Williamson: If there were a special court, I’d file indictments today (Koha)
In a front-page interview, EU Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) lead prosecutor Clint Williamson said that if the special court were in place, he would be ready to immediately file indictments against the most senior figures of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). “We know who the persons we think are responsible for these crimes are and investigations will continue and will focus on them. Depending on how investigations go in the coming months, other individuals could be included on the list”, said Williamson. He expressed his belief that a serious process against KLA top officials can take place only in a special court outside of Kosovo’s territory. Speaking about allegations of organ harvesting, Williamson said there is a compelling indication that such cases existed but on a limited scale. “But at this stage, we have no sufficient evidence to press charges”, said the SITF prosecutor who went on to stress that there is a huge difference between saying ‘there is no evidence’ and ‘there is no sufficient evidence’.
Brasseur: Truth’s march continues in cases of organ trafficking (Koha)
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Anne Brasseur welcomed the report of the EU Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) lead prosecutor, Clint Williamson. “Although no final conclusions have as yet been presented, SITF has found compelling evidence to file indictments against certain former senior officials of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) with respect to major human rights violations, findings that are largely based on and consistent with Dick Marty’s report presented to the Parliamentary Assembly in 2011”, Brasseur said in a statement to the media. She said it is reassuring that the SITF is characterised by a high level of professionalism and that the EU is giving the necessary support to combat organised crime uncompromisingly to ensure that justice is carried out, without any considerations of political expediency. “I note with regret the existence, in certain quarters, of a climate of witness intimidation and I call on the authorities of Serbia and Albania and the Kosovo administration to co-operate unreservedly with ongoing investigations”, the PACE President concluded.
Veseli: Williamson’s report a step towards the truth (Epoka e Re)
The deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Kadri Veseli, who is among the persons mentioned in Dick Marty’s Council of Europe report, has reacted after the report of Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) prosecutor, Clint Williamson. He said yesterday’s report paves the way towards getting at the truth of what happened during the conflict in Kosovo.
HLC: Williamson told the reality (Lajm)
The Humanitarian Law Center in Kosovo (HLC) says the results of the investigations led by Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) prosecutor Clint Williamson convincingly show that, after the conflict in Kosovo, there was a persecution campaign against Serbs, Roma and other minority communities, as well as political opponents. Williamson’s team obtained evidence showing that abductions, forceful disappearances and killings of Serbs and Roma were not acts of individuals out of control, but were approved by KLA leaders, says a press release issued by the HLC. The team, however, failed to gather evidence of human organ harvesting and trafficking, which would ensure criminal prosecution, although there are indications that such practices happened on a limited scale. This does not diminish the responsibility of individuals from the KLA leadership for criminal offences that had no connection to defending Kosovo or fighting for its freedom, says the HLC.
Veterans reject Williamson’s report (Epoka e Re)
The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) War Veterans Organization has rejected the report of prosecutor Clint Williamson. According to this organization, the report tries to put a stain on the KLA’s struggle, which was already proved to be “rightful” in The Hague Tribunal and UNMIK and EULEX courts.
Bytyqi family sues Serbia at UN (dailies)
The lawyers representing the family of Ylli, Agron and Mehmet Bytyqi, who were killed in Serbia in 1999, have filed a complaint with the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, demanding Serbia’s compliance with its international obligation to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the disappearance and murder of the brothers. The Bytyqi brothers, US citizens of Kosovo Albanian origin, joined the Kosovo Liberation Army during the Kosovo conflict.
Jahjaga: Kosovo won’t become source of religious extremism (Koha Ditore)
The President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, reacted to the footage circulated yesterday on social media and news sites apparently showing a Kosovo Albanian, who is known to be fighting in Syria, killing a person. Jahjaga said Kosovo will not be allowed to become a source of religious extremism and exporter of violence and hatred. Jahjaga is reported to have met heads of security mechanisms in Kosovo and discussed the threat from extremism and radicalism and the steps these institutions are undertaking to fight them. Jahjaga urged security institutions to treat this issue with the utmost importance and prosecute individuals that try to destabilize Kosovo.
