Bosnia Charges 13 over Human Trafficking of Hundreds

Bosnia charged 13 members of an alleged criminal gang on Friday with trafficking hundreds people to Azerbaijan, in the country's largest ever prosecution of its kind.

The group recruited more than 600 people from Bosnia, Serbia and Macedonia between 2007 and 2009, promising them work in Azerbaijan, a prosecutors' statement said.

"Upon their arrival to Azerbaijan the workers were held in inhuman conditions ... their agreed salaries were not paid and they were forced to work overtime," it said.

The suspected traffickers earned at least 5.9 million convertible marks (3 million euros, $4.1 million), officials said.

Local media reported the victims were construction workers.

Bosnia is one of Europe's poorest countries, with monthly salaries averaging just 420 euros ($570).

Its central bank puts unemployment at 27 percent, while a further 17 percent are stuck in the "gray economy" without benefits or insurance.