Vukcevic: Dick Marty was a great friend of the Serbs, helped us prove the crimes of the KLA

Former war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic said for Kosovo Online that the late Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty, who passed away at the age of 78, was a great friend of the Serbs and assisted the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor's Office in proving that crimes against Serbs were committed in Kosovo.

"I remember Dick Marty with a lot of respect and regard; he was a great friend of the Serbs. He was a pleasant person, appreciated the Serbs, and helped us prove that crimes were committed against the Serbs," said Vukcevic.

He recalled the time when the report with evidence of organ trafficking reached Marty and mentioned that Marty's investigation confirmed all the findings of the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office.

"Our report reached Dick Marty. After that, he asked me if he could come, and he came after a few days. It was immediately apparent that he was a cultured and polite man. We started talking, and he asked me if I had it in writing. I gave it to him, and it was translated because we had already prepared everything. He said he would get back to us in a few days. When he called, he said, 'This is terrible', and asked me if I could come to Zurich to clarify some things," Vukcevic recounted.

As he added, Marty took them to dinner in Zurich, during which an agreement was reached to continue the investigation.

"We compiled a bunch of documents, and he contacted us thrilled, saying, 'This is fantastic!' They assessed it as the most significant crime in Europe since World War II. We continued the investigation, but with their confirmation, we received significant recognition from Europe," Vukcevic stated.

Later, he continued, they heard that Dick Marty was working extensively on investigating organ trafficking.

"After some time, they informed me that they had obtained some information and showed me footage from one location where these crimes were committed. They saw traces of blood, it was proven to be human blood, medications used in organ transplantation were found, and when Dick Marty saw that, it was over. The fact that Dick Marty got involved in the investigation is of great significance; this is how the whole of Europe got involved," he said.

Vukcevic mentioned that after presenting these pieces of evidence, they received a report from Dick Marty confirming that everything the War Crimes Prosecutor's Office of Serbia had done and the information they had obtained were accurate.

"It resonated. Dick Marty's report confirmed our findings that these crimes had occurred, and they confirmed it with their investigation," said Vukcevic.