Bosnia War Fugitive Fights Extradition from Australia
This post is also available in: Bosnian
The court in Canberra in Australia told BIRN that Bonic, who is accused of war crimes against Bosniak civilians in the Vitez area, has been arrested on an extradition warrant and is currently in custody.
The indictment against Bonic was filed by the cantonal prosecution of the Central Bosnia Canton as far back as 2006.
But as Australian newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald reported, “he has lived openly in Australia for up to a decade, using his real name, and even laying wreaths at Anzac Day ceremonies as a representative of a Croatian war veterans association in 2011 and 2012”.
The Australian authorities said that Bosnia only requested his extradition in March this year.
Bonic’s lawyer Bernard Collaery has declared that he will resist the extradition and denied claims that his client abused Bosniaks in wartime, saying that he was a refugee who had been tortured himself.
The Sydney Morning Herald said meanwhile that many more Bosnian war crimes suspects could be living in Australia and evading justice.
“The [Bonic] case comes amid continued calls for the creation of a dedicated war crimes unit to investigate what one expert estimates is roughly 500 suspects living in Australia,” the newspaper said.
There will be a bail hearing in the case on November 27.
