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The men were kept almost 24 hours in a cell, without getting any water or food

Date & Time 2017-06-11
Location Near Tovarnik, Croatia
Reported by Rigardu
Coordinates 45.149431, 19.163021
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Serbia
Taken to a police station yes
Minors involved yes
WLTI* involved no
Men involved no
Age 13 - 23
Group size 12
Countries of origin Afghanistan, Bangladesh
Treatment at police station or other place of detention detention, personal information taken, denial of food/water
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 29
Violence used theft of personal belongings
Police involved catchment: about 20 Croatian male police in blue uniforms, police station: several Croatian police, deportation: 8-9 Croatian police, 2 in blue uniforms and others in civil

A group of 12 people walked from Šid, Serbia across the Serbian-Croatian border, towards Zagreb. They walked for three days and then continued by car for two hours. They were caught by several (about 20) police officers in blue uniforms consistent with that of Croatian police, in the area around Zagreb, Croatia, on November 6th at about 8pm. The group of people were asked to come out of the car, and the car drove away. They were transported to a police station in Zagreb, the journey took about 30 minutes.

They asked for asylum, and the police collected their personal details but didn’t take any photos or fingerprints. The interviewee showed them his card from Principa camp. Afterwards the men were kept almost 24 hours in a cell, without getting any water or food. On Tuesday evening two police officers came to transport them, in what they described as a big police van, to a pushback spot at the border between Tovarnik, Croatia, and Šid, Serbia, next to the train rails, where they arrived at about 7pm. 8-9 officials described as border police officers were waiting for them at the border. The police searched their bodies and belongings, and confiscated several phones and chargers. The men once again asked for asylum, but the police denied it. The men were ordered to “go back to Serbia“ from there, and so the men walked back to Šid, Serbia.