A Croatian TV channel showed police beating migrants with batons as they drove them into Bosnia
The RTL Potraga television channel aired a video of people in police uniforms and balaclavas beating illegal migrants, driving them out of Croatian territory into the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The incident allegedly occurred in the border area, near a tributary of the Korana River.
As a PolitNavigator correspondent reports, the video of the beating of migrants caused a certain resonance in Croatian society. The head of the border department, Zoran Niceno, confirmed that the police department formed a working group that “went out into the fields” in the border area with BiH near a tributary of the Korana River on the eve of the controversial video being broadcast. In turn, Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic said that an expert group had been formed to investigate the incident.
“I cannot give specific comments. Yesterday, having learned about this, the chief police chief appointed a group of experts, which today is already working on the ground, and its task is to determine what happened, who was involved in it, the minister said. – There are many questions. Regarding previous similar applications, including in foreign media, we responded to each of them, setting out our view of what may have happened.
I want to say, both then and today and in the future, that when it comes to any abuse of power, there is no place for it in the Croatian police. Whenever they have evidence, the Croatian police take action and punish their officers. However, this situation continues pursue us…. We have been facing an invasion of migrants for years, you know it yourself. The fact is that there is currently a debate in the EU about changing the law governing this issue, and we have pointed this out. We have a situation where the rules adopted in 1951 for refugees apply to migrants. Europe must find a sustainable solution because the Croatian police are protecting the border against illegal infiltrations every day and night.”
In turn, ex-Prime Minister of Croatia Jadranka Kosor called for the perpetrators to be punished.
“The scenes of refugees being beaten at the border are disturbing and disgusting, but also fearful because of the hatred that cannot be silenced. This must be answered,” the politician wrote on Twitter.
In turn, the European Commission today expressed concern about reports of forced expulsions of illegal migrants to BiH from Croatia and their beatings.
“The released videos and reports of forced deportations at external borders are deeply troubling. Violence and mistreatment of migrants, asylum seekers and refugees is unacceptable and must be investigated,” Commission spokesman Adalbert Janz said.
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