SARAJEVO, Dec 16 (Hina) - The families of six naturalised citizens of Bosnia-Herzegovina of Arab origin will receive damages totalling some 15,000 euros as compensation for the illegal transfer of their family members to the US
authorities by the Bosnian authorities more than two years ago.
SARAJEVO, Dec 16 (Hina) - The families of six naturalised citizens
of Bosnia-Herzegovina of Arab origin will receive damages
totalling some 15,000 euros as compensation for the illegal
transfer of their family members to the US authorities by the
Bosnian authorities more than two years ago. #L#
Bosnia's Council of Ministers made the decision on Tuesday on the
basis of a binding ruling of the House of Human Rights, the highest
human rights institution in the country, to which the families of
the so-called Algerian group had complained.
Five Algerians and one citizen of Yemen, who were granted Bosnian
citizenship as members of the Bosnian army during the war, were
arrested in the autumn of 2001 on suspicion of preparing an attack
on the US and British embassies in Sarajevo.
Despite an investigation which lasted several months, the Bosnian
police and judiciary did not manage to provide valid evidence for
the accusations, however, the US government demanded their
transfer. The Council of Ministers -- Bosnia's government -- met
this request, finding the legal basis for the transfer in suspicion
that the circumstances under which they had been granted Bosnian
citizenship were unclear.
The suspects were handed over to US government officials in March
2002 and transferred to the US army base Guantanamo in Cuba. The
transfer of the suspects provoked mass protests by radical Islamic
groups who clashed with police in Sarajevo.
The families of the suspects then lodged a complaint with the House
of Human Rights, which ruled that their transfer to the US
authorities had violated some of their basic rights, the more so as
they theoretically faced the threat of death sentence if indicted
for and convicted of terrorist activity.
The House of Human Rights then ordered the Bosnian authorities to
provide the suspects with legal assistance and pay them damages in
the amount of 33,500 convertible marks, including interest.
(hina) rml sb