The Zagreb-based Center for Peace Studies and the Welcome! group on Thursday published a report detailing Croatian border police's violent pushbacks of migrants on the Bosnian border, saying that "Croatia's political leadership and the Ministry of the Interior had used the fear of the coronavirus pandemic and media's focus on the pandemic to cover up pushbacks."

Croatian police authorities regularly dismiss allegations of organized violence against migrants crossing into the country, claiming that they investigate such reports “when there is evidence” to substantiate them. Meanwhile, local NGOs and human rights groups say that over the last two years there has been “more evidence than ever of systematic, violent, and unlawful expulsions.”

Croatia is on the so-called Balkan route which has been used for several years now by migrants, mainly from the Middle East, to travel towards western European countries. Traveling mostly on foot, they go from Turkey and Greece via Albania or Serbia into Bosnia, where they hope to cross into Croatia to reach Slovenia and further south to wealthier European countries such as Germany or Sweden.

“These days, when we are all appalled by the conflict and violence in Ukraine, we express our solidarity with all civilians whose lives and security are at risk, and we demand peace. This serves as a yet another reminder of how important it is to build peace and provide safety to everyone affected by war. We all have the right to security and the right to life,” said Sara Kekus of the Centre for Peace Studies in Zagreb.

Although EU rules say that every person crossing the border illegally should be given the opportunity to seek asylum, there have been dozens of reports of illegal pushbacks, i.e. cases of Croatian border police catching illegal migrants and simply forcing them to go back into Bosnia, sometimes using physical violence.

“International protection is not only a moral, but also a legal obligation of Croatia. Just as we have human rights, we all have the right to protection, regardless of our skin color, or ethnic, or any other kind of background – because it saves lives,” the NGO said.

Human rights activists also said that the past two years “have showed the need to establish an independent and efficient way to supervise police conduct.” Their report, presented on Thursday, was accompanied by a request signed by 16 European NGO networks and civil society organizations demanding an end to expulsions of migrants.

In response to these allegations, the Ministry of the Interior has on several occasions said that “the unlawful use of force by border police is not allowed,” and countered by reminding the public that there have also been many cases in which border police had to rescue migrants.

Groups of migrants, which often involve families with children, occasionally get stranded or injured while traversing the rugged and mountainous border area between Bosnia and Croatia.