A former guard at a notoriously harsh and violent Bosnian POW camp who now lives in Massachusetts, he hid the persecution of Serbs during the Bosnian war in the 1990s, was granted refugee status, and eventually was convicted of lying to obtain U.S. citizenship.
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that 52-year-old Kemar Munjić was convicted of involvement in a plot to cover up his involvement in Bosnia's notorious Çerević prisoner of war camp in 1992. Made false statements to Homeland Security officials about his role at the camp. Possesses fraudulently obtained naturalization certificate and social security card. If you use a fraudulently obtained passport and naturalization certificate. A jury acquitted him of two counts of making false statements to a Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent.
Mr. Munzic was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2023.
Grand jury indicts former Bosnian prison guard on charges of lying about refugee status
Kemal Munzi, a former Bosnian POW camp guard, faces federal charges for concealing his involvement in the notoriously harsh and violent prison before being granted refugee status and eventually citizenship in the United States. Convicted by a jury. (U.S. Department of Justice)
“The heartbreaking testimony of Čerević survivors shows that the physical pain and psychological suffering inflicted on them by Kemal Munjić and his fellow guards in that infamous camp still haunts them 30 years later. ,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “While Mr. Munjić concealed his crimes for decades, we are grateful for the courage of these victims and the dedicated efforts of law enforcement to uncover and prosecute those responsible for this wartime persecution.” was significantly underestimated.”
Mrunjić was a security supervisor at the Čerević prisoner of war camp during the Bosnian war that lasted from 1992 to 1995.
Five camp survivors testified about the dire conditions at the camp during a two-week trial.
Survivors described being held for months in tunnels with no light or air, trapped in manholes for hours at a time and nearly suffocated. They also testified about daily and nightly assaults by camp guards who used baseball bats, wooden sticks, and other objects to beat prisoners.
Former Bosnian wartime prison guard who settled in US faces federal charges
Kemal Munzi, a former Bosnian POW camp guard, faces federal charges for concealing his involvement in the notoriously harsh and violent prison before being granted refugee status and eventually citizenship in the United States. Convicted by a jury. (U.S. Department of Justice)
The Justice Department also accused survivors of horrific acts including murder, burning the tongues of detainees with heated knife blades, wrapping prisoners in long fuses before setting them on fire, and sexual abuse. He said he testified about.
One survivor told how a 70-year-old prisoner was bludgeoned to death by a guard who pressed a military badge onto his forehead as he lay dying.
An investigation conducted by a United Nations tribunal into crimes committed at the prison camp found two top camp commanders and a guard guilty of numerous crimes, including murder and torture.
Mr. Mrunjić was questioned by law enforcement authorities in 1996 over the incident, but was not charged.
Former Bosnian Serb military commander sentenced to 15 years in prison for wartime crimes against civilians
Mrundzic could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison. (St. Petersburg)
He then fled Bosnia for Croatia and applied for refugee status in the United States using a fabricated story, the Justice Department said. Mrunjić lied on his application and interview that he fled his home after being captured, interrogated and abused by Serbian forces, fearing future persecution if he returned.
He was eventually admitted to the United States as a refugee in 1999 and became a U.S. citizen in 2009, living in the town of Swampscott, north of Boston.
“The jury found Mrunjić guilty of hiding his job as a guard at the notorious Cerević prisoner of war camp, lying about his past, and coming to the United States under false pretenses during the Bosnian War.” said Michael J. Kroll, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations.
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Mr. Mrunjić was found guilty but has not yet been sentenced. He faces up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for fraudulently obtaining a passport and naturalization certificate.
For each of the remaining three charges, he faces up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
