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Documented without consequences: refugees on the Bosnian-Croatian border are still exposed to massive violence.
There is also a brutal rejection of immigrants at the EU external border between Bosnia and Croatia. Only the Croatian police are responsible after Frontex’s withdrawal in 2019. Freelance journalist Franziska Grillmeier is investigating on the spot.
SRF News: You are on the border between Bosnia and Croatia. What can you say about the situation?
Franziska Grillmeier: I am in the north of Bosnia-Herzegovina in a small border town with three inhabited houses. A relatively large number of Afghan families have found refuge here in old barracks and dilapidated houses. They try to get from Bosnia-Herzegovina to Croatia almost every day in very cold conditions and in the most difficult conditions. Most of the time, and often with violence, they are turned away by the Croatian border police.
The Croatian border police reject the majority of the refugees, and often also by force.
You talk about violence, how is it?
Many families that I have spoken to go directly to the border guards and ask for asylum because some of them have small children with them. Many no longer have the strength to return to the days of March. They report that the border police are firing on the ground. Mobile phones would be removed and cameras drilled to prevent the situation at the scene from being documented. There is talk of torn handkerchiefs and insults.
Legend:
Winter in the Lipa refugee camp near the city of Bihac on January 15, 2021. Temperatures below 15 degrees Celsius are a problem for people.
imago images
All of this has been going on for years, but now with the thaw, more and more people are trying to cross the border again. The border guards are reacting again with much more violence, according to witnesses with metal bars. In fact, you occasionally see injured people walking along the side of the road in the middle of the night.
Has the situation worsened since Frontex left in 2019?
Many human rights organizations have been pointing out for years that there are an increasing number of illegal returns. Last year it should have been 25,000. According to the Danish Council for Refugees, 800 children under the age of six were among them.
Legend:
Camp Lipa on January 15, 2021. The supply situation is extremely precarious. Freezing temperatures also make it difficult to supply water.
imago images
What has gotten worse: Despite serious documented human rights violations, no action is taken at the political level. People are denied the right to seek asylum.
Despite the serious documented human rights violations, no action is taken at the political level.
How to explain that, despite the documentation, nothing happens, from the EU for example?
It is very often accepted that Croatia sees itself as the shield of Europe and wants to maintain border protection at all costs. The country also promises access to the Schengen area, as the Interior Ministry often hears. Violence is also increasingly accepted. There is no trace of the external group, which is supposed to introduce control mechanisms with 300,000 euros from the EU. There is still no law on the border.
Legend:
Aerial view of the Lipa refugee camp near the city of Bihac on January 13, 2021. Currently about 900 people are in the camp.
imago images
In your opinion, what is most urgently needed?
People are exposed to extremely difficult conditions. In addition, there was a fire in December that left refugees and migrants homeless in Camp Lipa near the city of Bihac and displaced thousands. Steps must now be taken so that people can be safe. This is a manageable number out of a total of 8000 people in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 2000 of whom endure in the worst conditions. That is what we must focus on again, in accordance with the rule of law and the Geneva Convention on Refugees.
Interview by Nicoletta Cimmino.
Legend:
The director of Frontex, Fabrice Leggeri, rejects all the accusations.
Keystone / Files
