The respondent is a man from Syria. He was part of a transit group that included 12 Syrian individuals – 2 of which were women, and 5 of which were minors ranging from breastfeeding age (under 2 years old) to a 12-year-old child. The transit group was apprehended and forcefully pushed back by Croatian police at 11 pm on October 25th, 2024, in the forest (“jungle”) between Stara Subocka, Bročice, and Jasenovac, Croatia. 

The respondent reported that, once they were in Croatia, they were apprehended by Croatian officers in the ‘jungle’. It was late and dark (around 11pm), the respondent explained, so he was not able to properly spot, nor did he remember, any specific identifying features pertaining to the police’s uniforms or their cars. The respondent did report, however, that the police had special glasses that enabled them to see in the dark, and that there were 6 officers, all men, with one car. “We didn’t hear the police coming”, the respondent noted. 

The respondent reported that the “police told us to sit down. They took our backpacks and checked our pockets. They took everything – food and backpacks – and broke all the phones.” The police then proceeded to kick them and beat them with batons, repeatedly saying “Go Bosnia, go Bosnia”. At one point, the police asked them, “Who is the smuggler?”, to which the group just replied, “No, no”. The respondent also reported that the police screamed at the women and the children: though there was no physical violence perpetrated against them, the women and minors were present and witnesses to the violence that took place against the rest of the transit group.

Once this was over, the police drove the transit group to a place close to the river, where they had no choice but to cross back into Bosnia. It was a small river, the respondent explained, so the group were able to walk across it. At 4am, they were back in Bosnia.