Custody Extension Requested for Two More Returnees from Syria

Explaining the reasons for requesting a two-month custody extension for Armen Dzelko, prosecutor Dubravko Campara pointed out that the Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina continued the investigation by examining additional witnesses, adding that imposing other measures would jeopardize the investigation and safety of witnesses.

As he said, a neuro-psychiatrist had performed an examination and findings on the level of Dzelko’s radicalization were awaited. He said that another expert examination was also pending, because the suspect said he had been wounded during his stay in Syria and his spleen and kidney had been removed.

“We have received information on the suspect’s stay in Syria from SIPA (State Investigation and Protection Agency) through the Interpol. Those findings were gathered by FBI. You shall see that not only did he stay in Syria, but he was a trainer in a camp,” Campara said.

He said that Dzelko had spent six years in Syria and had no intention to come back to Bosnia and Herzegovina. He also said that, should he be released to liberty, he would leave the state. As he said, each witness knew the suspect and thought that “people like Dzelko are extremely dangerous”.

Attorney Senad Dupovac said that Dzelko had gone to Syria in February 2013 when ISIL did not exist and had still not been declared a terrorist organization. He said that two witnesses had been examined and did not say “the awful things” about Dzelko at all.

“Witnesses’ statements are not sufficient. They do not have the standard, the level of grounded suspicion. It is not disputable that he was in Syria. My client has been registered as residing in Hadzici. He only has the Bosnian citizenship and has not been convicted before. The suspect’s presence can be ensured through house arrest,” Dupovac said, proposing that the Court ordered house arrest.

As previously announced, the Prosecution is conducting an investigation against Dzelko, charging him with having been a member of units of the ISIL terrorist organization from 2013 to the collapse of the so-called Islamic State. The fall of ISIL was declared in March 2019.

Explaining her reasons for custody extension for Emir Alisic at a separate hearing, prosecutor Biljana Golijanin said that a certain number of witnesses, including members of his family and returnees from Syrian battlefront, had been examined and evidence gathered. As she said, the Prosecution was planning to send a letter rogatory through the international legal assistance concerning Alisic’s stay in Syria, as well as psychiatric examinations.

“He has been registered as residing in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but that says nothing. He was not available for six years. He is aware of the gravity of the crime charged upon him. He might influence the witnesses who are still to be examined concerning his stay in Syria. (…) Should he find himself at liberty, the public order and peace might be disrupted,” Golijanin said, demanding two more months in custody by which time the investigation should be completed.

The defense said that the custody extension proposal was based “on fictions” and “the what-if” principle, adding that the suspect could not even return because he did not have documents. According to the defense, Alisic wants to face the charges so the process could be completed as soon as possible.

“He came in rags, he had no shoes but slippers, he had no documents. He does not have a possibility to leave the state. Even if he had, where would he go? He wants to face the accusations and end the proceedings as soon as possible. Most witnesses have been examined. We do not know which witnesses he could influence given that he does not even know who they are,” Alisic’s defense attorney Emir Kaknjasevic said, requesting the Court to order measures of prohibition.

In December 2019 Dzelko and Alisic were flown back to Bosnia and Herzegovina together with Muharem Dunic, Senad Kasupovic, Milarem Berbic, Jasmin Keserovic and Hamza Labidi, who too are suspected of fighting on foreign battlefronts.