The pushback from Croatia to Bosnia took place on November 16th and involved five people from Pakistan.
At first, six Croatia police officers stopped them when they were walking in the dark forest near the D23 road, south of the Croatian city of Karlovac [approximate coordinates: 45.358333, 15.387750]. As soon as the people-on-the-move realized the presence of the police, two of them tried to run away, but stopped when the officers threatened to shoot them.
“No running! I shoot […] Stop, stop or we will shoot you. We don’t shoot when you stay.”
As the respondent followed the orders of the officers and sat down directly, the police did not beat him. The people that tried to escape on the contrary were struck with batons and kicked by the officers as soon as they came back to the waiting ones.
The respondent tried to explain the officers that caught them, his desire to ask for asylum, which they denied him.
“Two times I ask them. I am asylum Croatia. ‘No asylum, No asylum’”
Instead they had to take off their jackets and shoes. Then they were searched for phones and other objects of values. The respondent also handed over 60 € to the officers. The officers had a knife that they used to scare the men while they were searching them for money. Their things were sat on fire by one of the police.
Afterwards the men were put into a white police van in which they then drove to the Bosnian border side, near the Bosnian village of Gradina, close to Vrnograc. Leaving the vehicle, the men found four police officers with black balaclava masks covering their faces, waiting for them. They ordered the people to lay down on the ground as if they were sleeping.
“’sleep, sleep’ they shout us“
In this position the men were each struck several times with batons and wooden branches by the officers. While the officers were beating the people-on-the-move they were shouting at them: “Go to Bosnia! No come back Croatia”
They had to walk back more than 10 hours until they reached Velika Kladusa.