ON ORDER OF BIH PROSECUTOR’S OFFICE, TWO AFGHAN CITIZENS DEPRIVED OF LIBERTY FOR SMUGGLING OF MIGRANTS, HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND RECRUITMENT OF VICTIM FOR SEXUAL EXPLOITATION

This morning, acting pursuant to an Order of the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina and instructions given by a prosecutor, police officers of the Border Police of Bosnia and Herzegovina deprived of liberty two Afghan citizens who are suspected to have committed the criminal offence of Smuggling of Persons and the criminal offence of International Human Trafficking.

 

These suspects are charged with illegal transfer of several migrants from the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the territory of the Republic of Croatia and EU, which they were doing for a longer period of time for agreed sums of money, for the purpose of acquiring unlawful material gain. They would find trucks parked in the vicinity of the border crossing that were waiting to cross the state border, and they would then hide migrants in cargo spaces of those trucks, without the drivers’ knowledge; thereby, they illegally transferred a larger number of migrants across the state border.

The suspects are also charged with sexual exploitation of a minor male foreign citizen, in such a way that they physically, mentally and sexually exploited the said victim, using of force and threats on him and taking advantage of his state of helplessness on several occasions.

Having questioned the suspects, the prosecutor in charge of this case will make a decision whether to file a Motion for Pre-Trial Custody and also determine further investigative actions in this case.

In order to punish the perpetrators and provide assistance and protection to the victims, the Prosecutor’s Office of Bosnia and Herzegovina acts.