Kosovo President says Hague prosecutors have not questioned him on organ harvesting

Gazeta Express

24/09/2020 22:14

Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, in an interview with T7 program Pressing, said the Hague prosecutors have not questioned him on organ trafficking, the so-called Yellow House in Albania or any murder in particular.

These two explosive accusations, according to Thaci were the main findings of Swiss senator Dick Marty’s report published in 2011 that led to the establishment of the Special Court at the Hague mandated to investigate and try these allegations.

In a press statement in June the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (SPO) said that, on 24 April, it had filed a 10-count indictment with the Kosovo Specialist Chambers “for the Court’s consideration”. It has not released details about the alleged war crimes. In July Kosovo President Hashim Thaci for four days in a row has faced questioning by international war-crimes prosecutors at The Hague.

Speaking to T7 Thaci denied he was quizzed about these allegations. “Not a question on organ trafficking. Although this was the basis which led to the establishment of the Special Court,” Thaci said. “I was not questioned on the Yellow House either,” Thaci said referring to the famed Yellow House, near the town of Burrel in Albania which Marty identifies as a place used by the KLA members allegedly to harvest body organs. Further Thaci said that he was not asked of any murder. “I was not asked about any murder,” Thaci said.

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers (SPO) announced on June 24 that Thaci and other ex-KLA prominent commanders were the subject of an indictment on suspicion of serious crimes including “nearly 100 murders,” enforced disappearances, and torture. Thaci was political representative of the Kosovo Liberation Army (UCK) during 1998-1999 war in Kosovo. A pretrial judge in the SPO has yet to decide whether to put Thaci and the others on trial or to dismiss the indictment. /GazetaExpress/