Prijedor marked the 32nd anniversary of the horrific crimes against Bosniak and Croat inmates in the "Keraterm" concentration camp. Besides the camps "Omarska" and "Trnopolje", "Kearterm", one of the most notorious, was a place of unspeakable suffering and torment. More than 3,000 people passed through it in the period from May to August 1992, while 371 inmates did not survive the torture.

The camp was formed on the site of a pre-war ceramics factory in Prijedor, in rooms that were previously used as warehouses for finished products. According to the inmates’ statements, exactly 32 years ago, the administration and camp guards released exhaust gases and smoke to force the inmates to forcefully exit the front door killing over 190 inmates on the spot with machine gun fire.

It was one of the most serious crimes against the non-Serb population committed during the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia, and the memories of the camp inmates and their families are still fresh and painful.

The head of the Regional Union of Associations of Prisoners of the Banja Luka Region, Mirsad Duratovic, touched on the importance of the testimonies of the people of Prijedor, which were crucial in the prosecution and sentencing of criminals.

“Thanks to the men and women of Prijedor, we were able to arrest the first convicted war criminal, Dusko Tadic. To date, over 50 final verdicts have been passed. In addition, we currently have 15 first-instance verdicts at the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We found the bones of our victims in ten municipalities and three states, so the contribution of the people of Prijedor is immeasurable,” he said.

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia indicted Slobodan Milosevic for proven crimes, but due to his untimely death, the proceedings ended. Apart from him, many of the responsible persons from the then civil and military authorities of the RS and Prijedor, as well as paramilitary units, administration and camp guards were legally declared guilty and sentenced to long prison terms.

Ten years ago, a commemorative plaque was placed in the “Keraterm” area in memory of the crime committed.