Daily lists "all crimes" of ex-Kosovo PM

Ramush Haradinaj has had an arrested warrant out for him six years, issued in Belgrade, since he is a suspect in some war crimes cases tried in Serbia. This is according to Belgrade daily Politika, which today brings a detailed report about the crimes, committed in Kosovo. Daily lists "all crimes" of ex-Kosovo PM Haradinaj, an ethnic Albanian, one of the leaders of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) before and during the 1999 war in Kosovo, and the province's prime minister after the conflict, was arrested and transferred to the Hague Tribunal earlier this week. This came after the court ordered a partial retrial in its case against him, saying a miscarriage of justice had occurred during the original war crimes trial when witnesses were intimidated. Haradinaj was previously acquitted of all charges. Now, the charges against him raised in Belgrade are explored in the media, including suspicion that he took part in the illegal organ trade case. The prosecution in Belgrade is investigating the disappearance of hundreds of Serbs civilians from Kosovo in 1999, who are believed to have been kidnapped by the KLA members, taken to northern Albania, and killed after their vital organs were removed. According to the files of the War Crimes Prosecution, Haradinaj was responsible for the deaths of at least 500 civilians who were killed in Pec, Djakovica, Decani, Istok and other towns in the zone. The victims were persecuted, taken to prison camps and killed, and several separate investigations of the crimes are being conducted. Haradinaj is the main suspect in the probe into the rape in the Pastrik hotel in the town of Djakovica. According to witnesses, on June 12, 1999 he kidnapped an underage Roma girl, identified as G.T., who was supposed to get married that day, and took her to a hotel room. According to this, after beating her, the former Kosovo prime minister raped the victim. The victim was afterwards raped by other KLA members, the case files add. They tortured her for two days, until June 14 when she was released. There is also reasonable doubt that Haradinaj killed several people and ordered murders, unlawful detentions, tortures, inhumane treatment, other rapes, and infliction of serious bodily harm to non-Albanian population. In one instance, KLA members intercepted a group of 11 Roma wedding guests near the Emin Duraku factory on June 12, 1999. They first locked them up inside the factory where they were held for about four hours. The perpetrators were hitting their victims, identified with initials Z.LJ. and G.Z., with rifles in the head and all over their bodies because the victims had spoken to them in Serbian. Hekuran Hoda, one of the KLA members, called Haradinaj over the radio at about 18:00 CET the same day, and Haradinaj ordered them to take the victims to the basement of the Pastrik hotel. The former Kosovo PM ordered his subordinates to organize an improvised prison in the basement where Arben Shkupi a.k.a. Zifa, Anton Lekaj, who was sentenced to 13 years in jail in Belgrade, Besim Bestrazemi a.k.a. Rambo, Shaban Azemi, Rifat Ukshinaj and other unidentified KLA members brought the non-Albanian victims. Under Haradinaj’s orders the civilians were tortured and sexually abused for three days. The KLA then took some of them to the Erenik River and murdered them. In the mean time, in the morning of June 13, KLA members captured Serb Rade Gagovic and a Roma man identified as M.K. and took them to the hotel basement. The prosecution data shows that during the night Haradinaj’s followers raped the two male prisoners. Shkupi cut off the Serb’s right ear and then put it into the other prisoner’s mouth, forcing him to eat it. Shkupi was also pulling out one of the illegally imprisoned men's finger nails with pliers while others were stabbing the victims with knives and putting out cigarettes on their bodies. In the morning, Shkupi informed the prisoners that they would be shot under Haradinaj’s orders. They were then taken to a place called Grofa Coftinave where Bajram Krasnici, Zvezdan Lusaj, Rade Gagovic and Redja Sala were executed. Another man, Bedri Salja, escaped while the KLA members were not paying attention. Haradinaj’s name is also linked to organ harvesting in Kosovo. According to the information of the War Crime Prosecution, when Albanian media announced a visit of the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic to Albania two years ago, the former Kosovo PM visited Albanian PM Sali Berisha. He also paid an official visit to Albanian Prince Leka Zogu and it is suspected that Haradinaj influenced him to persuade Berisha to order security services to destroy all documentation related to the kidnappings, transportation to the Albanian territory and executions of Serbs that Haradinaj could be directly linked to. The information also shows that Haradinaj’s wife is related to Zogu. According to the information obtained by the War Crimes Prosecution, he often visited Albania after the war in 1999 and he personally organized transportation of Serbs imprisoned to from an abandoned mine in the village of Kruma in Kosovo, to Albania. There are also indications that the Serbs were abused and killed in the mine and that their vital organs were removed and later illegally sold. The investigation has shown that Haradinaj during that period traveled to Tirana by plane at least once a week and that he always returned with a bag full of money. It is suspected that this was the profit from the illegal organ trafficking.

