Press Association
Sunday 12th February 2012
The British government owes a former Bosnian president an apology for his "mistreatment" in a London prison, the chairman of the joint presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina has said.
Ejup Ganic, 64, was arrested at Heathrow on March 1 and held in Wandsworth prison until he was granted bail at the High Court on Thursday.
Dr Haris Silajdzic said he was "shocked" by Dr Ganic's claims he was denied access to consular assistance, to a telephone and to his medicine for three days. He said Foreign Secretary David Miliband had promised to investigate the complaint.
Dr Silajdzic told reporters at a press conference in central London that he had met Mr Miliband earlier today to discuss Dr Ganic, who faces accusations by Serbia of war crimes.
He said: "I drew his attention to the fact that he didn't have for three full days access to the telephone and he had problems even with his medicine that he takes usually for treating high blood pressure."
"I said that I believe that an apology is owed so that Bosnia-Herzegovina will know that our relations are normal, that this was an aberration of otherwise good and friendly relations with this country," he said.
Bosnia-Herzegovina's legal adviser, Damir Arnaut, said Dr Ganic was not informed of his right to consular assistance and criticised the alleged actions of prison staff.
Mr Arnaud said that, when Dr Ganic asked for his medicine: "The prison guards, I am really sorry I have to say this, told Mr Ganic to shut his mouth, that this is a prison and he can speak only if first spoken to. We do hope these mistakes will not be repeated with respect to other foreign nationals."
Asked for the Bosnian government's reaction to the way Dr Ganic was allegedly treated, Dr Silajdzic said: "We are very shocked. We don't expect this to happen here - maybe in some other places but not here. A man does not have access to telephone, cannot make a call for three full days, denied medicine, denied consular access in contravention of the European conventions."
Dr Ganic, a friend of Baroness Thatcher, was detained at the request of the Serbian government and stands accused of killing wounded Bosnian Serb soldiers in 1992 during the Balkan wars. At the High Court Dr Ganic was granted bail on "stringent" conditions and said a sum of £300,000 had been provided as security by a well-wisher. Lord Justice Laws remanded Dr Ganic on bail to appear at City of Westminster magistrates court on April 13.