Common report of Centre for Peace Studies and PRO ASYL on systematic human rights violations at Croatian borders.

This report provides an overview of the unlawful and illegal practices of Croatian authorities in the past six years, especially during 2020 and 2021, as well as the alleged change of the pushback practice in 2022. Furthermore, this report describes the brutal conduct of "men in black", police officers in unmarked black uniforms and balaclavas on their heads, reported by numerous victims in the past several years. Centre for Peace Studies, PRO ASYL, Dutch Council for Refugees and European Centre for Constitutional and Human Rights provide support for one such case in the form of legal representation of the victims by lawyer Lidija Horvat. This particular case embodies many of the brutalities and human rights violations faced by refugees and other victims in Croatia: from extremely violent pushbacks and torture, to attacks by “men in black” and finally an ineffective pre-investigation that has been ongoing for almost two years, being far from prompt.

With the end of 2022 and the approaching Schengen accession for Croatia, fear rises that illegal and violent practices will intensify again.