MP Emrić asks Galić: Are border police physically preventing Russian Federation citizens from crossing the border with Croatia?

(Patria) - Jasmin Emrić, MP of NES in the House of Representatives of BiH PS, today posed a parliamentary question to the Director of the BiH Border Police, Zoran Galić, regarding the entry of Russian Federation citizens into BiH and the prevention of their departure from BiH at the Velika Kladuša/Maljevac border crossing.

"Given the information that police officers of the BiH Border Police at the Velika Kladuša/Maljevac border crossing have been ordered to prevent border control access for citizens of the Russian Federation, thereby forcibly detaining them in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and thus preventing them from seeking asylum in the Republic of Croatia, I ask on what legal basis are police officers of the BiH Border Police preventing citizens of the Russian Federation from leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina at the Velika Kladuša/Maljevac border crossing?

Has a verbal or written order been issued by anyone to the police officers of the BiH Border Police to physically prevent and obstruct citizens of the Russian Federation from accessing border control at the aforementioned border crossing, who, in accordance with Article 15 of the Decision on Visas ("Official Gazette of BiH", No. 3/15), are entitled to transit and stay in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina?"

Recently, there has been an increased influx of citizens of the Russian Federation who wish to transit through Bosnia and Herzegovina to access border control at border crossings with the Republic of Croatia, and to apply for asylum or seek international protection.

However, at the Velika Kladuša/Maljevac border crossing, a number of citizens of the Russian Federation, according to unofficial information, have been physically prevented by police officers of the BiH Border Police from accessing border control and submitting an asylum application to the Croatian border police.

The aforementioned actions and procedures, if the information is credible, are contrary to Article 15 of the Decision on Visas ("Official Gazette of BiH", No. 3/15), which establishes a visa-free regime for citizens of the Russian Federation.

Therefore, in order to prevent human rights violations, I am posing this parliamentary question in writing in order to officially verify the aforementioned information and inform the public about the actual situation and procedures of the BiH Border Police at the relevant border crossing," Emrić asked.