[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 105 (Tuesday, June 21, 2022)]
[House]
[Pages H5713-H5714]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF CONGRESS REGARDING THE EXECUTION-STYLE MURDERS 
    OF UNITED STATES CITIZENS YLLI, AGRON, AND MEHMET BYTYQI IN THE 
                    REPUBLIC OF SERBIA IN JULY 1999

  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to 
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 45) expressing the sense of 
Congress regarding the execution-style murders of United States 
citizens Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi in the Republic of Serbia in 
July 1999.
  The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
  The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:

                            H. Con. Res. 45

       Whereas brothers Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi were 
     citizens of the United States, born in Chicago, Illinois, to 
     ethnic Albanian parents from what is today the Republic of 
     Kosovo, and who subsequently lived in Hampton Bays, New York;
       Whereas the three Bytyqi brothers responded to the 
     brutality of the conflict associated with Kosovo's separation 
     from the Republic of Serbia and the Federal Republic of 
     Yugoslavia of which Serbia was a constituent republic by 
     joining the so-called ``Atlantic Brigade'' of the Kosovo 
     Liberation Army in April 1999;
       Whereas a Military-Technical Agreement between the 
     Government of Yugoslavia and the North Atlantic Council came 
     into effect on June 10, 1999, leading to a cessation of 
     hostilities;
       Whereas the Bytyqi brothers were arrested on June 23, 1999, 
     by Serbian police within the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia 
     when the brothers accidently crossed what was then an 
     unmarked administrative border while escorting an ethnic 
     Romani family who had been neighbors to safety outside 
     Kosovo;
       Whereas the Bytyqi brothers were jailed for 15 days for 
     illegal entry into the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in 
     Prokuplje, Serbia, until a judge ordered their release on 
     July 8, 1999;
       Whereas, instead of being released, the Bytyqi brothers 
     were taken by a special operations unit of the Serbian 
     Ministry of Internal Affairs to a training facility near 
     Petrovo Selo, Serbia, where all three were executed;
       Whereas, at the time of their murders, Ylli was 25, Agron 
     was 23, and Mehmet was 21 years of age;
       Whereas Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was removed 
     from office on October 5, 2000, following massive 
     demonstrations protesting his refusal to acknowledge and 
     accept election results the month before;
       Whereas, in the following years, the political leadership 
     of Serbia has worked to strengthen democratic institutions, 
     to develop stronger adherence to the rule of law, and to 
     ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, 
     including as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia evolved into 
     a State Union of Serbia and Montenegro in February 2003, 
     which itself dissolved when both republics proclaimed their 
     respective independence in June 2006;
       Whereas the United States Embassy in Belgrade, Serbia, was 
     informed on July 17, 2001, that the bodies of Ylli, Agron, 
     and Mehmet Bytyqi were found with their hands bound and 
     gunshot wounds to the back of their heads, buried atop an 
     earlier mass grave of approximately 70 bodies of murdered 
     civilians from Kosovo;
       Whereas Serbian authorities subsequently investigated but 
     never charged those individuals who were part of the Ministry 
     of Internal Affairs chain of command related to this crime, 
     including former Minister of Internal Affairs Vlajko 
     Stojilkovic, Assistant Minister and Chief of the Public 
     Security Department Vlastimir Djordjevic, and special 
     operations training camp commander Goran ``Guri'' 
     Radosavljevic;
       Whereas Vlajko Stojilkovic died of a self-inflicted gunshot 
     wound in April 2002 prior to being transferred to the custody 
     of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former 
     Yugoslavia where he had been charged with crimes against 
     humanity and violations of the laws or customs of war during 
     the Kosovo conflict;
       Whereas Vlastimir Djordjevic was arrested and transferred 
     to the custody of the International Criminal Tribunal for the 
     former Yugoslavia in June 2007, and sentenced in February 
     2011 to 27 years imprisonment (later reduced to 18 years) for 
     crimes against humanity and violations of the laws or customs 
     of war committed during the Kosovo conflict;
       Whereas Goran ``Guri'' Radosavljevic is reported to reside 
     in Serbia, working as director of a security consulting firm 
     in Belgrade, and is a prominent member of the governing 
     political party;

[[Page H5714]]

