By Zoe Martina Siegel

In June 2011, Turkish doctor Yusuf Sonmez and his associate Moshe Harel were accused of trafficking in persons and organized crime by the EU rule-of-law mission in Kosovo. Operating out of Medicus clinic in Pristina, Dr. Sonmez, Harel, and other key players harvested and sold human kidneys. The buyers, often Israelis, usually paid more than 70,000 euro for a kidney. The organs were harvested from poor people from Turkey, Russia, Moldova, and Kazakhstan. Sellers were told they would receive up to 15,000 euro for their organs; they were hardly ever compensated in full.

Sonmez and Harel have been on the run since the indictment against them was issued. However, earlier this month, Sonmez was spotted in Amsterdam. Dutch authorities contacted Kosovo’s Special Prosecution Office. If successfully located by the Dutch police, Sonmez will likely be prosecuted in a special new court to be established in the Netherlands next year that deals with war crimes.

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