A Ministry of the Interior disciplinary panel in the eastern city of Osijek has made a decision in a case of three riot police officers involved in violence against migrants on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina, which led to their suspension in early October, giving them conditional employment contract termination.

The conditional termination of an employment contract means that the police were given a time frame during which they must not commit any other breach of work discipline, but the panel’s decision is still not final as all parties to the proceedings have the right to appeal to a second-instance panel.

The three police officers are still not allowed to return to work because in early October, when the case was made public, they were suspended pending the completion of disciplinary proceedings.

They were suspended on 8 October and disciplinary proceedings were launched against them after media outlets published footage showing men wearing balaclavas and parts of police uniforms beating migrants on the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Police director Nikola Milina said at the time that the police officers had been suspended and were facing disciplinary proceedings, after a task force determined that the footage showed members of riot police.

Milina described their conduct as a case of more severe misconduct causing serious harm to police reputation. It was determined that the three policemen were recorded while on duty and it is yet to be established why they were not wearing the prescribed uniforms, Milina said at the time.

An investigation in the case has been under way.