Detention Period Extended for Bosnia Suspects

A statement issued by Schwarz-Schilling’s office on June 17 said his decision to amend the Bosnian Criminal Procedure Code followed requests from local and international institutions, including the Bosnian justice minister Slobodan Kovac.



“The current one-year limitation on detention after confirmation of indictment is problematic because cases are often complex and cannot be completed within one year,” said the statement. “As a result, defendants could be freed from detention during a trial, giving them the opportunity to flee to countries from which extradition to Bosnia and Herzegovina is not possible.”



It added that the Hague tribunal, the Bosnian State Court and non-governmental organisations working in the criminal justice sector viewed the amendment as “long overdue”.



Schwarz-Schilling also extended the maximum time that an individual can be detained during an investigation from six months to a year.