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“We demand ‘asly’, they say yes yes yes...and then nothing”

Date & Time 2019-10-11
Location near bridge over Glina, Poljana (HR)
Reported by No Name Kitchen
Coordinates 45.2248849, 15.9240727
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Bosnia
Taken to a police station yes
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age 24 - 24
Group size 2
Countries of origin Algeria
Treatment at police station or other place of detention detention, no translator present, denial of food/water
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 15
Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), kicking, exposure to air condition and extreme temperature during car ride, insulting, pepper spray, forcing to undress, destruction of personal belongings, theft of personal belongings, reckless driving
Police involved 1 male Croatian police officer in light blue uniform; 1 Croatian police van, 2 male Croatian police officers; 2 male Croatian police officer in dark blue uniform, 3 male Croatian police officers in light blue uniform; 2 Croatian police vans, 2 male Croatian police officers in light blue uniform, 4 male officers in black uniform and ski masks, 1 male Croatian police officer in navy blue uniform.

The respondents walked from Velika Kladusa (BiH) to Zagreb (22nd – 27th October 2019). They then spent 12 days in Zagreb, sleeping in the bus and train stations. At 13:00 on 9th November 2019, the respondents were apprehended by one male Croatian police officer in a light blue uniform at Zagreb bus station (RX3V+G6 Zagreb, Kroatien). The officer said:

“Come here, paper, naema paper”

The respondent stating:

“I don’t have”

The officer made a phone call and the respondents were arrested and put into one white Croatian police van with two Croatian police officers inside. The van drove erratically for one hour (swerving left and right) and the officers turned up the aircon full-blast. Both respondents were sick and vomited in the van.

At 14:00 they arrived at the police station. There were five male Croatian police officers, two in navy blue uniform and three in light blue uniform. One officer told the two men in transit:

“Sit down, sit down, sit down”

Describing the conditions in which they were held the respondent stated there was:

“no food, no cigar, no water, no nothing…we drink water in toilet”.

The police officers put the respondents in a small cell and said “yes” when they asked for asylum, food, and water, but nothing happened:

“we demand ‘asly’, they say ‘yes yes yes’…and then nothing”.

The police officers laughed and made fun of the respondents. The respondents spent eleven hours in the police station.

At 01:00 on 10th November 2019, the respondents were put into one white Croatian police van with two male Croatian police officers in light blue uniform. En route, the officers made a phone call which the respondents thought was saying:

“we have migrant…ok ok ok”

They drove two hours to the border, arriving at a location near Glinica at around 03:00  (45.2248849,15.9240727). There were four male Croatian officers (with armbands) in black uniforms and ski masks, one male Croatian police officer, and one van waiting for them at the bridge near the border. The officers made a fire and put all of their clothes (except for underwear), shoes, telephones and power-banks inside. The officers stood in a long line 10-20 meters apart, and made the respondents walk along this line past each of them beating them with batons (all over their bodies) and one officer pepper spraying their eyes. The officers then forced the group in transit across a bridge yelling:

“GO, GO, GO BOSNIA”

The bridge had lots of holes in it and was described by the respondent:

”it was dangerous”

In Glinica, locals gave the respondents bread, water and some clothes:

“all Bosnia on border, good people”

The respondents then walked 30 km (five hours) back to Velika Kladusa (BiH), arriving back at 06:00 on 10th November 2019.