SDP leaders charged over "Algerian Group"

Do not make hasty assumptions. More than a decade ago, these six men applied for and were granted Bosnian citizenship for the most ordinary reason -- all of them had married Bosnian women and they wished to continue living in Bosnia with their wives and families.

None of these six have ever been credibly connected with any crime during or since the war. In fact, they lived normal lives with their families in Bosnia until late 2001.

At that time, the six men were taken from their homes and detained -- in connection with an alleged plot to blow up the US and British embassies in Sarajevo. However the case was subsequently thrown out of court due to lack of evidence. On 17 January 2002 the Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina ordered the immediate release of the men and the Human Rights Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a provisional order to prevent their deportation, expulsion or extradition to another country.

In defiance of these binding court orders, some Bosnian officials then arranged to hand over the men to U.S. personnel, who -- in violation of the law and of the country's constitution -- took these six Bosnian citizens out of the country to the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo, Cuba.

Ever since, these six men have been held at the Guantánamo base, imprisoned under inhumane conditions, cut off from their wives and children in Bosnia. The imprisoned men have still not been charged with or tried for any crime.

For the ugly details, see the website of Amnesty International:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/feature-stories/six-years-home-guantanamo-detainees-bosnia-and-herzegovina-20080118

The Americans were ready to assume that these men were guilty of crimes -- based son their national origin -- without bothering with the legal niceties of presenting any evidence in court or allowing the men to confront the accusations against them.

We should not make the same mistake by rushing to judge them guilty without any proof.

"The Bonsnian authorities extradited six Bosnian nationals of Algerian extracion"

The article then goes on to concede that they were given citizenship during and after the Bosnian Civil War. That in itself puts forward a prima facie case for suspecting that they were terrorists. Most Asians that came to Bosnia during the Civil War were Islamic freedom fighters that had come over to 'free their Islamic Brothers' and for the most part they belonged to terrorist organisations like Mujahedeen and Mujaheiron (sp). These people should not have been granted citizenship in the first place and are one of the main reasons I never opted to take my Bosnian citizenship. They are criminals that have been rewarded for their support for the independence movement. It is that simple.

"The Bonsnian authorities extradited six Bosnian nationals of Algerian extracion"

The article then goes on to concede that they were given citizenship during and after the Bosnian Civil War. That in itself puts forward a prima facie case for suspecting that they were terrorists. Most Asians that came to Bosnia during the Civil War were Islamic freedom fighters that had come over to 'free their Islamic Brothers' and for the most part they belonged to terrorist organisations like Mujahedeen and Mujaheiron (sp). These people should not have been granted citizenship in the first place and are one of the main reasons I never opted to take my Bosnian citizenship. They are criminals that have been rewarded for their support for the independence movement. It is that simple.

Do not make hasty assumptions. More than a decade ago, these six men applied for and were granted Bosnian citizenship for the most ordinary reason -- all of them had married Bosnian women and they wished to continue living in Bosnia with their wives and families.

None of these six have ever been credibly connected with any crime during or since the war. In fact, they lived normal lives with their families in Bosnia until late 2001.

At that time, the six men were taken from their homes and detained -- in connection with an alleged plot to blow up the US and British embassies in Sarajevo. However the case was subsequently thrown out of court due to lack of evidence. On 17 January 2002 the Supreme Court of the Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina ordered the immediate release of the men and the Human Rights Chamber of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued a provisional order to prevent their deportation, expulsion or extradition to another country.

In defiance of these binding court orders, some Bosnian officials then arranged to hand over the men to U.S. personnel, who -- in violation of the law and of the country's constitution -- took these six Bosnian citizens out of the country to the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo, Cuba.

Ever since, these six men have been held at the Guantánamo base, imprisoned under inhumane conditions, cut off from their wives and children in Bosnia. The imprisoned men have still not been charged with or tried for any crime.

For the ugly details, see the website of Amnesty International:

http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/feature-stories/six-years-home-guantanamo-detainees-bosnia-and-herzegovina-20080118

The Americans were ready to assume that these men were guilty of crimes -- based son their national origin -- without bothering with the legal niceties of presenting any evidence in court or allowing the men to confront the accusations against them.

We should not make the same mistake by rushing to judge them guilty without any proof.