The ECHR reported on Thursday that the investigation into the death of a six-year-old Afghan child who was hit by a train had been ineffective and ruled that Croatia pay her family compensation of €40,000 and €16,700 in court costs.
“This is an embarrassment not just for the Interior Ministry (MUP) and police but for Croatia, for our citizens and in particular for the government. We expect Prime Minister Plenković to urgently replace those responsible for the death of a child on our border due to the conduct of institutions that we citizens finance,” Sara Kekuš from CMS NGO said.
“Apart from the urgent identification and punishment of those directly involved, we call for the urgent replacement of Police Director Nikola Milina in the line of command and the head of the border police Zoran Ničeno,” Kekuš underscored.
Due to political responsibility, the NGOs are also calling on the Prime Minister to dismiss Minister Božinoivć and state secretary Terezija Gras for their involvement in pressurising defenders of human rights and blocking international independent investigations.
The ECHR is the final instance for human rights protection and it said that the Hosseini family sought justice in Croatia and that it was rejected by Croatian institutions.
“Criminal charges were dismissed because the State Prosecutor’s office placed its trust in the Interior Ministry instead of investigating the evidence and testimonies by the victims and witnesses. At the same time thermal-vision recordings that were key evidence that the police possessed, mysteriously went missing,” said Kekuš.
She warned that the Constitutional Court recognised the violation of the right to asylum and exposure to the risk of torture and inhumane behaviour but it failed to identify the violations that were confirmed by yesterday’s judgement.
“The court’s (ECHR) ruling proves that the interior ministry lied when it claimed that the police did not cause Madine’s death,” added Kekuš.
She added that Minister Božinović and the ministry “tried to intimidate the NGOs members, claiming that they were assisting refugees to illegally cross the border.”
At the same time, the interior ministry hampered access by Madine’s family to their lawyer Sanja Bezbradica Jelavić.
Are You Syrious volunteers intimidated and prosecuted
Tajana Tadić from the Are You Syrious NGO underscored that this ruling must not remain only on Croatia compensating Madine’s family with €40,000.
The ruling also noted that the NGO’s volunteers had been intimidated and prosecuted because they tried to support the Hosseini family and other migrants.
“For the sake of the victims on our borders, for the people who died there, and for all the activists who are being intimidated so they stay silent, it is time for all those who enable that violence to continue and try to cover it up, to be brought to justice and that responsibility needs to be looked for at the very top of MUP,” said Tadić.
