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“When I lost consciousness, he thought I was acting, so he started hitting me”
The respondent was travelling with a group of 5 men from Morocco, who left from Lipa camp at around 11pm to go to the border around Izacic.
Location where the pushback took place (caught here by police)
The respondent describes that they met the police in the forest in Plitvice Jezera around 7pm. The respondent described being discovered by a drone and then 4 police officers dressed in black carrying guns. The officers shouted ‘stop’ and he ran, after a few minutes of running he fell and was kicked in the face by a police officer. After this point the respondent describes that his vision was blurred and he does not remember a lot. He says he lost consciousness for around 10 minutes and was vomiting. He describes that the police thought he was faking and kicked him in the back repeatedly. The tissue around his eye bled a lot (see attached pictures). Interviewee was kicked in the back and undressed and searched, finding his phone and money. His clothes were returned, but his phone was smashed, and 200 euros was taken from him. He asked to be taken to a hospital, and a police officer shouted ‘shut up you son of a bitch’. He also asked for water to drink and clean the blood from his face, and the police officer replied ‘come here, you can drink from my penis’.
The respondent’s bloodshot eye at the time of interview
Respondent describes being taken to an abandoned airfield at the border – this must have been Željava Air Base
He was taken alone into a white car (The other people he was travelling with were caught separately) and driven to an abandoned airport at the border and told to walk. The drive ‘felt like 3 hours’ and they were driving wrecklessly to throw him around in the back of the car, hitting the metal sides. He was let out of the police car at 11pm at an abandoned airfield near the border and told to walk. He was lost, without a phone, and walked for 6 hours, disoriented, until he made it back to Izacic. The route went through the forest with him pushing his way through many thorns.
The respondent’s injury day after encounter with police
medical analysis
The respondent was kicked in the face by a police officer, causing his eye to be extremely bloodshot and a lot of bleeding from cuts to the surrounding tissue that have now scarred (see attached photos). After this point his vision was blurred and he does not remember a lot (concussed). He says he lost consciousness for around 10 minutes and was vomiting.
overview
5 people ,
from Morocco,
aged 20-30.