10 minutes ago2023 fires paralysed IML labs, over 700 pending cases
Periskopi(2 hours ago)
(2 hours ago)More than 700 cases, nearly half of them suspicious deaths and murders, are awaiting laboratory tests at the Legal Medicine Institute, which has been out of place for more than three years. Medical and X - ray services were paralyzed after the Institute, in 2023, was caught twice in flames.
The volume of pending cases for completing autopsys of suspicious deaths or murders has reached more than 700 at the Institute of Legal Medicine. These basic tests remain pending, as for more than three years, when two fires included the facility of the Institute of Legal Medicine, laboratory and Xhathgen have remained out of place.
As autopsies are being carried out in an improvised room, toxicology analysis, histoatology and X-rays cannot be realised, as the renovation of the screening room has been lasting for years, scripts RTK broadcast Periscope.
Legal Medicine Institute Director Agron Thaci's task officer, has told Radio Kosovo that the renovation is expected to be completed at a distance next week.
The “pending are more than 700 cases, out of which about 300 are cases for which the prosecution has asked for a full examination of”, Thaci said.
“After the completion of the works, lab equipment testing and calibration procedures, which are prerequisites for operating toxicology labs, he added.
Only the Constitutional Prosecutor in Pristina and the Special Prosecutor have confirmed to Kosovo Radio that they are awaiting completion of 200 autopsys due to lack of laboratory and Xhathgen.
Thaci added that once laboratory tests are resumed, samples pending will be given priority.
The Ministry of Justice has not responded to the request for the investigative report regarding fires at the Law Medicine Institute, which occurred shortly after, in December 2022, it was reported that 12 samples related to the death in prison of former Vetvendosje activist Astrit Dehari had disappeared from the toxicology laboratory, while it later turned out that they had not been lost.
For samples and for fires, the Special Prosecutor's Investigation had begun, but so far there has been no result on the issue.
