FOJ approves extradition of Naser Orić to Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bern, 25.06.2015 - In simplified proceedings, the Federal Office of Justice (FOJ) today approved the extradition of Naser Orić to Bosnia and Herzegovina. As is usual, for reasons of security and privacy, no information will be given on the timing of the handover.
Naser Orić, former commander of the Bosnian Muslim forces in the Srebrenica region, was arrested in Thonex GE on 10 June 2015 on the orders of the FOJ, and placed in detention pending extradition. The FOJ's arrest warrant was based on an arrest request submitted by the Serbian authorities on the grounds of war crimes and crimes against humanity. At the initial hearing on the arrest request, Orić declared that he would contest his extradition to Serbia. The FOJ therefore asked the Serbian Ministry of Justice to submit a formal extradition request, which was then received on 22 June.
Simplified extradition
In the meantime, the Ministry of Justice of Bosnia and Herzegovina has also requested Orić's extradition, in order to resume ongoing criminal proceedings against him for war crimes against the civilian population. On 25 June, Orić stated at the hearing on this request that he agreed to be extradited to Bosnia and Herzegovina. This permitted the FOJ to approve the extradition immediately in simplified proceedings. This swift decision was also possible because the FOJ applied the criteria laid down in the European Convention on Extradition to give priority to the Bosnian request. The decisive points here are that the same criminal acts on which both requests are based were committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that Orić is a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Address for enquiries
Federal Office of Justice, T +41 58 462 48 48, media@bj.admin.ch
Publisher
Federal Office of Justice
http://www.bj.admin.ch
