INDICTMENT ISSUED AGAINST YONG ZHANG* FOR THE CRIMINAL OFFENCE OF INTERNATIONAL ENTICING PERSONS INTO PROSTITUTION

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH issued an indictment against Yang Zhang*, born in 1983 in Liaoning, PR China, a citizen of the PR China, currently in custody. The accused is charged with having, from February to June 2025, for the purpose of obtaining material benefit, contacted several citizens of the PR China, whom he enticed and encouraged to provide sexual services for money, in several cities in BiH. The foreign citizens were detected in their activities by law enforcement agencies in BiH, within the international operation of Europol "Global Chain" in 2025, when seven victims were found, while the accused was deprived of his liberty. The accused is charged with having committed the criminal offense of International Enticing Persons into Prostitution under Article 187, paragraph 1, of the Criminal Code of BiH, in conjunction with Article 29 of the same Code.


CUSTODY MOTION FOR TURKISH CITIZENS

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH filed a motion to the Court of BiH to order custody for suspects Tolunay Ayaz* born in 1995 in Turkiye and Yavuz Selim Demirhan* born in 2001 in Turkiye, both citizens of the Republic of Turkiye. The suspects were detained by members of the Gorica-Posušje Border Police Unit of the BiH Border Police near the border crossing with the Republic of Croatia in an attempt to smuggle 12 migrants, citizens of Turkiye, three of whom were minors. They are suspected of the criminal offense of Smuggling of Persons under Article 189 of the Criminal Code of BiH. Remand in custody was requested for the reasons described in Article 132, paragraph 1, item a) of the Criminal Procedure Code of BiH, namely due to the risk of the suspects, who are foreign citizens, fleeing.


INDICTMENT ISSUED FOR THE CRIMINAL OFFENSE OF SMUGGLING OF PERSONS

The Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina issued an indictment against Salem Hrelja*, born in 1978 in Goražde, a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He is accused of taking over a group of 30 smuggled persons, migrants from Syria, including nine minors, on 2 August 2024, near the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina with the Republic of Serbia in the vicinity of Višegrad, for an agreed amount of money. He placed the aforementioned migrants in a vehicle, with the intention of transporting them further on their illegal path to EU countries. He was discovered and prevented from carrying out illegal activities by police officers in the immediate vicinity of the border. He is charged with having committed the criminal offense of Smuggling of Persons under Article 189, paragraph 4 in conjunction with paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in conjunction with Article 29 of the same Code. 

CUSTODY MOTION FOR PERSONS SUSPECTED OF SMUGGLING OF PERSONS

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH filed a motion to the Court of BiH to order custody for the suspects Inanc Omer Faruk*, born in 1996 in Turkiye, and Abdullah Elmusa*, born in 2000 in Syria, both citizens of the Republic of Turkiye. The suspects were deprived of their liberty in the vicinity of Gacko, near the border zone of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro, by members of the BiH Border Police, Trebinje Border Police Station, and 12 migrants, mostly minors, citizens of Egypt and Iran, were discovered in the vehicle they were using. They are suspected of committing the criminal offense of Smuggling of Persons under Article 189 of the Criminal Code of BiH. Remand in custody was requested due to the risk of the suspects, who are foreign citizens, fleeing, in accordance with Article 132, paragraph 1, item a) of the Criminal Procedure Code of BiH.


APPEAL OF THE BIH PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE ACCEPTED. FINAL CONVICTION FOR THE CRIMINAL OFFENSE OF ELECTION FRAUD

The Prosecutor’s Office of BiH received the second-instance decision of the Court of BiH, which accepted the appeal of the Prosecutor’s Office of BiH and issued a convicting judgement sentencing the accused Suvad Halilović * (1954) to one year imprisonment, and the accused Emir Vakufac * (1970) to a prison sentence of 10 months for the criminal offense - Election Fraud under Article 154 of the Criminal Code of BiH.

The case is related to a criminal offense committed in the area of the Hozići - Novi Grad election site during the General Elections held in 2022.