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3 of the police officers beat all three men with sticks

Date & Time 2017-10-17
Location Zagreb, Croatia
Reported by Rigardu
Coordinates 45.146975, 19.165006
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Serbia
Taken to a police station yes
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved no
Age unknown
Group size 3
Countries of origin Algeria
Treatment at police station or other place of detention fingerprints taken, photos taken, personal information taken
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 6
Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), theft of personal belongings
Police involved 6 male policemen involved in the illegal and violent push back, 3 of them used physical violence

3 men walked from Sid, Serbia, across the border to the Croatian side and continued by train to Zagreb on October 16th. In Zagreb city, at about 3pm. they were caught by 6 police officers (4 male and 2 female in uniforms). The men expressed their intention to seek asylum, so the police called the police centre of Zagreb near the place, and they walked there. Five male and two female police officers did the registration of asylum procedures for them. They collected their identity details (name, nationality, date of birth) and took pictures and fingerprints. In addition, the baggage and other belongings was searched and confiscated. Only some of the stuff was given back afterwards, and memory and sim cards were taken from one of their phones.

The men were asked to wait in a cell for about 20 minutes, after which the police declared that they would be transported to the asylum centre, in order to proceed with the asylum application. No papers were given to the men.  At about 6pm. the men were taken into a big police van, driven by two male police officers. Four other police officers followed them in two small police cars (all in uniforms). Instead of going to the asylum centre, the men were transported back to the Serbian-Croatian border between Tovarnik Croatia and Sid Serbia, near the train rails, to be deported on the 17th. at about at 1-2am. For About 10 minutes, 3 of the police officers beat all three men with sticks (long thin black with a handrest), hitting them on all parts of their bodies. Next the men were forced to go to the Serbian side, and they walked back to Sid.