{"id":35151,"date":"2019-07-29T13:01:00","date_gmt":"2019-07-29T11:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/?p=35151"},"modified":"2026-06-09T11:07:01","modified_gmt":"2026-06-09T09:07:01","slug":"go-back-to-where-you-came-from","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/stories\/go-back-to-where-you-came-from\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00bbGo back to where you came from\u00ab"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.kb-row-layout-id35151_ceeafe-0e > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id35151_ceeafe-0e > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id35151_ceeafe-0e > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}.kb-row-layout-id35151_ceeafe-0e > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_ceeafe-0e > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_ceeafe-0e > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id35151_ceeafe-0e alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column35151_94de0c-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_94de0c-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_94de0c-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_94de0c-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_94de0c-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_94de0c-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_94de0c-6b{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_94de0c-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_94de0c-6b > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_94de0c-6b\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image35151_b90480-b4 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image35151_b90480-b4 size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_005-683x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-35050\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_005-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_005-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_005-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_005-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_005.webp 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column35151_a5de34-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_a5de34-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_a5de34-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_a5de34-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_a5de34-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_a5de34-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_a5de34-51{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_a5de34-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_a5de34-51 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_a5de34-51\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image35151_c8ee5c-b9 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image35151_c8ee5c-b9 size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Said_Mahboob_\u00a9MPovse_001-683x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-35048\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Said_Mahboob_\u00a9MPovse_001-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Said_Mahboob_\u00a9MPovse_001-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Said_Mahboob_\u00a9MPovse_001-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Said_Mahboob_\u00a9MPovse_001-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Said_Mahboob_\u00a9MPovse_001.webp 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<h3 style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><strong>Said Mahboob, 21, Afghanistan<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Said Mahboob comes from Kunduz, one of the most dangerous cities in Afghanistan. He left home three years ago. Because he worked for an American company for a while, he was threatened by the Taliban as well as the local offshoot of the self-proclaimed Islamic State. He spent one year and a half in Turkey and a little longer in Greece.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He came to Serbia via Macedonia and spent only four days at the local accommodation centre. Then, he was at the local railway station. He hid under one of the wagons of a train destined for Slovenia. He endured holding on to the wagon\u2019s metal framework under the moving train for eight hours.   <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"block-animation-none\">\n<blockquote data-animation-role=\"quote\"><p><span><\/span>They drove me to the Croatian border and straight away handed me over to the Croatian policemen.<span>\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">On 3 May, he was discovered by the policemen at the railway station in Dobova. He was tired to death, frozen and stiff all over. He told the policemen that he wished to apply for asylum in Slovenia, that the Taliban threatened him with death and that he is coming from a war zone. He was aware of his rights and tried to tell the policemen that he is entitled to international protection.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He thought they listened. They told him that he should not worry and that he will be able to officially apply for asylum at the police station. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cAt the station, they registered me and loaded me into a van. They drove me to the Croatian border and straight away handed me over to the Croatian policemen.\u201d There, they took away his mobile, money and sleeping bag. Together with a few other refugees, they threw him into the police vehicle and drove him toward Bosnia and Herzegovina where he arrived on Sunday evening, 5 May.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Now, he sleeps outside despite the bad weather. There is no space in the Miral camp. At the first opportunity, he will try to get into Slovenia again and then onward towards Italy. \u201cI just want to survive,\u201d he said.   <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-id35151_5c2725-79 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id35151_5c2725-79 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id35151_5c2725-79 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}.kb-row-layout-id35151_5c2725-79 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_5c2725-79 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_5c2725-79 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id35151_5c2725-79 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column35151_edac73-f2 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_edac73-f2 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_edac73-f2 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_edac73-f2 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_edac73-f2 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_edac73-f2 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_edac73-f2{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_edac73-f2 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_edac73-f2 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_edac73-f2\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image35151_4255a2-70 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image35151_4255a2-70 size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_002-683x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-35062\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_002-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_002-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_002-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_002-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_002.webp 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column35151_dbda0a-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_dbda0a-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_dbda0a-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_dbda0a-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_dbda0a-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_dbda0a-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_dbda0a-60{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_dbda0a-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_dbda0a-60 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_dbda0a-60\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image35151_afccb2-1c .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image35151_afccb2-1c\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_001.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-35060\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_001.webp 1000w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_001-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_001-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_001-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Nadine_Maliki_\u00a9MPovse_001-768x1152.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<h3 style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><strong>Nadine Maliki, 32, Syria<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Nadine Maliki comes from a Syrian-Moroccan family in Aleppo. She left Syria two years ago. She spent most of this time in Turkey, in the border towns of Reyhanl\u0131 and Antakya. She has no family. Both of her parents died; she never married.    <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"block-animation-none\">\n<blockquote data-animation-role=\"quote\"><p><span><\/span>&#8216;Where are you going?\u2019 a policeman shouted at us with a rifle in his hand. I was scared.<span>\u201d<\/span><\/p><p><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">She entered Slovenia on 3 May of this year. This was seven days after leaving Bosnia and Herzegovina and embarking on the \u201cgame\u201d \u2013 or what the migrants dubbed the journey to a better tomorrow. She barely endured the hike through the mountains and forests. When she arrived in Slovenia, she thought that her trials and tribulations were over.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">She was wrong \u2013 just as the many refugees and migrants that came before her usually were. She was a part of a migrant group that drove in a car from the Slovenian-Croatian border towards Ljubljana and was stopped by the Slovenian police. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201c\u2018Where are you going?\u2019 a policeman shouted at us with a rifle in his hand. I was scared. They roughly pulled me out of the car. I didn\u2019t know what to do. What to say. I was shaking. I have asthma. I started fighting for air,\u201d said a thoroughly exhausted and shaken Nadine in a warehouse with second-hand clothing and shoes. The warehouse in the Bosnian town of Velika Kladu\u0161a is managed by Spanish volunteers who work for the humanitarian organisation No Name Kitchen. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Not more than a few hours later, she was handed over to the Croatian police who sent her back to Bosnia and Herzegovina. She had not slept properly for nine days. \u201cI wanted to apply for asylum in Slovenia! I know my rights. I\u2019m a refugee.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cThe Palestinian translator was abusive towards me. He kept saying that I was lying. He told me that I will go back to Bosnia. That there\u2019s nothing for me there&#8230; He screamed at me to forget about the asylum! I was left without my bag and I had everything in there. Money, some jewelry, clothes,\u201d recounted Nadine through tears.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">She was surrounded by swarms of refugees and migrants whose shoes were apparently taken by the Croatian police. The migrants had to look for used shoes. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">She showed us the severe abrasions that she suffered during her journey to Slovenia. This was her third attempt. It was the only one where she made it all the way to Slovenia. \u201cThere, I had to sign a document (a certificate about the illegally crossing the border, Ed.). I had no idea what it was. In Croatia, they took our photos,\u201d she said.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">On her second attempt she spent two days in Slovenia. The Slovenian police did not provide her with the opportunity to apply for asylum. Instead they handed her over to their Croatian colleagues. They drove her towards Bosnia. But first, they broke her mobile phone.