US Government Moves to Revoke Citizenship from Alleged Bosnian War Criminal

Sat Dec 20 2025 05:07:10 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The U.S. Justice Department has initiated a civil case against Kemal Mrndzic, a man accused of war crimes during the Bosnian conflict, to strip him of his citizenship due to undisclosed military service.

The U.S. Justice Department is pursuing the revocation of citizenship from Kemal Mrndzic, accused of war crimes as a guard at a notorious prison camp in Bosnia. His failure to disclose this during the immigration process has led to legal actions highlighting the integrity of U.S. naturalization laws.

The US Justice Department has launched a civil legal case against Kemal Mrndzic, an individual accused of being a Bosnian war criminal, seeking to revoke his U.S. citizenship.

Mrndzic allegedly did not disclose his past military service as a guard at Bosnia's infamous Celebici prison camp, where severe atrocities were committed against inmates, during his immigration process.

A UN war crimes tribunal concluded that detainees at the camp faced torture, executions, sexual assaults, and other brutal treatments.

Brett Shumate, a Justice Department official, emphasized that the administration would not permit individuals who committed acts of persecution to gain refuge in the U.S.

This case exemplifies the value placed on the integrity of U.S. naturalization processes, according to Assistant Attorney General.

In October 2024, Mrndzic was found guilty of several counts of criminal fraud and misrepresentation pertaining to his successful U.S. passport and naturalization application.

He failed to reveal the nature and period of his military service, including his role in the persecution of Bosnian-Serb inmates, leading to his sentencing in January 2025 to over five years in prison.

The Bosnian war erupted in the early 1990s following the disintegration of Soviet Yugoslavia, culminating in significant atrocities, including the Srebrenica massacre, which the UN recognised as genocide.

That massacre led to more than 8,000 Bosniak Muslim men and boys being systematically killed by Bosnian-Serb forces, marking it as Europe's worst massacre since World War II.

The Celebici prison camp, run by Bosniak and Bosnian-Croat forces, was among those responsible for widespread violence against imprisoned individuals.

Subsequently, Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic was prosecuted for war crimes stemming from the conflict, which contributed to the US-brokered Dayton Peace Agreement established in December 1995.