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"They put metal sticks far inside my nostrils, turned and extendem them harshly."

Date & Time 2022-08-12
Location Close to the village Pivare and the river Sava, Croatia
Reported by No Name Kitchen
Coordinates 45.19049029, 17.27785869
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Bosnia
Taken to a police station no
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age 30 - 30
Group size 4
Countries of origin Morocco
Treatment at police station or other place of detention
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 4
Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), kicking, pushing people to the ground, threatening with guns, forcing to undress, theft of personal belongings, entering nostrils with metal and injuring from the inside
Police involved 4 croatian police officers who had guns and batons with them, 2 cars that were described as of light color, similar to the model "Berlingo".

The pushback took place in the night from the 7th to the 8th December at about 2 am.The people were returned from Croatia to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The respondent was a 30 year-old man from Afghanistan. He was part of a transit group, that consisted of three other people from Morocco, four people in total. The respondent could not remember their age or gender.

Close to the village Pivare in Croatia and close to the river Sava, just after the river makes a strong bend, the transit group met four people, who the referred to as “Croatian police”. The respondent described, that the four men were dressed in uniforms, wearing buns and batons, and speaking Croatian to each other. He could not remember details of the uniform. The officers had two cars with them, which the respondent referred to as of a light color, and of a similar type like the model “Berlingo”.

Reportedly, the officers started to beat the respondent for around 20 minutes. They used their firsts to punch into his belly, their feet to kick his legs and knees, until he was laying on the ground. There they went on beating him with their fists and batons, and kicking him at different body parts like his legs, thorax and belly. Further on, they also knuckled his throat, the respondent reported. Afterwards as the respondent described, one of the officers was fixing his head, and another one was entering his nostrils with two long peaces of metal far inside, turned and extended them harshly, and pulled them out rapidly. This caused the respondent an enormous pain. The respondent did not remember for how long this procedure took. Reportedly further, an officer put his gun onto the forehead of the respondent for several seconds. Then he started to beat his nose from the outside hardly with the gun, until the respondent noticed that his bone was breaking.

Afterwards, the respondent explained that the officers commanded him to take of his jacket, shoes, socks and pants, and to hand it over to them.

Moreover he reported, that the officers commanded him to give out his mobile phone, power bank, and his money, 400€, which they took from him.

Further on, they kicked him a last time harshly with their feet into his belly, saying “Go!” As being told,  the respondent went back to Bosnia, barefoot trough this cold night.

At the moment of the interview, the broken nose was still causing the respondent a lot of pain. He was as well still suffering from pain in his torso and legs, caused by the punches and kicks from the officers.