3 March 2010
Ejup Ganic Remains in Custody
A court in Westminster rejects a request for the release of Ejup Ganic from custody with the offer of 200,000 pounds in bail.
"At present we are not able to publicize the reasons for rejecting the offered bail," the Public Relations Service of Westminster Magistrates Court told Justice Report after the end of the hearing at which the custody release motion had been considered.
The Court confirmed that Ganic did not attend the hearing, saying "the custody release motion was not filed by him but by his attorneys, who were present at the hearing".
The legal team, representing Ganic, announced it would appeal the Court's decision. It also requested urgent action on the validity of Serbia's request for extradition of the former member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On February 26, 2010 Ganic was briefly held at London Airport. He was then arrested on March 1. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office explained that Ganic was arrested on the basis of "a preliminary request submitted by Serbian authorities".
Serbia is seeking Ganic's extradition on suspicion that he participated in an attack on a Yugoslav National Army, JNA, convoy in Dobrovoljacka street in Sarajevo in May 1992.
Damir Arnaut, a legal counselor with Ganic's Defence team, told local media that "prison staff brought a totally different person" to the court.
"I must say that, since my arrival here, I have been in some other country, not in Great Britain, which speaks so much about the functionality of its system and its democracy," Arnaut said, adding that Ganic has not been able to see his family or attorneys, who would like to see him, for the past 48 hours.
Arnaut explained that "the British authorities clearly ignore the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations".
"Ganic is simply held in total isolation. He simply does not know what is going on. He has not been in contact with anyone outside the prison since his arrest," Arnaut said.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina have submitted a request for Ejup Ganic's extradition.
The Court confirmed that Ganic did not attend the hearing, saying "the custody release motion was not filed by him but by his attorneys, who were present at the hearing".
The legal team, representing Ganic, announced it would appeal the Court's decision. It also requested urgent action on the validity of Serbia's request for extradition of the former member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
On February 26, 2010 Ganic was briefly held at London Airport. He was then arrested on March 1. The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office explained that Ganic was arrested on the basis of "a preliminary request submitted by Serbian authorities".
Serbia is seeking Ganic's extradition on suspicion that he participated in an attack on a Yugoslav National Army, JNA, convoy in Dobrovoljacka street in Sarajevo in May 1992.
Damir Arnaut, a legal counselor with Ganic's Defence team, told local media that "prison staff brought a totally different person" to the court.
"I must say that, since my arrival here, I have been in some other country, not in Great Britain, which speaks so much about the functionality of its system and its democracy," Arnaut said, adding that Ganic has not been able to see his family or attorneys, who would like to see him, for the past 48 hours.
Arnaut explained that "the British authorities clearly ignore the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations".
"Ganic is simply held in total isolation. He simply does not know what is going on. He has not been in contact with anyone outside the prison since his arrest," Arnaut said.
The Prosecution of Bosnia and Herzegovina have submitted a request for Ejup Ganic's extradition.