Croatia Dismisses Allegations of Migrant Abuse on Border
Undocumented migrant in Croatia, 2024. X/ @InfoMigrants_fr
October 11, 2024 Hour: 5:00 am
Human rights defenders claimed that Croatian border police burned asylum seekers’ belongings.
On Thursday, Croatia’s Interior Ministry dismissed allegations of migrant mistreatment on the Croatian-Bosnian border, stressing that the claims by the British newspaper the Guardian remain unverified.
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The ministry emphasized that investigations revealed no evidence of the reported incidents. It added that the Independent Oversight Mechanism, which monitors police conduct, has not received any related reports.
Croatia is the first European Union (EU) member state to introduce an independent oversight mechanism for monitoring police actions, the ministry noted, adding that the mechanism, established in cooperation with the European Commission, is designed to ensure transparency in police operations and serves as a model for other EU countries in handling migrant-related issues.
Croatia’s approach underscores its commitment to lawful and transparent policing at the EU’s external borders, the ministry said.
The Interior Ministry also reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy for any illegal behavior by police officers, noting that all reports of potential migrant abuse are thoroughly investigated according to the law. The ministry condemned any form of abuse and urged anyone with additional information about the alleged incidents to come forward for further investigation.
On Thursday, The Guardian published an article reporting allegations from the humanitarian organization No Name Kitchen (NNK), which claimed that Croatian border police burned asylum seekers’ belongings, including clothing, mobile phones, and passports, before forcibly pushing them back into Bosnia and Herzegovina.
NNK identified eight locations where personal belongings were allegedly burned, raising concerns that evidence of potential abuse might have been destroyed. These pushbacks violate international law, which requires that asylum seekers be given the opportunity once they cross a country’s borders.
Croatia is located on the route taken by many migrants from the Middle East and Central Asia who are trying to reach EU states.
teleSUR/ JF Source: Xinhua