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWe need help. Humanness, not money, do you understand me?\u201d she quietly said to a brick wall and added: \u201cI will not give up. As soon as it\u2019s possible, I\u2019ll go on. Regardless of the weather. Regardless of everything.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">On Tuesday, 7 May, Nadine arrived in Slovenia with the help of smugglers \u2013 she paid them \u20ac2,500 \u2013 via a coordinated network of \u201ctaxi\u201d drivers. Again, the Slovenian policemen ignored her request to make an asylum application. They sent her back to Bosnia and Herzegovina via Croatia. However, she refuses to give up.   <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-id35151_f8eb9a-d6 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id35151_f8eb9a-d6 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id35151_f8eb9a-d6 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}.kb-row-layout-id35151_f8eb9a-d6 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_f8eb9a-d6 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_f8eb9a-d6 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id35151_f8eb9a-d6 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column35151_a75e7b-be > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_a75e7b-be > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_a75e7b-be > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_a75e7b-be > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_a75e7b-be > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_a75e7b-be > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_a75e7b-be{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_a75e7b-be > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_a75e7b-be > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_a75e7b-be\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image35151_3ec847-51 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image35151_3ec847-51\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_002.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-35078\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_002.webp 1000w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_002-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_002-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_002-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_002-768x1152.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column35151_e120d7-e5 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_e120d7-e5 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_e120d7-e5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_e120d7-e5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_e120d7-e5 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_e120d7-e5 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_e120d7-e5{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_e120d7-e5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_e120d7-e5 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_e120d7-e5\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image35151_e04428-a7 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image35151_e04428-a7\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Farzad_Kazim_\u00a9MPovse_002.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-35076\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Farzad_Kazim_\u00a9MPovse_002.webp 1000w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Farzad_Kazim_\u00a9MPovse_002-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Farzad_Kazim_\u00a9MPovse_002-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Farzad_Kazim_\u00a9MPovse_002-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Farzad_Kazim_\u00a9MPovse_002-768x1152.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<h3 style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><strong>Farzad Kazim, Iran<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He says that he is not a typical political refugee. If he gets an opportunity, he will apply for political asylum in Slovenia \u2013 or anywhere else in the EU, \u201cexcept in Croatia.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI come from Iran. I had to leave my homeland because of political persecution and a backward society. I\u2019m a very progressive, modern man and this is the reason why I was always being attacked. I\u2019m by no means an economic migrant. I come from a wealthy family, but I had to leave. Religious persecution was escalating,\u201d Farzad told us, a muscular man of short stature, in perfect English in front of the Miral accommodation centre at the outskirts of Velika Kladu\u0161a. He has been living there for a month. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWelcome to Zombie Land. There\u2019s no humanness here,\u201d said Farzad in welcome. He left Iran two years before finishing his international law studies. He wanted to become a university professor. He is convinced that will finish his studies one day.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He was a member of the Iranian Taekwondo Youth Team. He passed the exam for being a gymnastics coach, a discipline that he trained in for many years. He says he was a sports show presenter on the Iranian television.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"block-animation-none\">\n<blockquote data-animation-role=\"quote\"><p><span>\u201c<\/span>A policeman pressed a gun against my forehead. I was scared that he\u2019ll kill me. <span>\u201d<\/span> <\/p><p><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He left home ten months ago. Even though he lost 11kg during his refugee game, he was able, due to his extraordinary physical fitness, to undertake the journey from \u0160id in Serbia towards Slovenia three times, hidden under a train and constantly holding onto the wagon\u2019s chassis. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Each time, he was discovered by the Slovenian police; the last time was four months ago in Dobova near to the Croatian border. \u201cI\u2019ve never got an opportunity to apply for political asylum. Slovenian policemen ignored my requests. I know my rights and international conventions. They didn\u2019t listen to me. They didn\u2019t take me seriously.