At last, Croatian president accepts police use violence to push back migrants

Agency report

After months of official denials, Croatia’s president has admitted that the country’s police are involved in the violent push-backs of migrants and asylum seekers apprehended inside the country.

According to reports monitored by Daily Times, the best chance for thousands of refugees stuck in Bosnia is to cross its border with Croatia to make it to the European Union.

For the past year there has been repeated evidence of police using force against those who have made it across the border and then dumping them back in Bosnia.

In an interview with Swiss television, President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović who stunned the public with her beautiful appearance during the Russia-hosted World cup, appeared to admit the push-backs were taking place.

She denied they were illegal and also admitted that police used force when doing so.

“I have spoken with the interior minister, the chief of police, and officers on the ground and they assured me they have not been using excessive force,” said Grabar-Kitarović, according to reports of the interview.

“Of course, a little bit of force is needed when doing push-backs,” she was quoted to have said.

Human Rights Watch called on the government to stop the process as pushing people back across the border is illegal under international law.

“The denial of Croatia’s abusive border policies by Zagreb and EU institutions is no longer tenable,” said Lydia Gall, a senior researcher for Balkans and the Eastern EU at Human Rights Watch.

“Hundreds, if not thousands, of migrants and asylum seekers have been ill-treated by Croatian border officials and deserve redress and justice.”

Last year in the Bosnian border towns of Velika Kladuša and Bihać the Guardian spoke to dozens of men who said they had been subjected to violence at the hands of Croatian police.

Often they were apprehended deep inside Croatian territory and driven back to the border. Women and children generally said they had not been physically assaulted, though there were some exceptions.

Many said police had destroyed their telephones and stoleb money before driving them back to the Bosnia-Croatia border and dumping them on the other side.