Eighteen migrants were injured while trying to reach the European Union across Bosnia's border with Croatia, local media and police said on Wednesday. The case has been put under the jurisdiction of the state prosecutor.
Over the past year, many migrants trying to cross into the EU through unofficial border crossings between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina have reported brutal treatment by Croatian border police. In a recent TV interview, the Croatian president admitted border guards were forcing migrants back over the border. InfoMigrants takes a look at the situation.
Dragan Lukac, Interior Minister of the Serbian-majority part of Bosnia and Herzegovina (also known as Republika Srpska) said that he would not allow for migrant reception centers to be set up in his territory after growing calls to redistribute migrants within Bosnia.
A person claiming to be a Croatian policeman has sent an anonymous letter claiming that they receive orders to confiscate migrants' money and destroy their cell phones.
Croatia has consistently denied illegally deporting refugees to neighboring Bosnia-Herzegovina. But in a recent TV interview, the Croatian president admitted border guards were forcing migrants back over the border.
Italian authorities said the number of migrants who have entered Italy through the Balkan route has doubled in the last six months, compared to the same period in 2018.
Officials near Bosnia's border with Croatia feel abandoned by the federal government and the international community. With shelters bursting at the seams with people trapped in limbo, they're taking drastic measures.
Refugees and migrants attempting to make it to the European Union via Bosnia have been stuck in a bottleneck. The country's economy is weak, unemployment high, and the government is struggling to address the alleged pushbacks by Croatian police. Amidst simmering tensions, authorities ordered the establishment of a new refugee center in Vucjak.
Fresh accusations of migrant abuse have been made against Croatian police. A mountaineer has sent an open letter to the media describing abuses by the authorities against foreigners, to which he was an eyewitness during a weekend expedition on Mount Risnjak.
Hundreds of Bosnians took to the streets Sunday to protest against potential security and health risks posed by migrants sleeping rough in the western town of Bihac. While Bosnia was mostly spared from the migrant crisis of 2015, locals are not happy that they must care for migrants now.
Slovenian authorities have apprehended 39 migrants who were trying to cross the border with Croatia illegally, local police have said.
Slovenian authorities over the last few days have stopped dozens of undocumented migrants who were trying to cross the border from Croatia, police said. Most of the foreigners were Afghan citizens.