Refuges trying to reach western Europe for asylum have 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.
In one of the instances, 4 Afghan refugees, aged between 16 to 24 had crossed the border only to be detained by Croatian police. They were transported to an unknown location in Croatia and handed over to 10-armed people, dressed in black with their faces fully covered with balaclavas. The Afghans were then forced to strip down, their belongings set on fire and were sexually assaulted.
Speaking on the occasion, the Secretary-General of DRC – Charlotte Slente, said, “We need to see action to put a stop to the systematic use of violence. Treating human beings like this, inflicting severe pain and causing unnecessary suffering, irrespective of their migratory status, cannot and should not be accepted by any European country, or by any EU institution.”
She further added, “There is an urgent need to ensure that independent border monitoring mechanisms are in place to prevent these abuses, and to ensure that all reports of abuse are transparently and credibly investigated – and those responsible are held to account.”
Other refugees told DRC they were forced to strip and the Croatian police set their belongings on fire. They even alleged that Croatian official would immobilise them by standing on their neck.
One of the refugees from Balochistan said, “We lay next to each other, naked and beaten and the other four were ordered to lie on us, like when trees are stacked, so we lay motionless for 20 minutes.”
Another refuge said that Croatian Police told them that they don’t care whether they will return to Bosnia or their country, but they will not go to Croatia.
Border Violence Monitoring Network (BVMN), a network of NGOs in the Balkan regions, recently published an investigation on the basis of the findings of DRC. As per BVMN, 36 people were pushed back from Croatia, with extreme physical assaults in the Cetingrad area. Human rights groups have previously questioned Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, saying it was failing to respect its mandate to ensure the protection of human rights.
In June 2020, the Guardian, a leading British media house, revealed that European Union (E.U.) officials were accused of an outrageous cover-up for withholding evidence which proved Croatia’s failure in providing security to migrants. E-mail leaks showed E.U. officials were fearful of full disclosure of Croatia’s lack of commitment to a monitoring mechanism that E.U. ministers had agreed to fund.
It is to be noted that in September 2020, the E.U. launched, “EU’s Pact on Migration & Asylum” across the bloc to manage migration and resolve the years of bitterness and provide a safe home to refugees coming from Middle East and Africa. The German-backed pact requires all 27 E.U. countries to take part. The most critical element would de facto oblige each state to host some refugees, something which Poland and Hungary have always refused. Member States would have to either take in refugees or take responsibility of sending back those refused asylum.
