Sarajevo, 14 October 1996 (RFE/RL) -- Western officials expressed concern today over the arrests of Bosnian opposition party members who are accused of war crimes.
David Foley, spokesman for the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said the arrests appear to target members of the political opposition.
Foley said 18 supporters of separatist leader Fikret Abdic in northwest Bosnia were arrested over the weekend on the suspicion that they participated in war crimes. AP reports that a judge in Bihac released 13 of the detainees yesterday, but 5 remain under arrest for war crimes.
Foley said no case files have been sent to the commission investigating war crimes in The Hague. Under guidelines approved earlier this year, the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia in The Hague must authorize the arrests of suspected war criminals.
David Foley, spokesman for the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), said the arrests appear to target members of the political opposition.
Foley said 18 supporters of separatist leader Fikret Abdic in northwest Bosnia were arrested over the weekend on the suspicion that they participated in war crimes. AP reports that a judge in Bihac released 13 of the detainees yesterday, but 5 remain under arrest for war crimes.
Foley said no case files have been sent to the commission investigating war crimes in The Hague. Under guidelines approved earlier this year, the International Criminal Tribunal for Yugoslavia in The Hague must authorize the arrests of suspected war criminals.