Bosnia and Herzegovina: UN mission continuing probe into kidnapping of 6 women

The United Nations Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UNMIBH) today said it was continuing its investigation into the recent kidnapping of six women, five of whom were released yesterday and reported suffering abuse in captivity.

According to an UNMIBH spokesperson, local police along with the Mission's Special Trafficking Operations Programme (STOP) raided a nightclub in Kiseljak on Tuesday after a group of about 15 armed men kidnapped the women the previous day.

By yesterday evening, the kidnappers had released five of the six women, who reported that they had been raped, beaten and tortured by their captors. The women were taken to a hospital, where they received medical attention.

However, UNMIBH spokesperson Kirsten Haupt said the women were treated at the hospital without dignity and respect, "which is absolutely unacceptable, considering what these women had experienced."

In a separate incident, STOP accompanied Bosnian police last night as they raided a nightclub in Busovaca, where five women - from Moldova, Romania and Ukraine - were found and taken to a safe house.

The investigation into that incident is also ongoing, Ms. Haupt said.