The human rights group Peace Studies Centre (CMS) marked the International Migrants Day observed on December 18 by formally lodging a criminal report against unidentified border police officers for the violent treatment and push-back of migrants on Croatia's border with Bosnia.

The criminal report was prompted by video footage released by the international organisation Border Violence Monitoring (BVM) this week showing Croatian border police systematically expelling groups of incoming migrants back to Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In spite of the piling up of reports in recent months documenting police violence and push-backs, Croatia’s Interior Ministry keeps dismissing the claims of any wrongdoing.

“After numerous refugees’ testimonies and more than two years of warnings, the public now had the opportunity to see video footage of Croatian police behaviour on the border of Croatia and Bosnia. Apart from constituting concrete evidence to launch investigation proceedings, the video shows systematic collective expelling of people and excessive violence such as kicking, and they also point to use of improper use of duty weapons,” a member of CMS and the Welcome citizens’s group Sara Kekus, told reporters.

Civil rights groups insist that the state prosecutor should conduct an efficient investigation into the video. They also called for resignations from Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic, national chief of police Nikola Milina, and head of border police Zoran Niceno.

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