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They asked for asylum but were rejected without an explanation

Date & Time 2017-08-23
Location Zagreb, Croatia
Reported by Rigardu
Coordinates 45.12913969, 19.07969513
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Serbia
Taken to a police station yes
Minors involved yes
WLTI* involved no
Men involved no
Age unknown
Group size 3
Countries of origin Afghanistan
Treatment at police station or other place of detention denial of food/water
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved unknown
Violence used kicking, theft of personal belongings
Police involved Croatian police in Zagreb

On August 23rd, 2017, 5 police officers attempted to apprehended three people from Afghanistan, one of them a minor, in Zagreb at “Borin hotel” (Porin Reception Centre). They ran away, trying to reach the UNICEF office. The police officers caught them before they got there. When they were caught, the police officers kicked them several times.

They were put in handcuffs and brought to the police station. Their mobiles phones were taken and they stayed at the station for 6 hours. The police only gave them water (after 2 hours of waiting), even though they asked repeatedly for food and were very hungry.

They asked for asylum but were rejected without an explanation. The officers said that they shouldn’t have run away. A translator was present during the talks, but he or she only talked to the police and only translated a few things.

They were brought to the border with Serbia in a white police van and dropped off near Ilinci. Their mobile phones were given back.