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BOSNIA: EUROPEAN COURT HALTS SYRIA DEPORTATION
February 7, 2012: the European Court of Human Rights decided to block Bosnia’s deportation of a Syrian terrorism suspect, because of the risk that he would be ill-treated in Syria.
In the case of Al Husin v. Bosnia and Herzegovina, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Imad Al Husin, a Syrian who came to Bosnia as a fighter during the 1992-1995 war, would be at risk of ill-treatment if returned to Syria because of widespread torture in detention there and the country’s general security situation.
“The European Court’s ruling makes clear the injustices in Bosnia’s treatment of foreign terrorism suspects,” said Benjamin Ward, Europe and Central Asia deputy director at Human Rights Watch, “It should immediately halt any further efforts to deport suspects to countries where they risk torture.”
Bosnian law permits the government to detain foreign terrorism suspects indefinitely without charge even when the authorities are not taking active steps to remove them from the country. The court’s ruling should force authorities to rethink that policy. (Sources: Eurasia Review, 08/02/2012)
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