Details of Kremencic Murder Come to Light During Trial

The woman is assumed to be Karmen Kremencic, an army nurse with the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina, who was beaten and murdered during the Bosnian War.

Bora Kuburic and Radmila Banjac, both former members of the Army of Republika Srpska, are charged with the torture and inhumane treatment of Karmen Kremencic, an army nurse with the Kljucko-Sanska Brigade of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to the prosecution, Kremencic was captured by members of the Army of Republika Srpska in Radic in June 1992. She was then assaulted and tortured by Kuburic and Banjac, and killed by civilian minor Veselko Djukic.

Witness Nedeljko Pasic said that he heard that women from Petrovac had captured and tortured a woman. He added that according to rumours circulating in Radic, Djukic killed her.

“I wasn’t an eyewitness, I just heard about it. I know that Veselko was a minor at the time. He was maybe 15 years old,” Pasic said.

Witness Jovo Uzelac also said that he heard a similar story about a woman’s capture in 1992.

“I don’t know where she was captured or who did it. However, she was allegedly captured and released and then captured again by some driver. She was allegedly mistreated by some women and eventually executed,” Uzelac said.

According to the indictment, after having been captured, Kremencic was handed over to members of the Women’s Front of the Petrovacka Brigade of the Bosnian Serb army. The defendants are accused of beating Kremencic with sticks. Banjac allegedly carved a cross-like sign on her back, while Kuburic cut the upper part of Kremencic’s ear off. In the end Kremencic was allegedly murdered by minor Veselko Djukic.

Mirko Nedimovic, a former reserve policeman of Republika Srpska, said that he remembered Kremencic’s capture. Nedimovic said he recognized Kremencic in a photograph presented to him during the 2010 investigation of her murder.

“I was at home. They [fellow police officers] picked me up and said that we were going to bring that girl [Kremencic]. She was in uniform. She had a patch over one of her eyes and limped on one leg. When we sat in the car, she asked for a cigarette. I gave it to her…We passed by my house. [Police officer] Dusko Beronja had a pistol. We told her that we would release her. Beronja fired two bullets, so others could hear them. She then walked away towards Grmusa. We did not kill her. On the following day we heard rumours in the village that she did not make it to her unit positions, but that she was captured and taken to the school,” Nedimovic said.

At the same hearing, witness Dusko Beronja said that he heard that a captured woman was killed by Veselko Djukic.

The trial is scheduled to continue on February 17.