Strong international support, especially from the United States and the European Union, is crucial for the investigation and future prosecution on organ trafficking and organised crime cases in Kosovo, Human Rights Watch said Wednesday.

HRW Europe Deputy Director Benjamin Ward said there has been a lack of prioritisation for prosecuting serious crimes in Kosovo by the international community.

“If you compare it to the rest of the region, where there has been a fairly consistent prioritisation of the need for accountability for war time abuses, there has not been the same commitment to that accountability in Kosovo by the US or EU,” Ward said. “That is something we think will have to change if the process is going to be successful."

A report last month by Council of Europe rapporteur Dick Marty, a Swiss senator, accused members of the former Kosovo Liberation Army loyal to Hashim Thaci of abductions, illegal weapon, drug and organ trafficking. Thaci has denied all of the allegations.

Thaci and Albania, Kosovo’s neighbour and ally, in turn accused Marty of racism and bias. Both Kosovo and Albania have welcomed inquiries as the only way to restore their international credibility.

In order to conduct a credible investigation, HRW said that the EU Rule of Law mission in Kosovo (EULEX) should appoint an independent, high-level prosecutor from outside the region.

“We are not sure if there is necessarily such a person already in EULEX,” said Ward. “We think someone should be brought from outside.”

EULEX spokesperson Irina Gudeljevic said it was too soon to talk about the profile of the possible prosecutor for the case, and about the investigation in general.

She added that EULEX asked Marty to provide the evidence for the allegations, but he has not yet responded to the request.

“Before we receive that, it would be pre-mature to say anything about whether EULEX will start an official investigation or not,” said Gudeljevic.

“In general, EULEX will launch an investigation if there is sufficient evidence to believe that serious criminal activities have taken place and if EULEX is the appropriate authority to investigate those.”

HRW’s European director Lotte Leicht warned in a statement that “the EU mission in Kosovo will face great obstacles to conducting a credible investigation into these serious allegations."

He added that, aside from the independent senior prosecutor, a witness protection program that can relocate witnesses outside the Balkans is necessary.