The Bytyqi brothers

Posted in Daniel Serwer - May 31, 2016 - 4 Comments
Praveen Madhiraju, a pro bono advisor to the Btyqi family, writes: 

“Don’t worry, we’ll resolve [the Bytyqi murders], and I think that it’s our job, it’s our duty to do it…. [Resolution will] happen very soon or much sooner than anybody might expect.”
— Serbian PM Aleksandar Vucic, June 4, 2015 at SAIS

Many of you were present at SAIS approximately one year ago when Prime Minister Vucic promised expeditious resolution on the Bytyqi case – the case of three American citizens and brothers that were kidnapped, executed and dumped into a mass grave by Serbian special forces at the end of the Kosovo war.

But in the year that has transpired, virtually nothing has happened.  Witnesses have not been given clear signals that they will be protected.  No charges have been filed. Suspected war criminals, however, are faring much better.  Goran Radosavljevic, a prime suspect in the case, remains a key advisor to Prime Minister Vucic and President Tomislav Nikolic and their Progressive Party.  Despite repeated requests, the Bytyqi family has not been given updates on any future plans to move the case along.This wasn’t the first promise that Prime Minister Vucic had broken to US officials (including Vice President Biden, Secretary Kerry, and National Security Advisor Rice), the American public, and the Bytyqi family.  He had previously promised to resolve the case by the end of the Summer 2014. After missing that first self-imposed deadline, he promised in November 2014 to resolve it by end of March 2015.

Although Serbia has pledged various systemic reforms as part of its EU accession process, there is little evidence that these efforts will be genuinely pursued.  Vucic seems poised to reappoint a Justice Minister who throws “welcome home” parties for convicted war criminals.  This is especially important since June 4 will also mark 156 days since Serbia has been without a head of the Office of the War Crimes Prosecutor.  The Justice Minister will take a leading role in nominating new candidates and has previously suggested that he would impose an “SNS-friendly” litmus test for such nominations. A lack of political support remains a primary impediment to resolving war crimes. These failures result in fewer and fewer war crimes being prosecuted each year.
Bottom line: Prime Minister Vucic has lied multiple times to the family of three murdered American citizens and our highest leaders, including the Vice President of the United States.  He should be held accountable for his failures.

I’d have preferred this note read “has failed to fulfill his promises to the family…,” but that’s just me. Here is the full recording of the Prime Minister’s appearance at SAIS on June 4, 2015 (please let me know if you discover at which point the above quotation about the Bytyqi brothers appears):

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4 thoughts on “The Bytyqi brothers”

  1. The particular quote comes in segments between 27:45-28:40. The full Q&A on the Bytyqi case starts at 26:29.

    PM Vucic also references back to assurances about the Bytyqi case later in the Q&A around 37:35: “I think we’re a very reliable partner of the West, because what we say, what we promise, we’ll deliver. I’m not going to promise something we don’t do. I didn’t promise we’re going to recognize the independence of Kosovo, but I promise we’re going to resolve the Bytyqi case.”

  2. When will the eu end talks with Serbia and impose 90’s style sanctions on Serbia until this is resolved and all those involved are in jail?

    1. They won’t. The West made a clandestine deal with Vucic as long as he was making progress to secure path for an eventual Kosovo UN membership, they were going to turn a blind eye for his highly corrupt and nefarious internal policies.

  3. I was at the SAIS event last year. I would not like to sound as ex post facto savvy but I was taken aback with exuberant ambience at the conference.
    I know Vucic very well from his beginnings in public life as a Radovan Karadzic’s journalist in Bosnia in 1992 before he joined and quickly became #2 person of a notorious rightist Serbian Radical Party and remained so all the way up until 2008.
    I know if we try we can find more or less conflicting statements or false promises for any politician but in the case of Vucic that goes to a drastic magnitude.
    Currently, his inner family and friends are robbing money out of Serbia and control of the media reached a shocking level while the Western leaders look forward to have a friendly handshake with this man.
    Even the current US Ambassador to Serbia, Kyle Scott, is trying to secure as many support for Vucic as possible among Serbian MP. See http://www.blic.rs/vesti/politika/radulovic-ljut-na-skota-predsednik-dosta-je-bilo-zamerio-ambasadoru-sad-zbog-podrske/tg2grg0 or http://dostajebilo.rs/radulovic-ljut-na-skota-predsednik-dosta-je-bilo-zamerio-ambasadoru-sad-zbog-podrske-vucicu/

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