22 people convicted for going to battlefields in Syria and Iraq

All 8 convicted in the case of Enes Mešić et al. were found guilty and sentenced to prison terms, the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced, reports Patria.  

With this verdict, a total of 22 accused persons from Bosnia and Herzegovina have been legally convicted for criminal offenses related to going to foreign battlefields in Syria and Iraq.

It is important to note that there have been no acquittals so far regarding criminal offenses for illegal participation of BiH citizens in foreign battlefields.

Within the operation codenamed "Damascus", the BiH Prosecutor's Office has made intensive efforts, together with partner police and security agencies in BiH, the region, and agencies from partner countries around the world, to conduct detailed and sophisticated investigations and gather evidence on the departure of BiH citizens to the battlefields of Syria and Iraq, and their joining paramilitary groups and structures of the so-called "ISIL".

It has been proven to a number of convicted persons that they stayed and participated in foreign battlefields, which is supported by numerous pieces of evidence, and judicial and police agencies have also managed to achieve a significant preventive role, as among the convicted in recent years are individuals who did not manage to reach Syria and Iraq, but were discovered, located, and arrested in Turkey or upon departure from BiH.

The efforts of the BiH Prosecutor's Office in the fight against terrorism have been recognized and acknowledged in numerous international analyses and reports on the fight against terrorism as a significant contribution to international efforts in the fight against terrorism and terrorist activities, it was announced from the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina.