[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.
____________________