Albanian villagers block organ trafficking probe
12/08/2009
TIRANA, Albania -- Villagers prevented a team of European investigators from entering a house Monday (August 10th) that was allegedly used by Kosovo rebels to collect the human organs of hundreds of Serb victims of the 1998-99 conflict in Kosovo. Residents of the village of Ripa blocked the road for two hours and prevented Council of Europe (CoE) investigators from entering the house without a warrant issued by Albanian prosecutors, according to local media reports Tuesday. The investigators, led by CoE Special Rapporteur Dick Marty, were forced to drop efforts to visit the Katuci family home. Marty was in Albania as part of a fact-finding mission that included stops in Serbia and Kosovo. His team is looking into Serb allegations that Kosovo rebels killed up to 500 Serb citizens in Albania in order to remove their organs and sell them abroad. The victims were kidnapped in Kosovo. (AFP, News 24 - 11/08/09)
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