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Print VersionSerbia to ask Hague tribunal to reopen probe into organ-trafficking allegations
15/04/2008
BELGRADE, Serbia -- The government plans to ask the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague to reopen a probe into allegations that Kosovo Albanians were involved in trafficking organs removed from hundreds of Kosovo Serb prisoners. Dusan Ignjatovic, of Serbia's national council for co-operation with the tribunal, said on Monday (April 14th) that Belgrade will insist "a probe be urgently reopened and fully conducted". The first claims of organ trafficking appeared in a book by former chief war crimes prosecutor Carla del Ponte. In "The Hunt", she wrote that a human organ-trafficking network was organised by members of the Liberation Army of Kosovo. On Sunday, the international NGO Human Rights Watch urged Kosovo's government to investigate the case. For now, Kosovo officials firmly deny the claims.
Meanwhile, del Ponte's successor, Serge Brammertz, plans to visit Belgrade on Thursday for a briefing on recent operations aimed at locating fugitive war crimes indictee Stojan Zupljanin. Serbia needs to convince The Netherlands that it is fully co-operating with the tribunal. The latter country is the only EU member to oppose signing a Stabilisation and Association Agreement with Serbia due to lack of full co-operation. (Tanjug, B92, AFP, Jurist, Express, Lajm - 04/14/08)
