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Forced into cold water and our clothes were burned
The main respondent is a 29 years-old man from Afghanistan. According to the respondent, around the 7th of October, he crossed the border from Bosnia to Croatia together with 5 other Afghan people between the ages of 19 and 34. The respondent states that in their first attempt, the group crossed the border near Velika Kladuša during the night between the 6th and the 7th of October. Once in Croatia, they crossed a forested area and were apprehended around 4 pm by some people wearing uniforms. The respondent states that the people who apprehended them were dressed in dark blue uniforms, but not wearing ski masks. From the description of the uniforms, it could match with the uniforms usually worn by the Croatian Intervention Police.
The respondent reports that the officers confiscated his friend’s phone, as they usually share one phone for every two people during the border crossing. He recalls the phone being placed against a tree and struck with the butt of a rifle. According to him the officers threw their phones into a body of water. Thereafter, the respondent reports that the group was forced into the water to retrieve the phones, while being threatened with rifles by the officers. Nonetheless, the challenging conditions made it impossible for the group to recover their phones. As the respondent states the water level was too high, the current too strong, the water was extremely cold, and it was raining. The main respondent reports that the members of the transit group were held in the forest for 4 hours, waiting for a vehicle to arrive. The respondent describes the vehicle as a big whit van. As it got dark in the evening, they were loaded onto the van. According to the respondent, within 35 minutes they were brought back to Bosnia-Herzegovina, close to the Bosnian-Croatian border. From there, the respondent states that they managed to return to the Lipa Temporary Reception Centre, which is located in the Una-Sana Canton. The respondent recalls that following a two-day interval, the group decided to attempt to cross the border again. The respondent then describes a second episode of violence. He states that at 5 am, Croatian police “arrested” them a second time in the forested area, then they were physically assaulted and beaten. Furthermore, he describes how the police officers ordered the group to remove their shoes and jackets, and then set them on fire using a cigarette lighter.
The respondent reports that the same transit group has attempted to cross the border seven times in total, and he repeatedly emphasizes how each of these attempts resulted in experiencing a series of similar acts of violence. This persistent recurrence of violent incidents is underscored by the respondent’s own words: «It’s really hard, the Croatian police are really hard. I tried seven times, and they do this. If I go back to Afghanistan I will never try again. I’ve been traveling from Turkey for 65 days. It’s really hard.»
overview
6 people ,
from Afghanistan,
aged 19-34 years old.