A former Bosnian prison camp supervisor has been found guilty in a Boston court of hiding his role in the persecution of ethnic Serbs during the Bosnian War. Kemal Mrndzic, a 52-year-old resident of Swampscott, Mass., faced a trial that concluded on Friday. He was held accountable for engaging in a 25-year scheme involving false statements to acquire refugee status and, ultimately, U.S. citizenship, among other charges, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.
According to testimony during the trial, Mrndzic was a supervisor of guards at the Celebici prison camp, where detainees endured brutal conditions in 1992. Survivors shared their harrowing experiences, from being held in a lightless, airless tunnel for months to attempts at suffocation and daily beatings with implements like baseball bats and rifle butts. "The heartbreaking testimony of the Celebici survivors reminded us that the physical pain and mental anguish inflicted by Kemal Mrndzic and his fellow guards at that notorious camp still haunts them 30 years later," said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy in a statement released by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The jury acquitted Mrndzic of two counts of making false statements to Homeland Security Investigations special agents while convicting him on other charges, including making a false statement about his role at the camp, possessing and using a fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate and Social Security card, and making false claims to secure refugee status. The charges could lead to sentences totaling up to 35 years in prison, fines amounting to $1.25 million, and supervised release.
Sentencing for Mrndzic is pending, with each count related to fraudulent documents carrying a potential maximum of 10 years in prison. The jury's decision marks the end of a long pursuit by federal law enforcement to hold accountable those responsible for war crimes, regardless of their attempts to hide within U.S.' borders. "Investigating and prosecuting these historical transnational cases demands extraordinary commitment and we are deeply grateful for the exceptional work of our federal law enforcement partners and our partners in countries across the globe," Levy said, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The case was a collaborative effort involving various agencies and international partners, including the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs, the United States Interagency Human Rights Violators & War Crimes Center, and law enforcement authorities from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Finland, Canada, and Australia.