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The Slovenian policemen repeatedly handed him over to the Croatians. Once, he had to pay a fine for crossing the border illegally \u2013 the fine amounts to a little more than \u20ac200. When he tried to get to Slovenia on foot, he was caught by a Croatian police patrol. They beat him up and broke his mobile phone. Many refugees and migrants report this kind of treatment.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He had the worst experience in Hungary. He made his way there through a part of the border that didn\u2019t have a wall. The Hungarian police caught him and threw him on the ground. \u201cA policeman pressed a gun against my forehead. I was scared that he\u2019ll kill me. He moved the gun slightly and pulled the trigger just next to my head,\u201d Farzad told us, who was a member of a special unit in the Iranian army for several years.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">When he was still in Iran, \u201ccertain people representing the regime\u201d wanted to send him to Syria, in support of the Bashar al-Asaad\u2019s regime. He knew many boys and men who had died on the Syrian battlefield in vain, fighting a war for someone else. There was no way he wanted to join that war. This only made his issues with the authorities worse.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He told us that he will keep trying to get into Europe. He says that he has no other choice. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cEven if what remains of me is only one finger, this finger will still be walking towards Europe,\u201d he added. \u201cYou people in Europe don\u2019t understand us refugees. We\u2019re fleeing for our lives because we\u2019re threatened. It is true, however, that there are a good few bad people on migrant routes. This is logical. And you can see this best in the Miral camp. I can\u2019t sleep here during the night. There are a lot of drugs, alcohol, violence, crime. Last night, for example, they stole my clothes. I\u2019m different from these people. I want Europe to know this. And understand it,\u201d Farzad concluded our conversation. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">After several days, he informed us that he again would venture towards Slovenia with a group of refugees. \u201cPray for us!\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">After two days of silence, a short call followed with a report on Croatian police violence. \u201cThe Croats got us and returned to Bosnia. A terrible experience. This time, they brutally beat us. They lined us up in a corridor and beat us with batons and fists. It seemed it will never end&#8230; Some of the people were severely injured. They took mobiles from all of us. They stole our money and jewelry. They took our bags. They are the criminals! Thieves! Seven kilometres before reaching the Bosnian border we had to take our shoes off in mud and rain. We returned to Velika Kladu\u0161a barefoot.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Farzad is desperate. He confided in us that he has contemplated suicide three times since returning to Velika Kladu\u0161a. He never mustered enough courage. Now, he is seriously considering a fourth attempt.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cThe only option I have, besides suicide, is to return to Iran. There, because I\u2019m a nonconformist, they will kill me. I\u2019ll also inflict harm upon my family. I truly don\u2019t know what to do. I don\u2019t want to stay in Europe. There\u2019s no humanness here. Evil is the only thing I\u2019ve experienced,\u201d said the young Iranian with a trembling voice.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-id35151_11c909-5e > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id35151_11c909-5e > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id35151_11c909-5e > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}.kb-row-layout-id35151_11c909-5e > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_11c909-5e > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_11c909-5e > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id35151_11c909-5e alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column35151_107562-f7 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_107562-f7 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_107562-f7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_107562-f7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_107562-f7 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_107562-f7 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_107562-f7{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_107562-f7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_107562-f7 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_107562-f7\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image35151_08daa8-50 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image35151_08daa8-50 size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_001-683x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-35085\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_001-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_001-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_001-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_001-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_001.webp 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column35151_1f58bf-70 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_1f58bf-70 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_1f58bf-70 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_1f58bf-70 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_1f58bf-70 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_1f58bf-70 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_1f58bf-70{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_1f58bf-70 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_1f58bf-70 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_1f58bf-70\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image35151_f3f1ce-d8 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image35151_f3f1ce-d8\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1000\" height=\"1500\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Amir_Abdul_Aldollahivizi_\u00a9MPovse_001.