Keepin touch

Whether you have a question, comment, suggestion or any problem in the purview of the government, send us your message and we will try to respond as soon as possible. If your problem is not in our purview, we will forward your message to the relevant institution.

The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Determining legitimacy of ICTY Serbia’s obligation towards innocent victims

Belgrade, 17 April 2008

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica talked today with Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Serge Brammertz about Serbia’s cooperation with that court.

Kostunica underlined that the court’s decision to acquit war criminal Ramus Haradinaj brings the court’s legitimacy into question.

The Serbian Prime Minister said that even if the ICTY had decided to sentence Haradinaj to one-day in prison it would have been a gross injustice, while its decision to declare Haradinaj innocent makes a mockery of justice.

Kostunica said that Serbia provided more than enough evidence on crimes committed by Ramus Haradinaj and that every real court would have justly sentence Haradinaj based on that evidence.

Since the ICTY concluded that Ramus Haradinaj is innocent, then Serbia rightfully requests that it should be determined whether the ICTY has legitimacy as an institution that can judge fairly, Kostunica stressed.

He said that determining the legitimacy of that court is Serbia’s obligation towards the innocent victims of Ramus Haradinaj.

The Serbian Prime Minister also raised the issue of trafficking of organs of kidnapped Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija.

Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz said that the ICTY has not found evidence to start an investigation into trafficking of organs of kidnapped Serbs and that he believes that proper authorities of Kosovo and Albania should investigate those cases.