The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced on 28 January 2021, the first instance judgment in the case of Senad Kasupovic finding the accused guilty of commission of the criminal offense of Organizing a Terrorist Group under Article 202d. (2) as read with Paragraph 1, all in connection with the criminal offense of Terrorism under Article 201 of the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Court imposed on the accused Senad Kasupović a sentence of imprisonment for a term of 3 (three) years. The time the accused spent in custody, running from 19 December 2019 onwards, shall be credited toward the prison sentence imposed.
The accused Senad Kasupović is found guilty because, on 12 July 2013, he took a flight to Istanbul from the Sarajevo International airport, having thus left the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina to travel to Turkey, wherefrom he illegally crossed the border between Turkey and Syria, and entered the city of Manbij in Syria. The accused left BiH with the intent to fight on the side of the so called Islamic State organized in the territory of Syria and Iraq and the terrorist groups of the Islamic State and Levant (ISIL), which were active in the Iraq and Syria territories, and listed by the UN Security Council as terrorist groups and organizations.
Their goal was destabilization and forcible change of the political and constitutional system in Syria, while their members, in daily armed operations, that is, by attacks on the population, killings, unlawful imprisonment, taking hostages, and other acts, intended to force the Syrian legitimate authorities into changing the constitutional system and political regime. The accused stayed in Syria until 19 December 2019 along with other persons from BiH, who had stayed in Syria with the same intent.
Thus, having used the name “Muatesim”, the accused provided assistance and fought on the side of ISIL, within the “Bejt Commandos” unit, subsequently renamed into the “El Aqsa” unit.
Pursuant to Article 138(1) and (3) of the Criminal Procedure Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina (CPC BiH), as read with Article 132(1) a) and c) of the CPC BiH, the Court issued a decision extending custody of the accused Senad Kasupović. Pursuant to the said decision, custody can last until the accused’s committal to serve the prison sentence, but no longer than 9 (nine) months after the first instance judgment announcement, wherein custody cannot last longer than the imposed prison sentence.
