Serbs’ Claim of Kosovo Organ Ring Is Investigated

PRAGUE — Europe’s leading human rights group began an investigation on Monday into Serb allegations that Serbian civilians were abducted in Kosovo during the Kosovo war of 1998-99 and taken to Albania, where their organs were extracted for sale before they were killed.

The inquiry, by the Council of Europe, based in Strasbourg, France, is being led by Dick Marty, a Swiss senator, who previously investigated the existence of alleged secret Central Intelligence Agency prisons in Europe used to interrogate terrorist suspects. The Council said Mr. Marty would meet this week with leading war crimes officials and human rights groups in Serbia and Albania.

Distrust between the two groups remains high even a decade after the war, with each side accusing the other of atrocities. Serbian war crimes investigators are now alleging that up to 500 Serbs from Kosovo disappeared during the Kosovo war.

Thanks, Rabs.

The first time I heard about this story I lost my lunch, literally. It's worse than the sick imagination of the worst horror flick. I didn't want to believe it. But when I did research on it, there is much to support that it indeed happen.

Before any mention of Serbs being cut up for their organs, the Council of Europe was already investigating Albania for illegal sales of children's vital organs. In other words Albanians were cutting up some of their own kids and selling them for body parts. (This was in addition to several parents getting caught selling their kids into sex slavery -- one family sold their son for a TV set.)

Then in November of last year, after Albanians in Kosovo protested that they "couldn't have done this because they didn't have the equipment or medical know-how", a transplant surgeon was caught red-handed in Kosovo after having just done an illegal kidney transplant. Obviously they did have both the medical equipment and know-how and this surgeon was likely involved in tearing out the organs of the kidnapped Serbs.

However, I do not expect that anyone significant will be prosecuted in this case. Carla del Ponte broke this story in her book fourteen months ago, about events that happened ten years ago. That they have waited this long to begin to "investigate", only tells me that they have taken all this time to cover the tracks of the involvement of anyone & everyone of importance.

Kosovo Serbs will get screwed yet again, and that this happened is a tragedy. But that the US supported and continue to support the people who did this is what bothers me most.

And the Albanians tell Dick Marty and the Council of Europe to buzz off, and tells Kosovo to sue Carla del Ponte. So much for "the investigation".

Albania refuses "foreign investigations"

7 August 2009 | 10:20 | Source: FoNet, Beta TIRANA -- Officials in Albania have told Council of Europe's Dick Marty that "there can be no organ trade probe based on accusations of Carla Del Ponte or Belgrade".

The CoE rapporteur has been appointed to investigate allegations that first appeared in the former chief Hague prosecutor's book, and were later probed by the Serbian War Crimes Prosecution

The prosecution believes that in 1999, hundreds of Kosovo Serb civilians were kidnapped in the province by the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and taken to northern Albania where their organs were removed before they were killed..... Continued

Serbia’s lie du jour busted on tape:

EULEX Joins Organ Trafficking Bribe Probe
“The EU rule of law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, has confirmed that it is now involved in the investigation into allegations that three Serbs attempted to secure false testimony about organ trafficking.

Christophe Lamfalussy told Balkan Insight that a mixed team of Kosovo and EULEX prosecutors in Pristina were now investigating the case.

Three Serbs were arrested in June by Kosovo police, accused of trying to bribe Kosovo Serbs to falsely testify that they were victims of organ harvesting during the 1998-99 Kosovo conflict. EULEX was not involved in the initial arrests.

Milutin Radanovic and Predrag Zelkovic are Serbian citizens. The third man arrested is Igor Jucinac, a Kosovo Serb, who was a Kosovo policeman until he was dismissed for misconduct.

Lamfalussy said the case is now being handled jointly by two prosecutors in Pristina, one from Kosovo, the other from EULEX. “The case is under active investigation, the suspects remain subject to an order of detention,” he said.

A detention order for the three suspects expires on September 11.

The news emerged as broadcaster RTK aired undercover footage of the suspects talking about offering up to 100,000 euros for false testimony.

Allegations that elements of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, were involved in removing organs from prisoners for trafficking first surfaced in Carla Del Ponte’s book, The Hunt: Me and War Criminals. The claims have been strenuously denied by former KLA members and the Kosovo government.

The allegations are being investigated by EULEX and, more recently, by Dick Marty, rapporteur for the European Council, who visited Serbia and Albania to gather evidence last week.
http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/21611/

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SeotNG8Utg

“Agent 1: You win 60,000-70,000 Euros. This is a done deal. Money is not an issue. There is a procedure how the money is allocated

Citizen: Is he a state’s official?

Agent 1: Yes, he is.

Citizen: Who gives the money? The state, or…?

Agent 1: Yes, the state does.

Citizen: Serbia?

Agent 1: Yes, Serbia. Do you know how much it cost to us to pay a person who gave the information that his organ (kidney) was transplanted – 300,000 Euros, I swear to God.”

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