KLA guerrillas harvested murdered Serbs’ organs, say EU investigators

The mandate of the EU Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) was to conduct an independent criminal investigation into the war crime and organised crime allegations contained in the Council of Europe (CoE) report of January 2011 by Senator Dick Marty, as well as other possible crimes connected to those allegations.

The SITF, formed in September 2011, consists of international staff only. It works under the authority of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and, in order to further reinforce the independence and confidentiality of the process, the SITF is partly based in Brussels.

Chief Prosecutor Clint Williamson made a statement on the 29 July 2014 to say that SITF had evidence to file an indictment against former senior officials of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). They were accused of violating international humanitarian law following the end of the Kosovo War in 1999.

• Primary Source

EUObserver, 29.07.14: Ex-Kosovo paramilitaries face war crimes indictment http://euobserver.com/foreign/125140

Deutsche Welle, 29.07.14: 'Compelling evidence' for Kosovo Liberation Army crimes http://dw.de/p/1Cltv

EU: SITF: EU Special Investigative Task Force - Statement by the Chief Prosecutor Clint Williamson, 29.07.14 http://www.sitf.eu/index.php/en/news-other/42-statement-by-the-chief-prosecutor-clint-williamson

BBC News, 29.07.14: EU urges 'war crimes' trial of Kosovo ex-commanders http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-28541560

ESO: Background information: Kosovan parliament elects controversial leaders http://www.europeansources.info/record/kosovan-parliament-elects-controversial-leaders/

Website: EU Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) http://www.sitf.eu/index.php/en/

ESO: Background information: EU takes first steps on probe into Marty organ-trafficking report http://www.europeansources.info/record/eu-takes-first-steps-on-probe-into-marty-organ-trafficking-report/

Euronews, 29.07.14: EU probe finds Kosovo fighters committed crimes against humanity http://www.euronews.com/2014/07/29/eu-probe-finds-kosovo-fighters-committed-crimes-against-humanity/

Tages-Anzeiger, 30.07.14: Kosovars also committed war crimes (via Euro|Topics) http://www.eurotopics.net/en/home/presseschau/archiv/aehnliche/archiv_article/ARTICLE147723-Kosovars-also-committed-war-crimes

openDemocracy: Can Europe make It?, 30.07.14: The Kosovo conundrum https://www.opendemocracy.net/can-europe-make-it/denis-macshane/kosovo-conundrum

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