The Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has upheld a three-year prison sentence for Vildan Kljuco, who was convicted of illegally forming and joining foreign paramilitary groups on the Syrian battlefield.

Kljuco’s lawyer, Senad Bilic, confirmed to *Detektor* that the Appellate Panel dismissed appeals from both the prosecution and the defence, thereby solidifying the initial verdict, as reported by BIRN BiH.

The original ruling stated that Kljuco travelled to Turkey on August 28, 2012, and, with assistance from an unknown individual, crossed into Syria. He then joined the “Ahmed Asafa” military unit, which became part of the Free Syrian Army, to violently overthrow the Syrian regime.

Kljuco remained an active member of the “Ahmed Asafa” unit until 2023, when he left Syria, crossed back into Turkey, and eventually returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Court found that he continued to participate in combat activities in Syria even after 2014, the year when joining foreign military formations became a criminal offence under Bosnian law.

Prosecutors have previously noted that Kljuco was one of the Bosnian nationals with the longest recorded presence on foreign battlefields.

Following the first-instance verdict, Kljuco's detention, which began in October of last year, was extended. This decision is now final and cannot be appealed.