Indictments on Organ Trading against Citizens from Turkey and Israel

PRISTINA, Kosovo — As to Kosovar media a special prosecutor from the European Union (EU) Rule-of-Law mission in Kosovo (EULEX) filed indictments against two citizens from Turkey and Israel. Yusuf Sonmez and Moshe Harel are accused of "trafficking in persons, organized crime and unlawful exercise of medical activity" EULEX states. According to EULEX spokesman  Blerim Krasniqi "Warrants for their arrest have been issued by the District Court in Pristina and both suspects are subject to international wanted notices, issued by Interpol".

Concretely the accused are said to be involved in illegal organ trading. Reportedly in addition the suspects refused to pay an offered amount of 14.000 Euro to persons from Moldova, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkey, in exchange for their kidneys – whereas the respective recipients paid between 80,000 and 100,000 euros for their organ transplants.

The illegal transplantation took place in 2008 in the so called Medicus Clinic located in the outskirts of Kosovo’s capital city Prishtina.

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In this context it is worth mentioning that also Senator Dick Marty in his report gave a hidden hint on the possible involvement of further persons: "… we found a number of credible, convergent indications that the organ-trafficking component of the post-conflict detentions described in our report is closely related to the contemporary case of the Medicus Clinic, not least through prominent Kosovar Albanian and international personalities who feature as co-conspirators in both. However, out of respect for the ongoing investigations and judicial proceedings being led by EULEX / the Office of the Special Prosecutor of Kosovo, we feel obliged at this moment to refrain from publishing  our findings in this regard."

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KON / NK

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