       Whereas the Secretary of State designated Goran 
     Radosavljevic of Serbia under section 7031(c) of the 
     Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
     Appropriations Act, 2018 as ineligible for entry into the 
     United States due to his involvement in gross violations of 
     human rights;
       Whereas two Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs officers, 
     Sretan Popovic and Milos Stojanovic, were charged in 2006 for 
     crimes associated with their involvement in the detention and 
     transport of the Bytyqi brothers from Prokuplje to Petrovo 
     Selo, but acquitted in May 2012 with an appeals court 
     confirming the verdict in March 2013;
       Whereas the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic promised 
     several high ranking United States officials to deliver 
     justice in the cases of the deaths of Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet 
     Bytyqi;
       Whereas no individual has ever been found guilty for the 
     murders of Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi or of any other 
     crimes associated with their deaths; and
       Whereas no individual is currently facing criminal charges 
     regarding the murder of the Bytyqi brothers despite many 
     promises by Serbian officials to resolve the case: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 
     concurring), That it is the sense of Congress that--
       (1) those individuals responsible for the murders in July 
     1999 of United States citizens Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi 
     in Serbia should be brought to justice;
       (2) it is reprehensible that no individual has ever been 
     found guilty for executing the Bytyqi brothers, or of any 
     other crimes associated with their deaths, and that no 
     individual is even facing charges for these horrible crimes;
       (3) the Government of Serbia and its relevant ministries 
     and offices, including the Serbian War Crimes Prosecutor's 
     Office, should make it a priority to investigate and 
     prosecute as soon as possible those current or former 
     officials believed to be responsible for their deaths, 
     directly or indirectly;
       (4) the United States should devote sufficient resources to 
     fully assist and properly monitor efforts by the Government 
     of Serbia and its relevant ministries and offices to 
     investigate and prosecute as soon as possible those 
     individuals believed to be responsible for their deaths, 
     directly or indirectly; and
       (5) progress in resolving this case, or the lack thereof, 
     should remain a significant factor determining the further 
     development of relations between the United States and the 
     Republic of Serbia.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Manning) and the gentlewoman from California (Mrs. 
Kim) each will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from North Carolina.


                             General Leave

  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on H. Con. Res. 45.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina?
  There was no objection.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Con. Res. 45, a resolution 
condemning the execution-style murders of the U.S. citizen Bytyqi 
brothers in the Republic of Serbia in July 1999.
  Let me start by thanking Representative Lee Zeldin for his bipartisan 
work in bringing their murderers to justice.
  These three brave brothers, whose family hails from what is now 
Kosovo, were simply trying to help a Romanian family find safety 
outside Kosovo when they were trapped at an unmarked administrative 
border. After 15 days of jail, the brothers were taken by a special 
operations unit of the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs, where they 
lost their lives at the hands of Serbian officials.
  The brothers were in their early twenties. Their bodies were not 
found until 2 years later, buried atop a mass grave of Kosovo 
civilians. In the 23 years since, the United States has been promised 
that justice will be delivered, yet not one person has been found 
guilty of their murder.
  This measure would call on the Serbian Government to prioritize the 
investigation and prosecution of their murders, and on the United 
States to devote the resources necessary to assist in bringing them to 
justice.
  The 116th Congress passed this resolution, and it is my hope that 
this Congress does the same. These three young men deserve justice and 
accountability.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mrs. KIM of California. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I 
may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 45. I thank 
Representative Zeldin for championing this important resolution.
  As the world focuses on the horrors of the war crimes being committed 
by Vladimir Putin's invading forces in Ukraine, we must not forget the 
victims of the past war crimes still awaiting justice.
  Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi were three American brothers from New 
York State who are suspected of having been killed in July 1999 by 
Serbian authorities. After disappearing while in the custody of Serbian 
special police, they were executed, shot in the head with their hands 
tied behind their backs. Their bodies were later discovered in a mass 
grave at a training compound of the Serbian secret police.
  Tragically, nearly 23 years later, there has still not been a full 
investigation into their deaths, and the Bytyqi brothers' murderers 
have yet to be brought to justice. This is unacceptable.
  This case, among others, illustrates the continued need for Serbia to 
resolve outstanding war crimes investigations. Holding accountable 
those who committed and covered up the murder of the Bytyqi brothers is 
critical to continuing bilateral relations between the United States 
and Belgrade.
  Therefore, I urge all of my colleagues to join me in supporting this 
resolution. Congress must be on the record calling on Serbian 
authorities to once and for all deliver justice for the Bytyqi brothers 
and their family.
  Mr. Speaker, 23 years is too long for the Bytyqi brothers and their 
family to go without justice.
  Seriously dealing with the past and bringing justice to all victims 
of war crimes committed in the wars that followed the breakup of the 
former Yugoslavia is needed to ensure reconciliation and peace 
throughout the region.
  Mr. Zeldin reintroduced this bipartisan resolution last year. I urge 
Belgrade to commit to a proper investigation and full accountability 
for these three Americans so this resolution does not have to be 
reintroduced once again next Congress.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Ms. MANNING. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time.
  Mr. Speaker, H. Con. Res. 45 will ensure that the United States is 
doing everything in our power to bring the murderers of United States 
citizens Ylli, Agron, and Mehmet Bytyqi to justice.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Representative Lee Zeldin for his leadership on 
this resolution, and I urge my colleagues to join us by voting in the 
affirmative.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentlewoman from North Carolina (Ms. Manning) that the House suspend 
the rules and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 45.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. CLOUD. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to section 3(s) of House Resolution 
8, the yeas and nays are ordered.
  Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further proceedings on this motion 
are postponed.

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