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His phone and jacket were put on fire in front of his eyes

Date & Time 2020-09-10
Location Border crossing Batrovci, Croatia
Reported by No Name Kitchen
Coordinates 45.04778374, 19.10339355
Pushback from Croatia
Pushback to Serbia
Taken to a police station no
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age 30 - 35
Group size 4
Countries of origin Afghanistan
Treatment at police station or other place of detention
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 2
Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), destruction of personal belongings
Police involved 2 Croation police officers wearing black masks

A group of four friends, including the respondent, crossed over from Serbia into Croatia on foot sometime during the second week of October. Together, they reached the second gas station on a forested stretch of the highway E70 after the city of Lipovac in Croatia, called Odmorište Spačva [coordinates 45.045220, 18.999356].

The gas station at Odmorište Spačva where the respondent described being apprehended by Croatian authorities

Three friends of the respondent were approached at this gas station while having a drink in Cafe 1 by the Croatian authorities. After this initial exchange, the respondent was the only one that managed to successfully run away from the officers and hide in the nearby forest. After running away from the authorities, the respondent stayed in hiding for three nights. On his fourth day, he described that two Croatian officers found him on the parking of the same gas station and put him in a police car. Shortly thereafter, they drove the man back towards the Batrovci border crossing.

When they arrived at the border, the officers asked the respondent to go out of the car. The respondent described that the officers wore black masks, and after he exited the vehicle, that they started fighting with the respondent while using a baton. The respondent described being hit by them, having his hair pulled and his phone as well as his jacket were put on fire in front of him. After the fight, the officers told him to run and cross the border towards Serbia.