The Members of European Parliament (MEP) were stopped by the Croatian Police from accessing an area on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, amid concerns of ill treatment of refugees in the region.
All the 4 MEPs were from Italy’s Democratic Party (PD). Dozens of threateningly armed policemen formed a human barrier preventing them from passing the border.
Describing the incident as shocking, the Secretary of PD – Nicola Zingaretti called on the European Union (E.U.) to take action.
Taking it to twitter, Nicola tweeted (translated from Italian), “It is very serious that Croatian police have blocked a mission of Pd MEPs to Bosnia to inspect refugee camps. There is an intolerable situation that must be resolved, the Government and the EU take action.” Original tweet in Italian:
Gravissimo che polizia croata abbia bloccato missione degli eurodeputati Pd verso la Bosnia per ispezionare campi profughi. C’è una situazione intollerabile che va risolta, Governo e Ue si attivino #RottaBalcanica
— Nicola Zingaretti (@nzingaretti) January 30, 2021
The MEPs were later able to cross into Bosnia and Herzegovina and made their way to Bihac, a town on the country’s border with Croatia. They visited the former site of the Lipa refugee camp. The migrants had set the camp in North-West Bosnia and Herzegovina on fire after the authorities closed the camps for renovation.
There are concerns of growing refugee crisis in Bosnia, with many reporting respiratory problems as they lack proper shelter and access to basic sanitation and healthcare. Refugees and aid agencies have repeatedly accused Croatian police of using violence to push people back over the border into Bosnia, which is not part of the E.U.
The President of European Parliament – David Sassoli said he was astonished by the treatment of the MEPs.
David tweeted,
Astonished that members of the @Europarl_EN have been prevented from reaching the border between Croatia and Bosnia.
— David Sassoli (@EP_President) January 30, 2021
We always hope for friendly cooperation. We call for their requests to be met.
Earlier, refuges trying to reach western Europe for asylum alleged been whipped, robbed, beaten and, in one case, sexually abused by the Croatian authorities. Danish Refugee Council (DRC), a not-for-profit organisation, has documented a series of brutal pushbacks on the Bosnia-Croatian border. It has also recorded statements of more than 70 refugees at Miral Camp in Western Bosnia. The Bosnia-Croatia border is very popular amongst refugees and migrants who attempt to reach Western Europe. That’s why, Croatian authorities have always been strict towards letting the refugees cross the border. The victims include refugees from Afghanistan, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Morocco. According to their statements, the Croatian authorities dealt with them using metal batons, wooden sticks, belts, their own fists and kicked them with their boots.
