BOSNIAN GOVERNMENT REVOKES CITIZENSHIP FOR 613 PEOPLE

SARAJEVO, Bosnia (September 22,2007) - Bosnian government decided to revoke citizenship granted to 613 people. A special commission tasked with checking the procedure and circumstances under which the citizenships were granted, said in its semi-annual report that citizenship had so far been revoked in 613 cases.

Most of the people whose Bosnian citizenship was revoked were of Turkish origin, but the number also includes Algerian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Sudanese, Syrian, Tunisian and Russian nationals.

Most of them came to Bosnia mainly to help Bosnians defend Bosnia from the 1992-1995 Serbian,Montenegrin and Croatian aggressions.Many of them decided to stay in Bosnia after the war,where they later married Bosnian women and started families.

The commission would continue with the work until next February when its mandate ends.