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Human rights

Appeals Court Upholds Denaturalization of Human Rights Violator and Former Bosnian Soldier

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The US Department of Justice announced that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the decision to revoke the naturalized US citizenship of Sammy Yetisen, a convicted Bosnian war criminal. Yetisen had hidden her involvement in human rights violations and war crimes in Bosnia, including the deaths of several civilians and prisoners of war, during her immigration proceedings. The Justice Department will pursue denaturalization against individuals who commit war crimes and human rights abuses around the globe, even if they hide their past to become US citizens.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the decision to revoke the naturalized US citizenship of Sammy Yetisen, a convicted Bosnian war criminal.
  • Sammy Yetisen participated in the Trusina Massacre, a horrific attack on April 13, 1993, in which she and others executed six unarmed Croat prisoners of war and civilians by firing squad.
  • Yetisen omitted her service in the Zulfikar Unit and participation in extrajudicial killings during her immigration proceedings, becoming a US citizen in 2002.
  • In 2011, the US extradited Yetisen to Bosnia, where she pleaded guilty to committing war crimes and was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison.
  • In 2018, the Justice Department filed a complaint seeking Yetisen's denaturalization based on her crimes and failure to disclose them, which was granted in 2023 by the US District Court for the District of Oregon.
  • The case was investigated by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations Human Rights Violator and War Crimes Center and the Civil Division's Office of Immigration Litigation.
  • The Justice Department's Office of International Affairs also provided substantial assistance in securing the extradition of Yetisen to Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • The case was prosecuted by Senior Litigation Counsels Devin Barrett, Steven Platt, Trial Attorney Nancy Pham, and Senior Litigation Counsel Max Weintraub of the Office of International Affairs, with support from Assistant U.S. Attorney Dianne Schweiner for the District of Oregon.

Statistics:

  • Sammy Yetisen was born in a town in the former Yugoslavia.
  • The Trusina Massacre occurred on April 13, 1993.
  • Yetisen was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
  • The U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon entered an order revoking Yetisen's citizenship in 2023.
  • The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the District of Oregon's revocation of Yetisen's U.S. citizenship on July 21.

Sources:

  • US Department of Justice, Appeals Court Upholds Denaturalization of Human Rights Violator and Former Bosnian Soldier, (July 21, 2023)
  • https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/appeals-court-upholds-denaturalization-human-rights-violator-and-former-bosnian-soldier

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