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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Case of human organ trafficking in Kosovo-Metohija should be prosecuted as soon as possible

Belgrade/Strasbourg, 20 December 2010

President of the National Council for Cooperation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Rasim Ljajic said today in Strasbourg on the occasion of the Report of Special Rapporteur of the Council of Europe Dick Marty that EULEX should take responsibility and prosecute the case of human organ trafficking in Kosovo-Metohija as soon as possible.

Ljajic told Beta news agency that he believes the issue should be free from any kind of politicisation, and that it is in the interest of Serbia that the entire case be prosecuted as soon as possible. The EULEX should assume responsibility because this is a matter that is a prerequisite for establishment of the reconciliation process throughout the region.

Ljajic and Director of the Office for Cooperation with the ICTY Dusan Ignjatovic spoke today in Strasbourg with European Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg and Secretary General of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mateo Sorinas about Marty's report on trafficking in human organs in Kosovo-Metohija after the 1999 NATO bombing.

Given that Serbia has done a lot in the prosecution of war crimes and that the Serbian Prosecutor’s Office for War Crimes has processed 383 cases to date, we expect others do so as well, concretely EULEX to do that in this case, Ljajic underlined.

He highlighted that the responsibility lies primarily on the international community, specifically UNMIK, who have not done anything to solve all these cases.

On the contrary, there have been elements of open obstruction since the publication of first pieces of information on serious violations of human rights, including trafficking in human organs, Ljajic said.

He voiced his expectation that the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly will adopt both the resolution and recommendations, so that the Committee of Ministers may ask the governments of Council of Europe members to show readiness and help EULEX process the cases listed in Marty’s report.

In order for this to transpire, the resolution must have a simple majority at the Parliamentary Assembly session on 25 January, while for the recommendations to be adopted, there has to be a two-thirds majority, Ljajic explained.

He said that Serbia will continue lobbying at key international institutions and the Council of Europe, pointing out the importance of this issue in order to give an epilogue to Marty’s report.

The report states serious accusations and suspicions of heavy war crimes, the epilogue to which can be reached only at court, Ljajic stressed.

At the talks in Strasbourg I was assured that the report will definitely be debated at the Parliamentary Assembly session, Ljajic said, recalling that Secretary General Jagland stated that these are serious accusations that have to be looked into and verified, and, if necessary, further investigated, which is in Serbia’s interest as well.

Today in Strasbourg Ljajic will also meet with Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe Maud de Boer-Buquicchio.

He announced that he will also discuss the position of the Roma in Serbia and in Kosovo-Metohija with Council of Europe officials.