The latest finds against Hasim Taci, presented by the Council of Europe (CoE) repporteur Dick Marty, ravages the image of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

“A few months ago in Kosovo, Blair was decorated with a golden medal by his friend Hasim Taci. That medal’s glow has now faded after CoE rapporteour Dick Marty’s report”, London-based daily The Times writes on Friday.

According to this newspaper, along with Kosovo, almost everything else former British Prime Minister supported or fought for is now collapsing. It is not just war in Iraq, but also Near East, Africa and the Balkans, the author says.

In Near East, where Blair is a delegate for peace negotiations between Israel and Palestine, peace has died once again, having in mind America quitted convincing Israel to stop building Jewish settlements on the West coast.

The Times also writes about the accusation for illegal organ transplantations pressed against seven Kosovo Albanians last week by the Eulex prosecutors.

The paper deals with the “Medicus” clinic case, in which, according to Eulex prosecutors, kidneys were removed from the poor people from former USSR countries and Turkey, and they never received the money they were promised. Kidneys were transplanted to rich patients, mostly Israelis, who paid up to EUR 100 thousand for that.

The Times journalist stresses that one of the accused is Kosovo Ministry of health high official Ilir Recaj, accused of issuing the permit for work to the clinic, even though Kosovo laws forbid organ transplantation. The observers wonder whether Recaj worked independently, or his orders came from above himself.

The paper quotes David Philips, former American State Department councillor for Balkans, who said that “no illegal activity in Kosovo happens without the knowledge and participation of ruling party’s intelligence and criminal structure created during the war”.

Taci said he was shocked with allegations from the “Medicus” clinic indictment, and that judicature should act independently from the politics.

Serbian judiciary conducts preliminary investigation

Serbian Minister of Justice Snezana Malovic has stated that the Serbian judiciary has launched a preliminary investigation into the allegations about trafficking in human organs harvested from kidnapped Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo-Metohija, and expressed belief that the judiciary will continue to perform its duties at a professional level.

“Given that this is a war crime, I am certain that the competent authorities in Serbia will launch an investigation,” Malovic underlined in an interview for the Friday edition of the Belgrade-based daily Vecernje Novosti, stressing that in addition to the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor's Office, the human organ trafficking in Kosovo will probably be looked into by the Office of the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime and the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF).

“This case may be a test for the international community, and we have to do all in our power to establish full cooperation with them. The report by Special Rapporteur of the Council of Europe (CoE) Dick Marty has already made an immense contribution to the search for the truth. Moreover, all perpetrators involved in this hideous crime must face justice and take responsibility for their misdeeds,” Malovic underlined.

Video from prison camp is evidence against Taci

One of the Serbian War Crimes Chamber's main evidence against Hasim Taci and his so-called Drenica group is the video from the prison camp in Likovac, northern Kosovo, showing the members of the Drenica group as well as four kidnapped Serbs from Kosovo-Metohija, the Belgrade-based daily Blic reports on Friday.

The video from the Likovac camp in Srbica municipality was made in May 1998 by the members of the Kosovo Liberation Army that Drenica group was a part of, the paper reads, adding that the video shows Zarko Spasic, a worker of the Electric Industry of Serbia (EPS), who was kidnapped at his workplace on May 14, 1998.

The video also shows police officer Dejan Stoiljkovic from Gnjilane, who was kidnapped on May 19, 1998, on his way back from a private visit to Pec, Vladimir Spasic, kidnapped on the same day near Komorani (a village in Bosnia-Herzegovina), and Miroslav Suljinic, kidnapped on May 21, 1998 near Lapusnik prison camp.

Suljanic's remains were found in a mass grave near Lapusnik in 2005, Blic reports, and adds that, according to the Chamber's information, the Drenica group increased its activities in this area in May 1998.

The group attacked towns and villages and kidnapped at least 30 Serb and 11 Albanian civilians, as well as several police officers. According to a source acquainted with the investigation, based on the collected evidence, Taci was the one who ordered this series of crimes, the paper reads.