Daily lists "all crimes" of ex-Kosovo PM

Haradinaj, an ethnic Albanian, one of the leaders of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) before and during the 1999 war in Kosovo, and the province's prime minister after the conflict, was arrested and transferred to the Hague Tribunal earlier this week.

This came after the court ordered a partial retrial in its case against him, saying a miscarriage of justice had occurred during the original war crimes trial when witnesses were intimidated. Haradinaj was previously acquitted of all charges.

Now, the charges against him raised in Belgrade are explored in the media, including suspicion that he took part in the illegal organ trade case. The prosecution in Belgrade is investigating the disappearance of hundreds of Serbs civilians from Kosovo in 1999, who are believed to have been kidnapped by the KLA members, taken to northern Albania, and killed after their vital organs were removed.

According to the files of the War Crimes Prosecution, Haradinaj was responsible for the deaths of at least 500 civilians who were killed in Peć, Đakovica, Dečani, Istok and other towns in the zone.

The victims were persecuted, taken to prison camps and killed, and several separate investigations of the crimes are being conducted.

Haradinaj is the main suspect in the probe into the rape in the Paštrik hotel in the town of Đakovica. According to witnesses, on June 12, 1999 he kidnapped an underage Roma girl, identified as G.T., who was supposed to get married that day, and took her to a hotel room.

According to this, after beating her, the former Kosovo prime minister raped the victim.

The victim was afterwards raped by other KLA members, the case files add. They tortured her for two days, until June 14 when she was released.

There is also reasonable doubt that Haradinaj killed several people and ordered murders, unlawful detentions, tortures, inhumane treatment, other rapes, and infliction of serious bodily harm to non-Albanian population.

In one instance, KLA members intercepted a group of 11 Roma wedding guests near the Emin Duraku factory on June 12, 1999. They first locked them up inside the factory where they were held for about four hours. The perpetrators were hitting their victims, identified with initials Z.LJ. and G.Z., with rifles in the head and all over their bodies because the victims had spoken to them in Serbian.

Hekuran Hoda, one of the KLA members, called Haradinaj over the radio at about 18:00 CET the same day, and Haradinaj ordered them to take the victims to the basement of the Paštrik hotel.

The former Kosovo PM ordered his subordinates to organize an improvised prison in the basement where Arben Shkupi a.k.a. Zifa, Anton Lekaj, who was sentenced to 13 years in jail in Belgrade, Besim Bestrazemi a.k.a. Rambo, Shaban Azemi, Rifat Ukshinaj and other unidentified KLA members brought the non-Albanian victims.

Under Haradinaj’s orders the civilians were tortured and sexually abused for three days. The KLA then took some of them to the Erenik River and murdered them.

In the mean time, in the morning of June 13, KLA members captured Serb Rade Gagović and a Roma man identified as M.K. and took them to the hotel basement.

The prosecution data shows that during the night Haradinaj’s followers raped the two male prisoners. Shkupi cut off the Serb’s right ear and then put it into the other prisoner’s mouth, forcing him to eat it.

Shkupi was also pulling out one of the illegally imprisoned men's finger nails with pliers while others were stabbing the victims with knives and putting out cigarettes on their bodies.

In the morning, Shkupi informed the prisoners that they would be shot under Haradinaj’s orders. They were then taken to a place called Grofa Coftinave where Bajram Krasnici, Zvezdan Lusaj, Rade Gagović and Redja Sala were executed. Another man, Bedri Salja, escaped while the KLA members were not paying attention.

Haradinaj’s name is also linked to organ harvesting in Kosovo. According to the information of the War Crime Prosecution, when Albanian media announced a visit of the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor Vladimir Vukčević to Albania two years ago, the former Kosovo PM visited Albanian PM Sali Berisha.

He also paid an official visit to Albanian Prince Leka Zogu and it is suspected that Haradinaj influenced him to persuade Berisha to order security services to destroy all documentation related to the kidnappings, transportation to the Albanian territory and executions of Serbs that Haradinaj could be directly linked to.

The information also shows that Haradinaj’s wife is related to Zogu. According to the information obtained by the War Crimes Prosecution, he often visited Albania after the war in 1999 and he personally organized transportation of Serbs imprisoned to from an abandoned mine in the village of Kruma in Kosovo, to Albania.

There are also indications that the Serbs were abused and killed in the mine and that their vital organs were removed and later illegally sold.

The investigation has shown that Haradinaj during that period traveled to Tirana by plane at least once a week and that he always returned with a bag full of money. It is suspected that this was the profit from the illegal organ trafficking.