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Human rights

Justice Department Secures Revocation of U.S. Citizenship from Bosnian War Criminal

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The U.S. Justice Department announced that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the decision to revoke the U.S. citizenship of Sammy Yetisen, a Bosnian war criminal who hid her role in human rights violations and war crimes in Bosnia, including the deaths of several civilians and prisoners of war. Yetisen, born in a town in the former Yugoslavia, participated in the Trusina Massacre, a horrific attack in which she and others executed unarmed Croat prisoners of war and civilians. Despite alleging persecution as a Muslim to gain refugee status, Yetisen omitted her service in the Zulfikar Unit and participation in extrajudicial killings during her immigration proceedings, becoming a U.S. citizen in 2002. After being extradited to Bosnia in 2011 and serving five-and-a-half years in prison for war crimes, Yetisen returned to the United States and was subsequently denaturalized in 2023.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon's decision to revoke Sammy Yetisen's U.S. citizenship, which was initially revoked in 2023 due to her involvement in human rights violations and war crimes in Bosnia.
  • Yetisen, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2002, hid her role in the Trusina Massacre, a brutal attack on Croat prisoners of war and civilians in 1993, and her membership in the Zulfikar Unit, an elite special forces detachment known for its cruelty, during her immigration proceedings.
  • The Justice Department's Civil Division, alongside U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Homeland Security Investigations, pursued Yetisen's denaturalization, alleging that she had committed war crimes and human rights abuses in Bosnia.
  • The case highlights the consequences of war crimes and human rights abuses towards U.S. citizenship and the U.S. justice system's commitment to discovering and prosecuting such crimes, as stated by Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate.

Statistics:

  • 1993: Date of the Trusina Massacre
  • 2002: Year Sammy Yetisen became a U.S. citizen
  • 2009: Year the Bosnia and Herzegovina Prosecutor's Office issued a warrant for Yetisen's arrest
  • 2011: Year Yetisen was extradited to Bosnia
  • 2012: Year Yetisen was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in prison for war crimes
  • 2023: Year the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon initially revoked Yetisen's U.S. citizenship

Sources:

  • [The Justice Department announced today that the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the decision of the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon that revoked the naturalized U.S. citizenship of a convicted Bosnian war criminal. Sammy Yetisen hid from immigration officials that she had engaged in human rights violations and war crimes in Bosnia, including the deaths of several civilians and prisoners of war.]
  • [The United States is not a safe haven for individuals who commit war crimes and human rights abuses around the globe, said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department's Civil Division.]

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