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-35083\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Amir_Abdul_Aldollahivizi_\u00a9MPovse_001.webp 1000w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Amir_Abdul_Aldollahivizi_\u00a9MPovse_001-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Amir_Abdul_Aldollahivizi_\u00a9MPovse_001-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Amir_Abdul_Aldollahivizi_\u00a9MPovse_001-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Amir_Abdul_Aldollahivizi_\u00a9MPovse_001-768x1152.webp 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<h3 style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><strong>Amir Abdul Aldollahivizi, 40, Iran<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">A group of ten men, dirty and utterly exhausted, were wandering around Velika Kladu\u0161a on a cold, rainy day in May. They looked for any sort of shelter where they could overnight. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">They came straight out of the forest. It was pouring rain. If it were only a degree or so colder, and the rain might turn into snow. They were tailed by stray dogs which are plentiful in this part of Bosnia.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The Croatian police, after beating them up and taking or breaking their phones, dropped this group of ten refugees and migrants off 20 kilometres north of the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some of them also had their shoes stolen. Tired, hungry and injured, they slogged their way to Velika Kladu\u0161a.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Among them was 40-year-old Amir Abdul Aldollahivizi, an epidemiologist from Isfahan, Iran. He was the only Iranian in the group, which had just come back from Slovenia via Croatia. Besides him, there were two Afghanis and seven Pakistanis in the group.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI\u2019ll immediately join the game again. I can\u2019t wait, I mustn\u2019t wait. My wife and son have been in Germany for a year already. I promised I\u2019d join them. It\u2019s why I set off on this journey,\u201d told us the gentleman with grizzled hair. He looked at least 15 years older than he actually was. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He worked as a doctor at a clinic in Iran for many years. He claims that, due to his open-mindedness, he was constantly exposed to the persecution of the regime, but did not want to discuss it any further. \u201cI had to go. It was a matter of life and death. That\u2019s all,\u201d he said.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He left Iran with his wife and son three years ago. They went to Turkey where Amir Abdul worked as a roofer and salesman in a furniture shop. His wife, a computer programmer, worked in a beauty salon. A year ago, they decided to go to Europe. His wife and son left first, while Amir Abdul promised to join them as soon as possible.    <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina from Turkey via Greece, Albania and Montenegro. \u201cMy destination is Germany. I set off on the journey in a large group, from Biha\u0107. We took the longer road, due to safety. Soon after crossing the Bosnian-Croatian border, I sprained my ankle in the hills. I could not continue. I was left behind, alone.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">For ten days, he couldn\u2019t walk normally; he ached all over and had no food.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"block-animation-none\">\n<blockquote data-animation-role=\"quote\"><p><span>\u201c<\/span>I said I wished to apply for asylum. The policemen said that I didn\u2019t have the \u2018slightest chance.<span>\u201d<\/span> <\/p><p><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI suffered. I didn\u2019t know what to do. I moved very slowly. I met a bear. I was afraid that I would die in the forest, alone. I ate grass and corn. I was scared the entire time. I was giving in to despair. But somehow I found my way to Slovenia,\u201d Amir Abdul told us in Velika Kladu\u0161a. Right before he spoke to us, he ate his first proper meal in 12 days. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He entered Slovenia through the forests above Ko\u010devje. He asked the first local he met where the closest police station was. He directed him towards town. He went there on foot.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cSoon, a police car drove by. I told the policemen that I had been walking alone for ten days through Croatia and that I wanted to apply for asylum. They said that this was not a problem. They were kind. They took me to the river nearby and took my photo. They wanted me to say for the record that I illegally entered Slovenia by crossing the river. But that wasn\u2019t true. I didn\u2019t want to do it. Their attitude changed immediately.        <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cI said I wished to apply for asylum. The policemen said that I didn\u2019t have the \u2018slightest chance.\u2019 That they \u2018didn\u2019t need me\u2019 in Slovenia. \u2018Go back to where you came from,\u2019 said the Slovenian policeman.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The policemen took Amir Abdul to the police station in Ko\u010devje and then to the Croatian border, where he was returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina with a group of migrants. \u201cWe were seriously mistreated in Croatia. They also took my shoes. They hit me a few times. They stole my mobile. I don\u2019t know why they\u2019re treating us this way. It\u2019s clear that they hate us. They don\u2019t think of us as people. This is not just racism&#8230;.\u201d <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The Iranian doctor is despondent. He speaks of death all the time, his only glimmer of hope is his family. \u201cI\u2019ll go to my wife and son in Germany, at any cost. I will try again and again. I\u2019ve already been through a lot. I only have to wait for my leg to heal.