Bosnia Convicts Kameric of Wartime Crimes Against Serbs

The Bosnian state court on Friday found Kameric, a former member of the 101st Bosanski Brod brigade of the Croatian Defence Council, guilty of participating in the mental and physical abuse of prisoners detained at the FK Polet football stadium in Bosanski Brod in 1992.

Presiding judge Saban Maksumic said that Kameric committed the crimes along with other members of the Croatian Defence Council.

The court found that Kameric questioned a female prisoner, Hazba Nukic, accusing her of being a Serbian spy, after which she was hit by members of the Croatian Defence Council.

Kameric was also convicted of asking for a male prisoner to be brought in, after which members of the Croatian Defence Council ordered him to squeeze Nukic’s breasts and genitals, rip off her underwear and put it in his pocket. Kameric then slapped Nukic in the face twice.

Judge Maksumic said the evidence given by Nukic and the male prisoner who testified as a protected witness was “clear and convincing”.

Maksumic also said that the trial chamber believed prosecution witnesses who said that Kameric participated in the physical abuse of Jovo Dujic and hit him with a metal bar. After being beaten, he was taken away from the Polet stadium. His remains were exhumed in 1993.

However Kameric was acquitted of charges of physically and mentally abusing a detanee called Marko Mitric at the police station in Bosanski Brod, and of aiding the rapes of female prisoners at the FK Polet stadium.

“The evidence was not good enough for the chamber to make a different decision. Only one piece of evidence was presented about the physical and mental abuse of Marko Mitric – his statement was read out, since he was not able to testify before the court,” said Maksumic.

Kameric was also acquitted of assisting the rapes Hizba Nukic and two other protected witnesses in the case because the trial chamber could not be certain that some of her actions amounted to assiting the sexual assaults.

The sentence handed down was below the legal minimum because of mitigating circumstances, Maksumic said.

“She was young, she showed respect towards the victims, and the crimes were not severe,” said the judge.

The verdict can be appealed.