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“They only beat, they don’t think about where”
The main respondent, is a 35 year old man from Algeria, who was pushed back on Saturday 25th August, 2024.The respondent left Bihać on Thursday 22nd August 2024, together with 4 other people, 3 other Algerian men aged 24, 27, and 38, and 1 minor (around 16 or 17 years old) from Morocco.He states that the group first took a bus from Bihać to Mala Kladuša, where they exited the bus. They walked 5-6 km to the Croatian border, and then crossed the border at 19:00. After crossing the border, they walked around 12 km and then took a short rest, then continued walking the rest of the night until 5:00 on Friday 23rd August. He notes that they had no encounters with authorities.He states that the group rested during the second day, Friday 23rd August, and then began walking at around 23:00. They began walking through the mountains, where the forest was the dense and with many pine needles and thorns. On this day, he notes that they also had no encounters with authorities.He states that at around 16:00 on Saturday 24th August they had to cross a river. The river had a small boat service for crossing the river. He describes that they were around 14km from the Croatian-Slovenian border. [N.B. His description implies this boat crossing was around the Croatian village of Žakanje]. The bridges were 3km each direction, so the group took the boat to save time. Three of them entered the boat, whilst two of them (one of which was the minor) waited on the side of the riverbank. Two boat attendants rowed the three men across the river. When they reached the other side of the river, 6 police officers (5 men and 1 woman) were waiting for them.He describes that they were wearing the uniform of the Croatian police, which he described as light blue shirts. He states that the police said ‘Police! Stop!’, and then took their phones. He describes that the authorities handcuffed the three men and put them inside a van. The van was a white van, with the text of POLICIJA written along the side. Inside the van, they met two other men from Afghanistan.
He states that the police turned the heating on in the van. The respondent describes that it was so hot it was very difficult to breathe, and they were transported like this for more than an hour. He did not see where they were taken, but describes that the journey lasted around an hour. When they arrived in the police station, The respondent recalls that all their belongings (such as their phones and backpacks) were taken. All their clothes were taken except their t-shirts and underwear. They were in the police station around 40 minutes. He states that the authorities did not explain why they were in the police station, what legal proceedings were occurring, or if there was any charges against them. The respondent describes that one of the officers took his friends’ perfume and shower gel, put it in a plastic bag, and then put it in his own pocket. He states that the 1 female officer also took another of his friends’ phone, and put it in her own pocket. The respondent states that inside the police station they were then handed over to two men waiting there that he describes as ‘international police’. He describes that they wore dark blue uniforms, and had what he describes as the “European Union” logo on their arm, with the text ‘international police’ written on their uniforms. The respondent describes that one man began to kick the group with his boots, whilst the other man (who was wearing gloves) began to search them. The respondent states that these 2 ‘international police’ then forced the group to enter another vehicle, a white unmarked vehicle without windows. There was a further Croatian police officer driving this vehicle. He describes that these authorities drove the group, including the 2 Afghan men, and a group of 6 other Moroccan men for around an hour, also driving very recklessly and with the temperature set very high. He describes that the vehicle arrived at a river between Bosnia and Croatia around 4:00 on Sunday 25th August, close to Velika Kladuša. They were all taken out of the van. The two authorities which The respondent described as ‘international police’ took all their clothes except their underwear. Their shoes were also taken. He describes that there was on big river, and two smaller rivers. The authorities burnt all their belongings in a pile, including their bags, clothes, phones, and the respondent’s necklace. The respondent describes that these authorities began to beat them, with black rubber batons around 60cm long. The respondent describes that they hit them on the back and feet, but he states that “they only beat, they don’t think about where”. He then states “after that, they pushed us with their feet in the river” and describes that he was kicked in the neck whilst being forced into the river. The respondent describes that the minor began to drown. One of the Algerian men, The respondent’s friend, had already crossed the river, but he reentered the river to help rescue the boy and brought him to the other side. The respondent describes that the authorities were watching but “did nothing”. He states: “They saw that this Moroccan boy was drowning, and nothing. They did nothing”.
Then, he states once they had all crossed the river they did not have their phones so could not navigate. They did not have their shoes and the forest had many pine needles. The group took around 2 hours to walk the next 2km, because they did not know which way to do. He describes that they found a road, and began walking to Bihać. The group walked all the way to Bihać, which he states was around 35km. The respondent described that they were ‘half-naked’, wearing only their underwear.
overview
5 people ,
from Morocco,
aged 16/17, 24, 27, 35, and 38.