Prijedor camp where Bosniaks and Croats were killed in a bestial manner

The Association of Camp Detainees in Bosnia and Herzegovina, together with the Regional Association of Camp Detainees Banja Luka, will mark the anniversary of the crimes in the infamous Keraterm camp (Prijedor) on July 24th this year, writes the BiH news agency Patria (NAP).

Around 4,000 Bosniaks and Croats passed through the former ceramic products factory “Keraterm”, located along the Prijedor - Banja Luka main road, on the left side in the direction of Banja Luka, and about 400 of them were killed. The camp was disbanded on August 5, '92, upon the arrival of foreign journalists.

Prijedor Serbs forcibly took power over Prijedor in the early morning hours, around 2:00 AM, on April 30, 1992, and as early as May 23rd, they began bringing and imprisoning Croats and Muslims from the Prijedor municipality area into „Keraterm“.

The Association of Camp Detainees of BiH points out that abuse in Keraterm was a daily occurrence. Camp detainees lived in an atmosphere of terror and fear. They were beaten mostly at night, inside or outside the camp premises, near the landfill or in a room specifically designated for such purposes.

Surviving camp detainees state that the guards would call them out, take them for beatings, and then return them to their cells. The killed were also returned to the cells or left at the landfill.

According to witness testimonies, the guards in Keraterm behaved like beasts. They were often drunk and there were no rules on how they would behave, how many camp detainees they would kill or beat; they did it on their own impulse.
The “Keraterm” camp was dismantled on August 5th, less than three months after its formation, but it was enough for the Serbian army to kill a large number of Bosniaks and Croats in this camp, and for those who survived to be abused in the most brutal way, writes Patria.