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They confiscated his money and phone, took his jacket, blanket and backpack and set it all on fire

Date & Time 2017-10-19
Location Apševci, Croatia
Reported by Rigardu
Coordinates 45.060242, 19.087319
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Serbia
Taken to a police station unknown
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved no
Age unknown
Group size 4
Countries of origin Afghanistan
Treatment at police station or other place of detention
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 5
Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), threatening with guns, gunshots, destruction of personal belongings, theft of personal belongings
Police involved 5 male police without uniforms with small civil

4 men walked from Sid, Serbia, across the Serbian-Croatian border to the Croatian side, and were caught by 5 male police officers, without uniforms in a small civilian car, on Thursday October 19th. around 1am, and at about 10km. from the border. The police shouted “stop”, and two of them raised their guns, another of the police officers shot once, hitting near his feet. The interviewee stopped and kneeled down, while 3 other people ran away.

The interviewee said “I’m a refugee, don’t shoot me, I’m from Afghanistan”, and showed them an Afghan certificate from his phone in the pocket of his jacket. The police showed their Croatian police license cards. The 2 police officers with guns kept their weapons raised and pointed towards him. The 3 other police officers searched his body and his belongings. They confiscated his money (200 euros) and phone, they took his jacket, blanket and backpack and set it all on fire with a lighter and broke his shoes with a knife. Afterwards they started to beat him. 2 police officers beat him and while another waited, then they shifted and the third officer beat him. The 2 officers with their guns raised, stayed in this position throughout the attack.

The police hit with palms, fists and sticks (long thin black with handrest), on the left side of his body and on his right cheek. On the next day he got bruises and pain in his left arm, bottom and thigh, and his left little finger, wrist and right cheek were hurt and swollen. He didn’t fight back, but tried to protect himself, and repeated his earlier words. The police put a tree branch in his mouth and to fix it they rolled his jumper around his head. They shouted “don’t speak, go back to Serbia”. After a while the man fled in bare feet and walked across the border to Sid, Serbia.