The respondent walked for seven days (08/11/2019 – 15/11/2019) and was arrested on the side of the road in Novo Mesto, Slovenia at 05:30 on 15th November 2019 (at coordinates 45.803391, 15.159657). Three members of his group ran away but the respondent was caught by 3 Slovenian officers in black uniform (‘Slovenska policija’ written on the gillet of officers) – one female and two male – and one official translator. They surrounded him with their guns drawn and the respondent knelt on the ground with his hands in the air. The respondent expressed intent for asylum and the police said “NO”. In one blue Slovenian police van, the respondent was loaded and driven for ten minutes to the police station in Novo Mesto (R584+R7 Novo mesto, Slovenia). 

At the police station the respondent was given food, water, and access to a toilet. He was forced to sign a document written in Slovenian (translated in person by the translator) which gave him a €500 fine. The officers made the respondent hold a piece of paper with his full name written down and took his picture. The respondent spent two hours in the police station.

At 07:30, two male Slovenian officers drove the respondent in one white van for 20-30 minutes to a police station near the Croatian border. It is likely the respondent was taken to ‘Metlika border police station’ (J8PF+F2 Metlika, Slovenia). The respondent spent one hour standing out front of the police station, and then at 09:00 he was taken into a cell, where he spent 11 hours. 

At 23:00, 1 black police van with two male Croatian police officers picked up the respondent and drove for between 40 minutes/one hour. Inside the van already there were eight Pakistani people and one Moroccan. The van drove very fast and erratically (swerving left and right, breaking at random) and the aircon was on full-blast. Some members of the group in transit were crying and sick (vomiting). 

At 00:00 on 16th November 2019, the van stopped near the border with six Croatian officers in black uniforms and ski masks waiting.The officers fired one gunshot into the air, and then made a fire to burn the groups clothing, shoes and bags. The officers stole their money (€150 from the respondent), telephones and power-banks. The respondents glasses were taken, smashed, and thrown into the fire. The officers made a line 20 meters apart (going towards the Bosnian border) and forced the group in transit to one-by-one to walk past them, spending what felt like 10 minutes beating each individual with batons and kicking them. The group in transit spent roughly one hour at this location, before being pushed back into BiH.

The group in transit then walked 1.5 hours to a small town in BiH where locals gave them shoes, clothes, money and food. At 03:00 on 16th November 2019 the respondent arrived back in Velika Kladusa via foot.