Kosovo organ-trafficking suspect arrested
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 25 May 2012 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Kosovo organ-trafficking suspect arrested, 25 May 2012, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/4fc8adc5b.html [accessed 20 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 25, 2012
The EU's police mission in Kosovo says a suspect in a human-organ-trafficking scandal that came to light in 2008 has been arrested in Israel.
The EULEX mission said Moshe Harel was arrested in connection with a parallel investigation in Israel.
Kosovo police accuse Harel of luring kidney donors to Kosovo from Turkey and the poorer countries of the former Soviet Union with the promise of $20,000 in payment.
The organs were then sold on for between $100,000-125,000.
Kosovo media reports quoted EULEX prosecutor Jonathan Ratel as saying the mission would seek Harel's extradition.
Attention over the trafficking allegations has grown since Council of Europe envoy Dick Marty in 2010 accused Kosovo Albanian guerrilla fighters of harvesting organs from captives, mainly Serbs, during the 1998-99 Kosovo war.
Based on reporting by Reuters and the BBC
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
