On Saturday, the 14th of February 2022, around 10 pm, 1 Syrian male was reportedly apprehended by men in uniform near Nijemci, at the border between Croatia and Serbia. The man had crossed the border by foot. He explained that only a few hundred meters in Croatia, a white car, described as a pick-up, with 2 people inside (including one officer whom the respondent recognized from a previous pushback to Serbia 4 days before), came to him and arrested him.
The men in uniform turned on their light and dazzled him. The respondent reported that they hit him “4 times” on the right side of the face with their hands. He tried to escape and ran for 2 to 3 meters. He added that the men in uniformed then shouted at him to “sit”. Reportedly, he obeyed, stopped, and sat down, with his hands on his head. Then the two uniformed men hit him again on the outer side of the right thigh with their feet “2 or 3 times”. 2 days after the incident, at the time of the interview, the respondent still had scars at this place. After, the respondent described that they were shouting at him, and threatened him to steal his phone, money, and ID if they see him again trying to enter Croatia.
The respondent reported having to wait while the uniformed men made a call. After 5 minutes, another car, driven by 1 man, allegedly arrived. It was described by the interviewee as a large white van, with a sort of “small cell” at the back. The respondent was reportedly forced to enter the cell. 2 men entered the van, at the front, and drove him back to Serbia, near the train tracks that lead to Šid (45,147314,19.164339).
Once they arrived there, he was told to “run”. He stated that after a few insults, he started to run to Serbia. He described that one of the men started to run after him “to catch me and hit me”. “When he understands that he cannot catch me, he takes his gun and shoots”. The respondent presumed that this man shot in direction of the sky, because he did not hear the bullet passing near him.