How The Croatian Police Treats Refugees

The Balkan route is still dangerous for refugees trying to reach the center of Europe. As this report reveals, the Croatian police is regularly abusing refugees who enter the country through 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?”, a refugee told the Guardian.

Remarkably, the police mostly treats male refugees in such a way. Last year, there were fewer than 1,000 migrant arrivals to Bosnia, but this year the country has seen at least 9,000. 

“They beat the men but not the women. But when I started shouting to give me my phone back, they hit me on the back of the head as well. The Croatian police are mafia, there are no other words for it. They were laughing, and shouting at us to go home", Azam, an Afghan refugee, said. 

Croatia’s border with Bosnia stretches for several hundred miles and is porous. However, getting across the border is just the start of the game.