"Confidential report: Albanians testify about organ trade"

"Confidential report: Albanians testify about organ trade"

"We are in possession of a report marked as confidential, it is not for the public, the information is subject to journalistic discretion. This report is dated October 2003. It's about the content of the visit of the chief of investigations at the Hague Tribunal, Patrick Lopez-Terez, and his meeting with the director of (UN mission in Kosovo) UNMIK's justice department," Drecun said.

He added that the report contains testimonies given by eight Albanians, all ex-KLA, who "know the whole story."

"This introduction is based on interviews with the eight witnesses, all of them Albanians from Kosovo and Montenegro who served in the KLA. Four witnesses directly participated in the transport of at least 90 ethnic Serbs and others to illegal prisons in central and northern Albania. They delivered prisoners to a house-clinic south of Burrel. Two witnesses claim to have participated in the transport of body parts and organs to the Rinas airport near Tirana," Drecun said.

"According to all our knowledge, all transports and 'surgical' procedures were executed with the knowledge and participation of middle and senior-ranking KLA officers, as well as doctors from Kosovo and from abroad. This operation was actively supported by people from the Albanian secret police under control, at the time, of former Prime Minister Sali Berisha," the confidential report that Drecun read states.

Asked if there was a possibility for this report to be considered and for something to happen in the case known as "Yellow House" - Drecun said the subject of illegal trafficking in organs is an integral part of the report of (former special Council of Europe rapporteur) Dick Marty, based on which the Specialist Prosecution (and Chambers) for KLA Crimes have been formed.

"This organs trade must be the object of interest of the specialized prosecution and they certainly work on it. It must be, it is one of the supporting elements," Drecun said.

He recalled that Dick Marty identifies the illegal trafficking in human organs and the Drenica criminal group of (now Kosovo President) Hashim Thaci as the ones most responsible for the crimes.

"We have to wait and insist that as a state we do everything to get them in the indictments as soon as possible. Time is running out. In the next few months at most, they will decide whether to raise indictments or give up on them. This is a period in which we must we make additional efforts to supply them with as much evidence as possible, so that this doesn't happen to us again. There are eight witnesses here, no one is doing anything. (Former chief Hague prosecutor) Carla del Ponte published only years later this story in a book, and I am asking why didn't you (act) when you had eight witnesses. Here's proof that you had them: why didn't you open the case and start prosecuting," Drecun asked.