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The officer said: "you will run, I will shoot you!"

Date & Time 2021-06-05
Location Close to Bihac, Bosnia Herzegovina
Reported by Anonymous Partner
Coordinates 44.81496596, 15.86740086
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Bosnia
Taken to a police station no
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age 18 - 24
Group size 27
Countries of origin Afghanistan, Pakistan
Treatment at police station or other place of detention
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 5
Violence used threatening with guns, destruction of personal belongings, theft of personal belongings, reckless driving
Police involved 3 officers in green uniforms and ski masks with fire arms resembling those used by the Croatian army, 2 dogs; 2 men in blue uniform, 1 white van

The respondent described how on the 6th of May 2021, he and the group he was travelling with were sitting in a forest in the mountains close to road one in Croatia. They were a group of seven friends ranging from 18 to 24 years old from Pakistan and Afghanistan. The had planned to cross the road in the dark and so they decided to wait in the woods until 21:00. At around three or four in the afternoon, three men in green uniforms, masks and carrying fire arms (similar to the ones the Croatian military police carry) accompanied by two dogs, approached the group and apprehended them.

The respondent recalled how the uniformed men told the group: “You will run, I will shoot”.

The entire group, including the respondent, had to sit on the ground and wait while the men in uniform reportedly called additional authorities. After what the respondent described as around one hour (4 to 5 pm), a white van arrived at the location of apprehension. Two officers in blue uniforms reportedly got out of the van and instructed the group to get in the van. Inside there was a group of around 20 people, that had been apprehended earlier. In total they were about  27 people in the van, the respondent recalled.

“Police van is very bad, because all people they are vomiting.”

The respondent reported the drive lasted for about two or three hours, and the air inside the van was very bad as the driving of the uniformed men caused some people to vomit. The van arrived at the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) border between six and eight o’clock in the evening (estimated location: close to the city of Bihac).

The personal belongings of all the people were reportedly taken by the men in uniform and burnt on the spot in front of the group. This included power-banks, backpacks, phones, shoes, sleeping-bags and money. The respondent then described how everybody had to get in line as the officers pointed in the direction of the Bosnian side of the border and said “Go Bihac, Bosnia!”. The respondent recalled how he and his friends walked for five hours until they reached Lipa camp, close to the city of Bihac.