The respondent reported that a group of five people-on-the-move from Afghanistan crossed the border to Croatia on the 13th of September. They walked two nights and two/three days in Croatia; during these days it was raining the whole time.

“All night walking, from 6 p.m. walking, walking in the jungle, in the night. 3 a.m. we go to sleep, 7 a.m. we woke up, then again going to the jungle, walking. Two nights and two/three days walking, walking. And so much rain, so much rain.”

As the respondent reported, after three days the group had to go to a village because they needed food. They went to a shop to buy something. In the village the group met an old man with a dog. The respondent described that the man told them to go back, then he called someone with his phone and after the group walked a few meters back, an officer reportedly appeared. He was described as wearing police uniform pants, quite old, and in possession of a firearm.

The officer reportedly ordered the group to sit down. As the respondent explained, the clothes of everyone from the group were wet, so they did not want to sit down, because it would be very cold for them. The respondent told the officer that they are not terrorists and that they have a problem in their country.

“I said we are not terrorists, we have a problem in the country. If we have no problem in our country we have work, we have money, so why we come here for working. 8 countries we passed, we coming in the countries, walking. So much damage. So much countries passed, for what? For what we coming? We have a problem in our country. War in my country, terrorists.”

As the respondent reported the first officer called another officer; according to the respondent the second officer was a good man “because he not used bad words“. Then he reportedly called another officer who came with a big van. The group were told to go inside the van. The respondent said they were happy because they thought they could stay in Croatia, and they slept in the van. According to the respondent, when they woke up they were back in Bosnia.

“We are happy because police van is coming, I am sleeping in the van because two-three days no sleeping. And we coming in another side and then its border Bosnia.”

The respondent reported seeing 3 or 4 other police cars when they were driven to the border, but because of all the rain he could not see how many police officers were in the cars.

The respondent explained that the officer driving the van checked the phone of the respondent and brought the group to the place in Bosnia where they had started walking three days ago. 

After they were reportedly brought back across the border, the group walked 2 and a half hours to get to a place where they could rest and sleep.