Bosnian-Croatian border: Police suspended after pushbacks

An ARD film shows migrants being beaten back on the border with Bosnia – by Croatian police officers. That is now confirmed. Three have now been suspended from duty. It is doubted that they should have acted on their own initiative.

The Croatian police said they had identified three police officers who were involved in the violent repulsion of migrants on the border with Bosnia and who were filmed in the process. Police chief Nikola Molina said at a press conference in Zagreb that they were officers of the intervention police who were on duty.

The men “acted individually and there was no order to do so”. If there had ever been such an instruction, the police would have had to report it because it was a criminal offense, Molina said.

They would be removed from service because they had “damaged the reputation of the police”. That on that of the ARD and a video filmed by a media partner, four men can be seen, was not an issue at the press conference.

Green MP sees “white lie”

However, there are doubts about the portrayal of an act by individuals: “The pushbacks are certainly not an isolated case,” said Green MEP Erik Marquardt. The Croatian Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic was responsible for the violence against those seeking protection. “The previous white lie, namely that this violence is not organized by government agencies, has already been refuted by the research. One can only hope that Croatia’s government will be held accountable for these crimes.”

Croatian authorities evaluated videos

Interior Minister Bozinovic had previously admitted that Croatian police officers used violence against refugees. According to the video footage, the Croatian authorities formed a team of experts to investigate the allegations, said Bozinovic. “As far as I know, they found out that they were police officers,” he said, according to Croatian media reports. So far, he does not want to take responsibility for this. He spoke of the unacceptable behavior of individual police officers.

Greece wants to initiate an investigation

In addition to Croatia, Greece has also promised to provide information on possible violent returns to the EU’s external border. “Every allegation” will be investigated by the Greek judiciary, said the Greek migration minister Notis Mitarachi at the meeting of EU interior ministers in Luxembourg.

Greek elite units are also said to be actively involved in illegal pushbacks. “Of course Greece will investigate the allegations,” said Mitarachi after a meeting with EU Interior Commissioner Ylva Johansson and Croatian Interior Minister Bozinovic. EU Interior Commissioner Johansson called some of the media reports “shocking” and put pressure on both countries to clarify.

Indications of misuse of EU funds

There is also “convincing evidence” of the misuse of EU funds, as the operations of border guards at the EU’s external borders are partly financed from Brussels, said Johansson. This must also be investigated, demanded the interior commissioner.

Croatia and Greece are on the Balkan route, which is used by migrants fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Asia and Africa towards Western Europe. Migrants try to enter Croatia mainly from Bosnia and Herzegovina; they reach Greece by sea and land from Turkey.