Bosnia and Herzegovina: Stop extradition of rights defender at risk of torture or ill-treatment, say UN experts
GENEVA (10 February 2021) – UN human rights experts today urged Bosnia and Herzegovina to halt the extradition of Musaed Al Masailim to Kuwait, where he faces 87 years’ imprisonment and risks irreparable harm upon return. “We urge authorities to safeguard the rights of Mr. Al Masailim and not to expel, return or extradite him to a country where he is in danger of torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment as well as arbitrary detention,” they said. Al Masailim was first arrested in Kuwait in 2015 and charged with publicly disrespecting the Emir through tweets. He was acquitted on those charges in 2016 but faced ill-treatment while in detention. Since relocating to Sarajevo in 2017, he has been charged on three separate occasions for his tweets and was sentenced in absentia.