Indictment of the BiH Prosecutor's Office for international migrant smuggling

(Patria) - Two individuals, citizens of Iran and Afghanistan, are charged with smuggling a group of illegal migrants of Afro-Asian origin across the river border on the Drina River.

The prosecutor of the Special Department for Organized Crime, Economic Crime and Corruption of the Prosecutor's Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina has filed an indictment against Warris Zigid, born in 2002 in Tehran, Iran, a citizen of Iran, currently in custody, and Kamal Ulldin Arab, born in 2002 in Nangahar, Afghanistan, a citizen of Afghanistan, currently in custody.

The aforementioned defendants are charged with, on August 22, 2023, during the night hours at the Meterize location, Zvornik municipality, together and in mutual agreement with persons known to them from the territory of the Republic of Serbia, for the purpose of obtaining unlawful material gain, participating in the smuggling of 8 illegal migrants, citizens of Afghanistan, which is contrary to Article 6 of the Protocol against the Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air, supplementing the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, as well as the provisions of the Law on Border Control.

The smuggling, during which danger was caused to the life and safety of the migrants, was carried out by rubber boat across the Drina River from the direction of the Republic of Serbia towards the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the smuggling was discovered and prevented by members of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina, JGP Zvornik, and the State Investigation and Protection Agency – SIPA, using specialist equipment.

After being discovered, the defendants attempted to flee by jumping from the boat in which they were transporting the migrants, which was prevented by the intervention of police officers.

The defendants are charged with, for the purpose of obtaining unlawful material gain, together with persons known to them, illegally transporting several migrants across the state border, thereby committing the criminal offense of human smuggling under Article 189, paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in conjunction with Article 29 of the same Law.

The indictment has been forwarded for confirmation to the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina.