ZAGREB, Oct 23, 2020 – European Commissioner for Home Affairs Ylva Johansson plans to send a letter to Croatia’s Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic to ask that allegations of pushbacks of migrants by Croatian police be investigated.
The intention is to send a letter to Croatia’s interior minister with a question related to the latest report and incidents and to call on Croatian authorities to continue with the implementation of the independent surveillance mechanism that Croatia established with financial support from the European Commission, European Commission spokesman Adalbert Jahnz said on Friday.
Jahnz reiterated Johansson’s announcement that she would speak in detail about that issue with Croatia’s authorities.
Commissioner Johansson tweeted on Thursday, reacting to a recent report by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) about brutal police conduct on the Bosnia-Croatian border between 12 and 16 October.
“I am taking these reports very seriously. I am planning a thorough debate with Croatian authorities about these and other reports on violations of fundamental rights. I will also discuss the further development of the surveillance mechanism that Croatia established with the Commission’s financial assistance. Croatia’s authorities committed to investigate reports of inhumane treatment on its borders. We will carefully monitor the situation and report to the commission of progress,” Johansson wrote.
Croatia’s Interior Ministry on Wednesday dismissed the latest allegations of violence against migrants after The Guardian, citing the DRC, said that Croatian police beat and robbed migrants and mentioned a case of sexual abuse.
The Interior Ministry said that this was not the first time The Guardian and that particular reporter have written about the alleged conduct of the Croatian police, “accusing them of various types of inhumane treatment of persons who illegally crossed the border, without providing any facts or evidence, or even basic information” that could be verified.
