Serbia - Kosovo

Patriarch Irinej accuses int'l community of indifference to plight of Kosovo Serbs

05.01.2011 u 15:19

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The Serbian Orthodox Church leader, Patriarch Irinej, has accused the international community of being indifferent to war crimes committed against Serbs in Kosovo, including the alleged organ trafficking.

"The truth and Divine justice always have a final say," Irinej said in his Christmas message which the Serbian electronic media aired on Wednesday.

Irinej said that trafficking in organs forcibly removed from innocent Serb victims was one of the grossest examples of violations of the rights of Serb people in Kosovo. He accused international officials of turning a blind eye to what was going on in Kosovo.

In mid-December, the Council of Europe accused in a report former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) commanders, including Kosovo's current prime minister Hashim Thaci, of serious human rights abuses, including organ and drug trafficking. The draft report on the human rights situation in Kosovo was a result of a two-year investigation by Council of Europe special rapporteur Dick Marty.

Thaci rejected the report accusing him of heading a mafia-style organisation, stressing he would use all political and legal means to bring the truth to light and calling for an international and domestic investigation. Calling the report by Council of Europe rapporteur Marty slanderous and full of lies, Thaci called on him to present the facts if he had any.