PACE to discuss human organ trade

The PACE Human Rights and Legal Affairs Committee will discuss the trade in human organs in Kosovo tomorrow. Head of the Serbian parliamentary delegation Milos Aligrudic said that it was the “most important item for Serbia.” PACE to discuss human organ trade “Above all, it is suspected that the victims of the organ trade are mostly Serbs missing from the territory of Kosovo,” Aligrudic told Tanjug. He reiterated that the information came from the book by former Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, in which she claimed that potential victims of the organ trade had been taken from Kosovo into Albania. “The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s (PACE) bureau has taken a decision to send the case to the Committee for Human Rights and Legal Affairs in order to move forward towards a report,” Aligrudic said. The head of the Serbian delegation added that for Serbia, Wednesday was a “key day”, because the Committee for Human Rights and Legal affairs could decide “not to look into it.” "If they decide to investigate the matter further, then they will appoint a rapporteur, and that is the most important thing for us. After the Committee meeting, there is also the PACE bureau on Friday, which, when it receives that information, will discuss when it might be included on PACE’s agenda,” Aligrudic said. He said that he expected that “most of the representatives involved in the work of the committee will insist that such an important issue, that is basically at the core of the PACE mission itself, should be discussed.” "Our aim is to schedule a discussion on that issue, as soon as possible—namely, in October or January,” Aligrudic said. The Russian delegation at the spring session asked PACE to look into the inhumane treatment of people and the illegal trade in human organs in Kosovo. PACE Speaker Lluis Maria de Puig said that the issue might be discussed during this week’s session, but repeated that the allegations from Del Ponte’s book were not “sufficiently substantiated.” Milos Aligrudic (FoNet, archive)

PACE to discuss human organ trade

“Above all, it is suspected that the victims of the organ trade are mostly Serbs missing from the territory of Kosovo,” Aligrudić told Tanjug.

He reiterated that the information came from the book by former Hague Chief Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte, in which she claimed that potential victims of the organ trade had been taken from Kosovo into Albania.

“The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s (PACE) bureau has taken a decision to send the case to the Committee for Human Rights and Legal Affairs in order to move forward towards a report,” Aligrudić said.

The head of the Serbian delegation added that for Serbia, Wednesday was a “key day”, because the Committee for Human Rights and Legal affairs could decide “not to look into it.”

"If they decide to investigate the matter further, then they will appoint a rapporteur, and that is the most important thing for us. After the Committee meeting, there is also the PACE bureau on Friday, which, when it receives that information, will discuss when it might be included on PACE’s agenda,” Aligrudić said.

He said that he expected that “most of the representatives involved in the work of the committee will insist that such an important issue, that is basically at the core of the PACE mission itself, should be discussed.”

"Our aim is to schedule a discussion on that issue, as soon as possible—namely, in October or January,” Aligrudić said.

The Russian delegation at the spring session asked PACE to look into the inhumane treatment of people and the illegal trade in human organs in Kosovo.

PACE Speaker Lluis Maria de Puig said that the issue might be discussed during this week’s session, but repeated that the allegations from Del Ponte’s book were not “sufficiently substantiated.”