Omer Behmen

Politician. He was a Islamic-Bosnian politician who was known for his close association with Alija Izetbegović , the inaugural president of Bosnia and Herzegovina. He played a pivotal role as one of the founders of the Party of Democratic Action. In April of 1983, Behmen, alongside twelve other Bosniak activists, faced trial in Sarajevo (Sarajevo process) on charges related to their involvement in activities deemed hostile by the authorities. Despite criticisms from Western human rights organizations regarding the trial's fairness, Behmen served almost five years of a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison before being pardoned and released in 1988 amidst the collapse of communist rule. Over his lifetime he spent a total of 17 years in prison for political reasons according to his obituary.