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We just wanted to take a warm shower.
The main respondent is a middle-aged man from Morocco. The respondent was with two other men from Morocco, in Bihać, Bosnia. The three men decided to take a shower in an empty house in Bihać, where the main respondent had previously showered.
He reports that at around 5 pm on February 11th, the group approached the house and the owner suddenly began shouting at them, accusing them of trespassing. They panicked and fled before even entering the house. Within five minutes, the police arrived. They apprehended the main respondent first and questioned him. The main respondent explained to the police that he was heading to the border, but the police took him to the station for further questioning.
Bihać Police Station
At the police station, the main respondent reports that he was interrogated by officers who already knew him. He states that the the police officers acknowledged that he was generally respectful. However, he reports that the situation escalated when the police turned their attention to the two other respondents, accusing them of theft. One of the respondents was signled out and severely beaten.
The respondent reports that all three men spent the night of the 11th February in detention, requesting food which was eventually provided. The next morning, on the 12th February, the respondent states that the chief of police arrived and called him into an officer, where a translator that he recognised from Lipa Camp was present. He reports that the translator insisted he was a troublemaker, which then led to the police officers beating him. He states that the officers punched him in the stomach, chest, and legs, accusing him of being a smuggler. The violence intensified when the police asked the main respondent for the names of his parents and siblings for identification purposes. The main respondent reports that he did not know his family, as he was an orphan, and so could not answer these questions – which he states resulted in him receiving harsher beatings every time he mentioned he did not know his mother’s and father’s name.
Later that morning (12th February), NNK received reports that the police had taken four additional Moroccan men from Lipa camp to the station, seemingly at random. The detainees were photographed, questioned and then lined up before a one-way mirror for an identification process. One of this group, who has a learning disability and a limited command of English, was beaten when he failed to respond to commands.
The main respondent was released that afternoon, but states that the police confiscated his personal belongings, including some cash and a loudspeaker. The two men he was with were reportedly isolated and subjected to more severe beating, including using a brass knuckle to beat one of the respondents on the back.
The main respondent reports that the police officers then took the two other respondents to a hospital for a medical checkup, before transferring them to a courthouse, where they were detained for another day and a half without access to a lawyer or a translator. They were released at 2 pm on February 13th, after 45 hours of detention.
overview
4 people ,
from Morocco,
aged Between 23 and 45.