Sarajevo, 5 Sept. (AKI) - The Bosnian authorities have revoked the citizenship of 50 foreigners, mainly from Asian and African countries who are suspected of having links to the al-Qaeda terrorist network, a Bosnian official said on Tuesday. | "Asian" likely is Euro-speak for Pakistani. "African" could be Algerian, Libyan or Egyptian |
Out of the 400 cases processed so far, 50 individuals have been stripped of their citizenship and are to be deported, said Vjekoslav Vukovic, the president of a state commission which has been reviewing the citizenship granted to foreigners during BosniaÂ’s bloody 1992-1995 civil war.
"Among them are people who are on the United Nations list as supporters of Al-Qaeda, as well as people for whom we have data linking them to terrorist activities, Vukovic told Sarajevo media.
Thousands of mujahadeen from Islamic countries fought on the side of local Muslims during the civil war, and many were given citizenships and passports and remained in the country after the war. According to intelligence reports, some of them have been operating terrorist camps in Bosnia and indoctrinating local youths with radical Islam. Vukovic said a total of 1,500 cases will be reviewed, but his commission was also looking into the circumstances of how citizenship had been awarded to foreign fighters and who had signed the documents.
Kadrija Kolic, a lawyer for several naturalised citizens, has said that it was a "crime" to revoke the citizenship of the former fighter, as they had been granted by the wartime government of Bosnia's late president Alija Izetbegovic.
Kolic said he would appeal to the international organisations and the EU to stop the process of deportations, claiming they violate African and Asian citizensÂ’ human rights. |