Miroslav Kvočka

Miroslav Kvočka (born 1 January 1957) is a Bosnian Serb former policeman who was found guilty by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) of persecution, murder and torture – constituting crimes against humanity and violations of the laws and customs of war – committed at the Omarska concentration camp in Prijedor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War.

Kvočka was born, raised and worked as a policeman in and around Prijedor. In late May 1992 he began working at the Omarska camp which held almost exclusively non-Serb detainees from the surrounding districts who had been rounded up during the ethnic cleansing of central Bosanska Krajina. According to findings during his trial and appeal, he was functionally the deputy commander of the camp guards. The court found that from 29 May until 23 June 1992 he persecuted detainees on political, racial or religious grounds, a crime against humanity; murdered detainees, a violation of the laws and customs of war; and tortured detainees, a violation of the laws or customs of war. Further, he knew about the discriminatory crimes regularly perpetrated within the camp, but despite this awareness, he ignored the bulk of the offences that occurred while he was on duty. He was not only present during the commission of crimes but, without doubt, was conscious of the routine infliction of severe physical and mental violence upon the detainees. The camp was closed in late August following international outcry in the wake of a visit and reporting by British journalist Ed Vulliamy.

Kvočka was indicted by the ICTY in February 1995 and arrested in Bosnia by troops serving with the Stabilisation Force in April 1998, and transferred to the ICTY. He entered pleas of not guilty to all twelve counts under the indictment, and along with his co-accused Mlađo Radić, Milojica Kos, Zoran Žigić and Dragoljub Prcać was tried by the ICTY between 28 February 2000 and 2 November 2001. Kvočka was found guilty on four counts and sentenced to seven years' imprisonment, with credit granted for time served. His four co-accused were also found guilty, and two others received significantly longer sentences. His appeal was dismissed, and his conviction and sentence were affirmed. He was granted early release from the ICTY Detention Unit in the Hague on 30 March 2005. As of 2023 he had returned to Prijedor, sold his house, and lived in a nearby village, taking on seasonal work. He had given several interviews and stated that he faced hardship and ostracism from the community.