted by the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly a year ago, accuses Kosovo PM Hashim Thaci and so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Drenica Group of organizing the human organ trafficking during and after conflicts in Kosovo in 1999.

Former Hague Tribunal Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte also pointed to the organ trade in her book. She noted that Kosovo Albanians took more than 300 kidnapped persons to northern Albania in the summer of 1999.

EULEX formed a working group tasked with investigating Marty’s allegations in June 2011. Seven prosecutors and investigators are still performing a preliminary investigation.