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I ran so fast, I was scared, but then I fell and they hit and hit

Date & Time 2018-11-19
Location Slunjčica, Croatia
Reported by Balkan Info Van
Coordinates 45.08445012, 15.59026796
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Bosnia
Taken to a police station unknown
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age 32 - 42
Group size 3
Countries of origin Tunisia
Treatment at police station or other place of detention
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 10
Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), kicking, destruction of personal belongings, theft of personal belongings, reckless driving
Police involved 10 Croatian officers (7 of them with yellow square on shoulder, 3 with two yellow squares on shoulder), 1 police van

The group of three men left from a place near Velika Kladuša by foot at 8.30 pm on November 17, 2018. At around 5 am on November 19, they decided to walk towards Slunj (HRV) on road D1. Four kilometers away from Slunj a white Ford police van with one blue stripe stopped and the officers checked the men. They confiscated their three phones, chargers, power banks, €400, a razor machine and lighters. It were about eight officers, seven males and one female. Six of them were officers of an intervention group, recognizable by the emblem of a yellow square on their shoulders. Two of them were leaders of intervention group, recognizable by the emblem of two yellow squares on their shoulders. All were equipped with pistols and pepper spray. After about 30 minutes, a second van arrived with two officers. It looked like the other van but was a Volkswagen.

“There is no windows in the back, also no seats, nothing.”

One of the officers was about 170 cm tall with black hair, white skin, wearing navy blue uniform with two yellow squares attached to it. They suppose he was also a leader of the intervention group. The second officer wore the same uniform but with only one yellow square, was around 185 cm tall with white skin, blond hair and green eyes.

The group of three had to enter the back of the van and the driver drove them very fast and initiated several emergency braking maneuvers. As the van arrived near a forest of Buhača (HRV), the men were commanded to step outside and faced six officers in navy blue uniforms. The officers told them to grab their bags and walk a bit further. But as the group followed this command one of them got threaten with a baton. So another one began to run, fell down, and was immediately beaten with batons.

“I ran so fast, I was scared, but then I fell and they hit and hit.”

Another one was kicked in the hollow of his knee by an officer and stumbled. While they were escaping, they saw one of the officers putting the bag with all their phones inside on a stone and destroying them with his baton. Afterwards he took out all phones and threw them after the running men.

After the officers had left, the three of them returned to the spot to take their mobile phones. All electronic devices were destroyed and all money was stolen.