Organs: Investigation not Hysteria

| 18 April 2008 | By Tim Judah

The organs trafficking story is foul. But, hysteria is not the way to deal with it.

Yesterday the spokeswoman of the Office of the Prosecution of the ICTY said that the allegations could not be substantiated, quite apart from the jurisdictional problem. She said that, in that case, it was up to UNMIK and the authorities of Albania to deal with the issue. Which implies they have done nothing. That is a shame.

Both Kosovo and Albania want to be recognised as states of law and not states of omertà – ie., "keep you mouth shut or you die." If there was not enough evidence to deal with the case then this does not mean that it is not true does it?

How dignified it would be if the governments of Kosovo and Albania could both announce that they would investigate this case, and do it properly with a significant, objective, international component to give it credibility. After all, organs aside, where are the 300 people who disappeared?

The answer is not a shrill cry of, "lots of Albanians are still missing too". Two wrongs don't make a right. If there is an Albanian Batajnica then everyone needs to know, and if there is not, then we need to know that too, along with the fate of all the missing, Serbs and Albanians.

In that way too, both Albania and Kosovo will also have a chance to disapprove the rumours doing the rounds that powerful friends from abroad have told their leaders to ignore this story and just ride it out. To do that would be a disservice to all the people they claim to serve in government. Yes "serve".

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Comments:

the Hague
2008-04-19 05:55:20

Yes, but the Hague doesn't like Serbs, so it all evens out.

partner55008749@vansoftcorp.com

Such a shame
2008-04-21 21:48:49

I don't believe that it's foul at all. Why would someone so established from the Hague who so adamantly opposed everything Serbian, all of a sudden release such a statement in her book? Up until her book was released she was a very well known credible person. Why wouldn't she be now? It's a shame that Albania won't even look into it!!! I think that the Serbian gov't in Kosovo should spearhead this campaign and find those criminals and have them charged through their own courts.

Hmmm
2008-04-22 20:10:16

Tim Judah, afraid of becoming the target of Serbian propaganda, many times make pro-Serb comments so he is percieved at least as neutral. Did you forget to mention what Hartmann has said. She says that there is no evidence about these allegations and Carla Del Ponte is using romours from people she don't know. Every one in diplomatic circles know that Del Ponte used this to revenge the aquittal of Haradinaj and at the same time shift focus from ther failures as Chief Persecutor.

2008-04-22 20:27:24

Whether a story is a "foul" or not can only be established by an impartial investigation. Total unwillingness of the Albanian leaders to allow it speaks volumes about their "commitment" to the human and minority rights. If such a report emerged about the treatment of the Tibetans by the Han Chinese, we would listen to it 24-7. Of course, when the Serbs are missing, then it does not matter. Kudos to the BIRN for reporting on this horror.

no shame
2008-04-23 00:29:11

This sounds like somethins Serbs would do or did during this Balkans war.There is no Albanian war criminals they are all freedom fighters defending their homes.Why should Albania look and waist its resources into something that didnt happen? Why wont the Serbs dig the grave yards around Belgrade where they burried Albanians that they have massacerd in Kosovo?DelPonte should be sued by every Kosovar and every penny she will ern from her book should go to the Kosovar family that have suffered during the war.Shame on her to write about a Serbian myth.

sebaneau@aliceadsl.fr
2008-04-23 14:08:42

There is nothing to this story: no evidence, no witnesses, no names, not even plausibility, since specialists repeat that nothing could have be done as alleged in the book. The Tribunal shouldn't even have been allowed to meddle with the victim nations' internal affairs. Were Poles or Czechs tried at Nuremberg for murdering and expelling Germans?

so where are they?
2008-04-25 21:22:28

>> After all, organs aside, where are the 300 people who disappeared? That is a good question. Where are they? Maybe the same place where some 3000 Albanians are. Many dead, probably mixed with each other or alive and not counted as such. The fact that some are missing, does not mean that they were butchered for their organs Tim. You are smarter than to implicitly connect them. Since 2-3000 Albanian are still missing, can I ask for an investigation on whether they are held in Serbian concentration camps or used as sex slaves? After all, where are they?? Investigating would be worth if they were a shred of evidence, but there is none. Just some rumors to sell a book. What journalist would call Carla instead of his editor if there was any hint of this? Think of the riches, and fame that journo would get. 9 years and today we hear for the first time. Do you realize how many people would be involved in a such heinous conspiracy? Do you think Serbs would be "Oh, OK" after an investigation? Nope, they'll want to milk it for all it's worth. if one says that X is having sex with his daughter now investigate yourself, with no basis

Organs: Investigation not Hysteria
2009-09-08 17:25:20

Tim, I am sorry to say that you have shown yourself completely no inpartial, even though you pose yourself otherwise. You are saing: "There is not enough proofs", why you don't say: "there are no proofs at all"(beside some comments in a book, for a story whose apparent source is the Beograde). For every one dissapered serb there are 10 Albanians missing, and proved that was clear efforts to cover the tracks of countless crimes against them. The best evidence is Batajnica. How do you consider some unreliable allegation against Albanians and you "fail" to investage that IT WAS THE SERBS who made, organ trafficing taking them from the Albanians bodies, which you could find everywhere butchered. How all of sudden the criminal serbs are looking for justice, while ten years ago their state aparutus ordered these masacres, and their soldier performed that without hezitation, trying at the end to cover the traces?

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Sarajevo is not your city, Mr Karadzic, but mine

Organs: Investigation not Hysteria