Rama Renews Call for Review of Dick Marty Report

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama attacked the Dick Marty 2011 report on the Kosovo war during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Saturday, following a decision from his government to condemn it.

The report for the Council of Europe accused former high-ranking Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) members of war crimes in collaboration with Albanians with little evidence.

A European Union task force investigated many of the claims and found most had no basis, but particularly allegations of organ trafficking could not be substantiated.

“In 2011, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe approved a report by a diligent parliamentarian accusing the Kosovo Liberation Army of the heinous crime of organ trafficking. Mr Marty should have been paid as a storyteller but never to be trusted as a rapporteur,” Rama said.

He added that the report was the fundamental idea behind creating the Specialised Chambers of Kosovo, a special court in The Hague set up to try KLA personnel. In contrast, no similar structure was set up for Serbian war criminals.

“It became one of the worst cases of distorted reality, the kind of manifesto for nationwide propaganda against Kosovo's independence,” he continued, adding there was not a single piece of evidence found for the claims, and yet former president Hashim Thaci remains in prison.

“Imagine a moment where your president or prime minister is taken from office to a third country and held without charge in prison,” he added, noting the report is nothing more than a “monumental failure” that tarnished the history of a country.

“Justice is served with facts, evidence and data,” he added while calling on the CoE to accept Albania's request for a review of the report.