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">On the street, where we journalists met with the refugees, stray dogs and children were running around the entire time. None of them even glanced at the exhausted people who were draped in old blankets and on the run. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-id35151_93f233-a3 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id35151_93f233-a3 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id35151_93f233-a3 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}.kb-row-layout-id35151_93f233-a3 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_93f233-a3 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_93f233-a3 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id35151_93f233-a3 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column35151_ace197-fb > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_ace197-fb > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_ace197-fb > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_ace197-fb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_ace197-fb > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_ace197-fb > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_ace197-fb{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_ace197-fb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_ace197-fb > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_ace197-fb\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image35151_819284-23 .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image35151_819284-23 size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_003-683x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-35101\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_003-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_003-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_003-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_003-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/signal-attachment-2019-07-26-151455_003.webp 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column35151_e8d328-4a > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_e8d328-4a > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_e8d328-4a > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_e8d328-4a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_e8d328-4a > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_e8d328-4a > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_e8d328-4a{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_e8d328-4a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_e8d328-4a > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_e8d328-4a\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\"><style>.kb-image35151_80e5bb-3f .kb-image-has-overlay:after{opacity:0.3;}<\/style>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-kadence-image kb-image35151_80e5bb-3f size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Jamal_Nouri_\u00a9MPovse_001-683x1024.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"kb-img wp-image-35099\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Jamal_Nouri_\u00a9MPovse_001-683x1024.webp 683w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Jamal_Nouri_\u00a9MPovse_001-600x900.webp 600w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Jamal_Nouri_\u00a9MPovse_001-200x300.webp 200w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Jamal_Nouri_\u00a9MPovse_001-768x1152.webp 768w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Jamal_Nouri_\u00a9MPovse_001.webp 1000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<h3 style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><strong>Jamal Nouri, 28, Iran<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Jamal Nouri comes from the Kurdish part of Iran. At the time of our conversation, he had been in Velika Kladu\u0161a for nine months. He managed to make his way to Slovenia three times, but was banished every time \u2013 without the opportunity to apply for asylum or international protection.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Jamal fled Iran because he changed his religion. He became a Catholic and this was the reason why they threatened him and his family with death. He was considered a traitor in his closest circle, as well; he had to run.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He arrived in Turkey back in 2014. He immediately applied for refugee status with the UNHCR and resettlement to the United States, Australia or Canada. He attended an interview and then waited for the approval of his application for almost three years. The UNHCR finally approved his resettlement and refugee status in the United States.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He can prove this with a document that he keeps on him at all times, but that he has never been given the chance to hand in to the Slovenian police. He hides the document from the Croatian police because he is afraid that they will destroy it. According to refugees\u2019 accounts, this is a standard practice. We journalists saw his document and verified its authenticity.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">When Jamal Nouri was supposed to leave Turkey and head towards the United States, the American president Donald Trump forbade Iranian refugees from entry. In an instant, his dreams went up in smoke. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He remained in Turkey for another year, performing the worst paid jobs in the city of Yalova.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cThey treated us refugees as slaves. In the best possible scenario, they paid us a third of what the Turkish workers got. They treated us like pigs. It\u2019s extremely hard in Turkey. I decided I don\u2019t want to wait any longer. I headed towards Europe. Now, I\u2019m here,\u201d said Jamal in front of a mosque in the vicinity of Miral camp at the outskirts of Velika Kladu\u0161a. A cultured, calm young man, he finished his degree at an accounting college in Iran. <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">His suffering in the Miral camp is intolerable. It is extremely noisy and he has trouble sleeping, due to fights, drugs, alcohol, theft and extortion. There is absolutely no supervision; hatred amongst different ethnic groups is rampant. The rules are dangerous and chaotic.   <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cWe have everything in Iran. A nice country, nature, oil, rich history&#8230; But we have no freedom. We live in a dictatorship. The religious authorities and police control our every step, our every word. It\u2019s particularly difficult for the Kurds. They consider us traitors. I can\u2019t go back home, even though I want to some day. But only if Iran becomes a free society,\u201d told us Jamal in a quiet voice.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">The last time he was in Slovenia was two months ago. The police captured him along with a group of migrants at Vinica, near the Kolpa River. He showed us the exact location on his mobile phone.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"block-animation-none\">\n<blockquote data-animation-role=\"quote\"><p><span><\/span>The procedure was correct. But when I said I want to go to Ljubljana and apply for a political asylum, my requests fell on deaf ears<span>\u201d<\/span> <\/p><p><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cThey took us to the nearest police station, registered us and immediately returned us to Croatia.\u201d There, he experienced the usual fate of a refugee: beating, theft of his money and travelling bag etc. The Croatian police quickly returned him to Bosnia and Herzegovina.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">He told us that he came closest to realising his goal last fall, when he first embarked upon a journey to Slovenia. He walked for ten days. He was ill-prepared. He did not take enough food for the road; the weather was bad. He managed to get to the centre of \u010crnomelj. Starving and thirsty, he wanted to buy some food and drink. A police vehicle arrived with flashing lights and a siren. He was arrested and brought to a police station.       <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">\u201cThey weren\u2019t violent. The procedure was correct. But when I said I want to go to Ljubljana and apply for a political asylum, my requests fell on deaf ears. It was as though they couldn&#8217;t hear me. There were also issues with the translator. I spent some time in the police station and then they returned me to Croatia,\u201d Jamal Nouri described his experience with the Slovenian authorities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">According to him, the onward journey to Ljubljana and the lodging of an asylum application by the Slovenian police was an option available only to families and minors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">Jamal wants to get to the Netherlands where he has acquaintances. He is willing to do any work in the European Union, but reiterated time and again that he is by no means an economic migrant. He is a political refugee; the UNHCR awarded the status and approved the resettlement to the US.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\">There are a number of similar cases in Turkey. People who were approved for a resettlement that never happened are now facing deportation, among them are many Iranians. This is what Jamal is most afraid of \u2013 and that was the main reason for his departure to Bosnia and Herzegovina.  <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n<style>.kb-row-layout-id35151_2947a7-13 > .kt-row-column-wrap{align-content:start;}:where(.kb-row-layout-id35151_2947a7-13 > .kt-row-column-wrap) > .wp-block-kadence-column{justify-content:start;}.kb-row-layout-id35151_2947a7-13 > .kt-row-column-wrap{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);row-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-md, 2rem);padding-top:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);padding-bottom:var(--global-kb-spacing-sm, 1.5rem);grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}.kb-row-layout-id35151_2947a7-13 > .kt-row-layout-overlay{opacity:0.30;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_2947a7-13 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:repeat(2, minmax(0, 1fr));}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kb-row-layout-id35151_2947a7-13 > .kt-row-column-wrap{grid-template-columns:minmax(0, 1fr);}}<\/style><div class=\"kb-row-layout-wrap kb-row-layout-id35151_2947a7-13 alignnone wp-block-kadence-rowlayout\"><div class=\"kt-row-column-wrap kt-has-2-columns kt-row-layout-equal kt-tab-layout-inherit kt-mobile-layout-row kt-row-valign-top\">\n<style>.kadence-column35151_6045ec-db > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_6045ec-db > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_6045ec-db > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_6045ec-db > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_6045ec-db > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_6045ec-db > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_6045ec-db{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_6045ec-db > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_6045ec-db > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_6045ec-db\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<div class=\"sqs-html-content\" data-sqsp-text-block-content=\"\">\n<p class=\"\" style=\"white-space:pre-wrap;\"><em>The project is supported by <\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.journalismfund.eu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Journalismfund.eu<\/em><\/a><em>. We ran it in cooperation with reporters and a photographer from Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Hercegovina.