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Why would the police throw stones at me? Why!?

Date & Time 2019-07-26
Location Zagreb, Croatia
Reported by No Name Kitchen
Coordinates 45.8046875, 15.9788125
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Serbia
Taken to a police station no
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age 18 - 18
Group size 1
Countries of origin Algeria
Treatment at police station or other place of detention
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 4 Croatian Police
Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), kicking, insulting, theft of personal belongings, jumped on, spat on, hit with stones
Police involved 2 Croatian Police

On Friday the 26th, at approximately 4 pm a lone 18-year-old Algerian man crossed the Serbian-Croatian border on foot and then shortly boarded a train to Zagreb (see map below). Once he arrived in Zagreb, a passing police car stopped him. After being detained in Zagreb just outside of the train station, he was attacked by two police officers whilst two more officers watched from an additional vehicle that was parked across from the attack.

The attack by the police officers occurred at approximate 6 pm and lasted for ten minutes. The police officers grabbed the man by the back of the neck and pushed him to the floor. While the 18-year old was laid face down on the floor, the two police officers took it in turns to jump on his neck. Throughout the attack, the police swore at the young man and routinely spat on him. 

Once the police officers stopped the attack, they drove him to the train border between Croatia and Serbia. Once at the border, the same officers carried out another attack on the young man, this time using kicking him and punching him. They stole his shoes and 40 euros and then made him walk barefoot over the train border. The young man asserts that the police knew that the floor was littered with sharp stones and rocks and would have been painful and dangerous for him to walk across barefoot. As he was crossing the border, the two police officers then started to throw stones at him. 

Back of respondent "A" after attack by Croatian Police
The back of respondent “A” after an attack by Croatian Police
The arm of respondent “A” after an attack by the Croatian Police