The lucky ones escaped with only their mobile phones smashed. Those less fortunate say they were beaten with sticks, taunted or attacked with dogs. Many allege they had large sums of money stolen.
According to the testimony of migrants and monitoring groups, the Croatian police force is engaging in a systematic campaign of violence and theft against migrants and refugees attempting to find a route to western Europethrough the country.
The Guardian spoke to dozens of men in the Bosnian border towns of Velika Kladuša and Bihać, who said they had been subjected to violence at the hands of Croatian police after crossing into the country. Most women interviewed said they had not been targeted, but had witnessed attacks on men in their groups, although a minority of women said they had been beaten or strip-searched.
Many people had mobile phones with mangled charger sockets and cracked screens, damage caused by the Croatian police, they said. Others said police had stolen their phones and large sums of money. In all cases, Croatian police drove people back to the border in the night and pushed them back to Bosnia.
“Ten days ago they took all our money,” said Chouaïb, 30, from Algeria, who like others gave only his first name. “More than €1,000. They ripped up my passport, and then started beating us with batons. You risk your life in the hills. You don’t sleep. Maybe you die. OK, the police catch you and send you back, that would be normal. But why do they beat us? Why do they humiliate us?”
For more read the full of article at The Guardian