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<style>.kadence-column35151_35e64e-f0 > .kt-inside-inner-col,.kadence-column35151_35e64e-f0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{border-top-left-radius:0px;border-top-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-right-radius:0px;border-bottom-left-radius:0px;}.kadence-column35151_35e64e-f0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{column-gap:var(--global-kb-gap-sm, 1rem);}.kadence-column35151_35e64e-f0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;}.kadence-column35151_35e64e-f0 > .kt-inside-inner-col > .aligncenter{width:100%;}.kadence-column35151_35e64e-f0 > .kt-inside-inner-col:before{opacity:0.3;}.kadence-column35151_35e64e-f0{position:relative;}@media all and (max-width: 1024px){.kadence-column35151_35e64e-f0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}@media all and (max-width: 767px){.kadence-column35151_35e64e-f0 > .kt-inside-inner-col{flex-direction:column;justify-content:center;}}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-column kadence-column35151_35e64e-f0\"><div class=\"kt-inside-inner-col\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"327\" height=\"93\" src=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/JF3.webp\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-35511\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/JF3.webp 327w, https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/JF3-300x85.webp 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 327px) 100vw, 327px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Despite the Ombudsmen\u2019s warnings, refugees and migrants in Slovenia and Croatia still face difficulties when applying for asylum after they enter these two countries. They are being driven out of the European Union in droves, systematically and violently. We gathered testimonies that prove this.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35040,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","page_custom_class":"","post_show_featured_image":"1","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3360],"tags":[3603,3597,3594,3593,3599,3461,3447,3590,3600,3397,3602,3595,3592,3596,3446,3406,3591,3604,3601,3598],"class_list":["post-35151","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories","tag-asylum","tag-azil","tag-begunci","tag-bosna-in-hercegovina","tag-bosnia","tag-croatia-2","tag-croatia","tag-migranti","tag-migrants","tag-naslovnica","tag-policemen","tag-prebezniki","tag-pushback","tag-pushbacks","tag-slovenia","tag-slovenian-stories","tag-slovenija","tag-stories","tag-testimonies","tag-zavrnjeni"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":3360,"label":"Stories"}],"post_tag":[{"value":3603,"label":"Asylum"},{"value":3597,"label":"azil"},{"value":3594,"label":"begunci"},{"value":3593,"label":"Bosna in Hercegovina"},{"value":3599,"label":"Bosnia"},{"value":3461,"label":"Croatia"},{"value":3447,"label":"Croatia"},{"value":3590,"label":"migranti"},{"value":3600,"label":"Migrants"},{"value":3397,"label":"naslovnica"},{"value":3602,"label":"policemen"},{"value":3595,"label":"prebe\u017eniki"},{"value":3592,"label":"pushback"},{"value":3596,"label":"pushbacks"},{"value":3446,"label":"Slovenia"},{"value":3406,"label":"Slovenian Stories"},{"value":3591,"label":"Slovenija"},{"value":3604,"label":"Stories"},{"value":3601,"label":"Testimonies"},{"value":3598,"label":"zavrnjeni"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/ostro.si\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/Push-backs_Ostro_Farzad_Kazim_\u00a9MPovse_003-1-1024x683.webp",1024,683,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"wpm","author_link":"https:\/\/ostro.si\/en\/author\/wpm\/"},"comment_info":0,"category_info":[{"term_id":3360,"name":"Stories","slug":"stories","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3360,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":64,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":3360,"category_count":64,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Stories","category_nicename":"stories","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":3603,"name":"Asylum","slug":"asylum","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3603,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3597,"name":"azil","slug":"azil","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3597,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3594,"name":"begunci","slug":"begunci","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3594,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3593,"name":"Bosna in Hercegovina","slug":"bosna-in-hercegovina","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3593,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3599,"name":"Bosnia","slug":"bosnia","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3599,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3461,"name":"Croatia","slug":"croatia-2","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3461,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3447,"name":"Croatia","slug":"croatia","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3447,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3590,"name":"migranti","slug":"migranti","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3590,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3600,"name":"Migrants","slug":"migrants","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3600,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3397,"name":"naslovnica","slug":"naslovnica","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3397,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":15,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3602,"name":"policemen","slug":"policemen","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3602,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3595,"name":"prebe\u017eniki","slug":"prebezniki","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3595,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3592,"name":"pushback","slug":"pushback","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3592,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":2,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3596,"name":"pushbacks","slug":"pushbacks","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3596,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":1,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3446,"name":"Slovenia","slug":"slovenia","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":3446,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":4,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":3406,"name":"Slovenian 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