Bosnian Court Begins Trial of Alleged Syria Fighter

Court of BiH. Photo: BIRN BiH.

The indictment, which was read out in court, alleges that Vukovic went to Syria, where he fought for the al-Nusra Front, which has been declared a terrorist organisation by the United Nations, from 2014 to 2020.

“Vukovic left Bosnia on June 16, 2014 and travelled to Germany. Around two months later, he flew from Germany to Turkey by plane and then illegally crossed the Turkish-Syrian border with the intention of joining terrorist groups operating in that area,” prosecutor Elvira Stanojlovic said.

The indictment alleges that when he was in Syria, the defendant stayed with others from Bosnia who had gone thete with the same intention.

It claims that under the name Abdulaziz, Vukovic took part in acts of terrorism, provided assistance to and fought for Jabhat al-Nusra Front forces, members of which, through daily armed operations such as attacks on the population, killings, illegal imprisonment and hostage-taking, intended to forcibly overthrow the Syrian regime.

The defendant remained in Syria until the collapse and defeat of so-called Islamic State, then went into hiding in Turkey, where he was found, arrested and extradited to the Bosnian judiciary in October 2020.

Defence lawyer Senad Dupovac said the defendant was different from others who have been accused of terrorism, adding that Vukovic spoke five languages as well as Bosnian – English, German, Russian, Turkish and Arabic.

At a previous hearing, Dupovac had said that Vukovic was taken to Syria at the age of 14 by his father and stepmother, irrespective of his own wishes.

“Ten months later he lost his father, and his mother fell in love and remarried. Jahja was there alone at the age of 15 amid the hell of the war in Syria. He had to wait there until the end of all that,” the defence lawyer told the latest hearing.

“I think this is a specific situation that has nothing to do with terrorism. He was misused by his mother,” he said.

Dupovac said that Vukovic was in a bad mental state and proposed that a neuro-psychiatric expert be examined as the first prosecution witness.

He said that Vukovic harmed himself after being questioned at the State Investigation and Protection Agency, SIPA.

“Each visit to SIPA results in this. He injures himself. See those arms? It always happens after he gets back from SIPA,” Dupovac said.

Judge Nenad Seleda said the defendant was being held in custody because of a ruling by the court, not SIPA.

“The chamber can decide to release him today, but SIPA cannot do it at all,” Seleda said.

The trial will continue on March 16, when two witnesses will be examined.