BiH Border Police reported migrant incident to the BiH Prosecutor's Office, while Galić claims Fazlić and Mektić are making things up

By: A. Varatanović

Bihać Mayor Šuhret Fazlić confirmed to the media in early August that he had two encounters with armed Croatian border officers on BiH territory who were returning migrants attempting to cross the border with Croatia. He stated that he had informed all relevant institutions about this a year ago.

"It worries me that this has been going on for a year, but should we next time capture those police officers and thus prove that President Kolinda's statement that the migrants' injuries are from thorns and branches insults the intelligence of normal people. It also insults intelligence that our authorities are unaware of these border crossings, while the entire city knows," Fazlić said at the time.

Just a few days after the Bihać mayor's claim, members of the BiH Border Police found a group of illegal migrants in the area of Velika Kladuša, whom they transported to the local health center due to their injuries.

"Regarding the incident on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the area of Velika Kladuša, the BiH Prosecutor's Office has been informed," was the response from BiH Border Police spokesperson Sanela Dujković to media inquiries about the incident on the border with Croatia.

From the BiH Prosecutor's Office, at the end of August, in response to a query from the Patria News Agency about the entry of armed Croatian border officers into BiH territory, they replied:

"Regarding the aforementioned incident, which occurred on August 7, 2019, we can respond that the case is under review and checks are being conducted."

BiH Security Minister Dragan Mektić has also repeatedly spoken about the violation of BiH's territorial sovereignty by Croatian border police officers. Regardless of the claims of Mayor Fazlić, who, along with his fellow citizens, feels the migrant crisis most acutely, BiH Border Police Director Zoran Galić accused both Fazlić and Mektić of lying and basing their statements on migrants' claims.

At the same time, Galić states that only the BiH Border Police is responsible for determining border incidents. The question that arises is why the BiH Border Police reported the incident in Velika Kladuša to the BiH Prosecutor's Office on August 7 if, as Galić claims, there are no such cases.

"We have not yet identified a single incident with the Republic of Croatia. Everything else is fabrication with an attempt to unnecessarily raise tensions," Galić said.

It is concerning that the head of the BiH Border Police is protecting Croatia's interests, while the BiH Prosecutor's Office still has no final stance on whether the incident reported by the BiH Border Police actually occurred.