Croatian Interior Minister participated at a meeting of Interior Ministers in Luxembourg, after which he spoke to the media and commented on the recently released footage of violence committed against migrants on the Croatia-Bosnia border, which came as a result of a months-long investigation by reporters from several countries.

“The head of the police sent a team on the location shown in the videos as soon as he saw the footage. The team investigated the matter thoroughly and, as far as I know, it was confirmed that the people (involved in the beatings) were police officers. The issue will now undergo set procedure and I cannot tell when someone from the police will come out with more details,” Bozinovic said.

“This has got to be a case of individual transgression. I’m certain that the procedures will eventually give us the answers to questions we’re all asking,” he added.

“This is unacceptable”

Bozinovic strongly condemned the violence.

“If this is proven, I must say this behaviour is unacceptable, but I wouldn’t connect it solely to the issue of combating illegal migration. This is unacceptable by any police officer in any situation, be it on a stadium or any other possible police intervention,” he said.

It can happen in any police force in the world that individual police officers misuse their powers, he added. “If it happens here, sanctions will certainly follow.”

Speaking of illegal migrations, Bozinovic said that no country can shoulder this burdern alone.

Speaking of the released footage, he said that all existing regulations will be implemented in an effort to resolve the issue.

“Our authorities will do everything necessary, that involves taking testimonies from police officers. We will see what they will have to say,” Bozinovic said.

He also touched upon the issue of some countries in Croatia’s neighbourhood putting up physical barriers to stop the influx of refugees. “Croatia is most certainly not the one that supports the idea of putting up not just walls, but barbed wires as well,” he said.