Croatian police accused of sexually abusing female asylum seeker

Afghan woman alleges she was sexually assaulted, forced to strip naked and held at knifepoint by Croatian officers after crossing border.

A woman from Afghanistan says she was sexually abused, forced to strip naked, held at knifepoint and threatened with rape by a Croatian officer after crossing into Croatia from Bosnia seeking asylum, according to a new dossier (PDF) compiled by the Danish Refugee Council (DRC). The woman, whose name is omitted out of respect for privacy, said that she and three others, an elderly man and two children, crossed the border to Croatia near Velika Kladusa, Bosnia on the evening of February 15. Shortly afterwards, the group was stopped by a Croatian police officer, who continued to point a rifle at them until more officers arrived on the scene.  When the group said they were seeking asylum, an officer “laughed and insulted them while they were asking him to have understanding”, the woman said.