A group of 4 people from Afghanistan passed the Serbian border-scanner control post, but were later detected at the Croatian border-scanner control at Bajakovo border crossing. They were hiding in a truck. The interviewee, from Afghanistan, described the encounter with the police in these words:
“They called me Taliban. I asked for asylum but they said no. This was a third time that I seeked asylum. I know if I come to Zagreb they won’t give me asylum.”
The police kept them for 8 hours in a police van. They took pictures of them, took their personal data and took their mobiles but didn’t give them any papers. The Croatian police pushed them back and transferred them directly to the Serbian police, who took them to the police station in Sid.
At the police station they were asked for their personal data and were sent to a court. The judge said that they had to pay 50 euro each for the illegal border crossing. The interviewee payed for himself and for one minor. Two other people from their group went to jail in Sremska Mitrovica.