Croatia forces asylum seekers back to Bosnia, violating EU law

Croatia is violating EU law by sending asylum seekers back to Bosnia, as seen in anonymous footage obtained by the Guardian.

The footage was filmed on hidden cameras between 29 September and 10 October and shows groups of migrants being pushed from Croatia into Bosnia by Croatian police. It shows at least 54 instances of migrants being shoved into groups, with a total of 368 migrants returned, as stated in the Guardian.

This all took place in the “green border”, a forested area between Croatia and Bosnia where there are no official crossing points. Croatian officials, however, said that the police were actually preventing the migrants from illegally entering Croatia, which is legal under Schengen law.

Yet András Léderer, information and advocacy officer for the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, told the Guardian that returning people across the green border without due procedure was “definitely not in accordance with the Schengen acquis”.

Migrants cross into Croatia almost daily, with hopes of reaching Slovenia, which is in the passport-free Schengen area.

Croatian ministers condemned the actions of the police, and there are ongoing investigations regarding physical abuse of migrants in Europe.

Author: Ana Hernandez