U.S. Prosecutor Clint Williamson failed to prove trafficking in human organs in Kosovo during the 1999 conflict, according to diplomatic sources in Brussels.
Brussels, Belgrade – No evidence of trafficking in human organs in Kosovo, organized crime, or on command responsibility of the central headquarters of the former Kosovo Liberation Army, according to the report of the Chief Prosecutor of the Special Investigation Team Clint Williamson on organ trafficking during the war in Kosovo in 1999, Danas learned from diplomatic sources in Brussels.
According to our respondents, Williamson’s team, however, found sufficient evidence to indict “six to ten” former KLA members for war crimes against Serbian civilians.
As specified, these crimes are related to the area of the lake Radonic, Klecka, Zociste and Belacevac. “Several suspects are highly ranked on the political scene in Kosovo, and the charges were even earlier erected against them,” point sources of Danas.
In the context of a lack of evidence about organ trafficking, it is considered that this specific part of the report of the Special Rapporteur of the Council of Europe Dick Marty, on the basis of which Williamson’s investigation has been launched, was “very slim.” The fact that a top KLA command responsibility has not been determined means that Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, the former political leader of the KLA, will not be suspected.
Danas has learned that the European Union will allocate about 300 million euros for the establishment of the Special Court for war crimes in Kosovo, which will begin operations next year.
“The court will function in accordance with the Kosovo Constitution and laws, but with proceedings internationally managed in a special court department in The Hague, and Kosovo and the Dutch parliament must first give permission for it. It is anticipated that it will employ about 150 foreign judges, prosecutors, professionals, researchers, and the processes to be completed by 2020th year,” said diplomatic sources of Danas.
Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandra Vucic thanked prosecutor Williamson yesterday for “perseverance” in solving the crimes, adding that Williamson with his work “justified his reputation as a fighter for the respect of law.” Clint Williamson thanked the Serbian judicial authorities for a very good and efficient cooperation during the investigation process.
However neither Vucic nor prosecutor Williamson mentioned the results of the investigation or parts of the report. Williamson gave no comment on speculation of Pristina media about what is in the report, until it is available to the public.
On the other hand, the war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic said yesterday that the Serbian prosecution gathered sufficient evidence that there were war crimes. He said that material was submitted to the Williamson team upon which 400 witnesses were interviewed. According to Vukcevic, the Prosecution has come to the conclusion that there were crimes, respectively 300 non-Albanians victims of organ trafficking, who were reported missing.
– We have established the existence of war crimes, but we did not come to the perpetrators because we were not allowed to continue our work in the field – Vukcevic said, adding that now is the time to decide whether to bring an indictment or abandon the investigation.
And the former chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte spoke about trafficking in human organs in Kosovo, in addition to the report of Dick Marty. The former ICTY spokeswoman Florence Hartmann told Danas that the seriousness of the report can be discussed only when it is available to the public
– There were too many contradictions and speculation, and an investigation was necessary. Williamson visited Pristina and Belgrade to inform officials that the investigation was completed and prepared them for the publication of results. When the report is made public, we can comment on its seriousness – highlights Artman. She added that so far the only certain fact is that people were killed and there are missing both Albanian and Serbian nationality, and the report would have to address and their fates, and not just a case of the so-called “Yellow House”.
– It is less important whether they were killed for trafficking in organs or otherwise. Every war crime must be investigated and the perpetrators prosecuted. I hope that Williamson’s investigation was not focused only on trafficking in human organs, because that minimizes other crimes – warns Artman. She added that the case was politicized, because the eyes of the public and politicians are focused only on the “Yellow House”, while no one any more is dealing with missing persons.
Simic: There will be political consequences
Professor of Political Sciences in Belgrade Predrag Simic told Danas that Clint Williamson visited Pristina and Belgrade in order to soften the political consequences of the publication of his report that it will undoubtedly bring to the region. “It sets the stage for what will follow. However, I think that the report will be ‘politically correct’ and that it will not include the names of high-ranking officials, but a dozen junior officers of the KLA. It will not meet the expectations of Belgrade and probably that was the reason of visit to the capital of Serbia,” Simic said, adding that there were known cases of trafficking in human organs in Kosovo,” about what Dick Martin openly spoken in his performances.”
