The U.S. Justice Department has initiated a civil legal case to revoke the citizenship of Kemal Mrndzic. Mrndzic is accused of failing to disclose during his U.S. immigration process that he served as a guard at Bosnia's Celebici prison camp during the Bosnian war.
A United Nations war crimes tribunal found that individuals held in the Celebici camp during the conflict were subjected to killings, torture, sexual assault, beatings, and other forms of cruel and inhuman treatment.
Justice Department official Brett Shumate stated that the U.S. government aims to prevent individuals who have persecuted others from benefiting from refuge in the United States. He also emphasized the value the U.S. government places on the integrity of its naturalization process.
Mrndzic was found guilty by a jury in October 2024 on several counts of criminal fraud and misrepresentation related to his application for a U.S. passport and naturalization certificate. The Justice Department reported that he did not disclose the nature and timing of his military service or that he persecuted Bosnian-Serb inmates as a prison guard. In January 2025, Mrndzic was sentenced to more than five years in prison.