Giorgio Morra PHOTOGRAPHY reportage/documentary/portrait

BAD GAMES

"We have lost our language and with it the naturalness of our reactions, the simplicity of our gestures and the casual expression of our feelings. [...] Our identity changes so often that nobody can find out who we actually are. and that means the collapse of our private world. Hannah Arendt, We Refugees "I made the game more than 15 times": Eman explained when asked how often she and her husband tried to get from Bosnia-Herzegovina to Europe. They fled together from Syria and are now stranded in Velika Kladuša in the north of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Here thousands of refugees try every year, often in many attempts, to win the so-called "Game": The goal of the "Game" is to get through Croatia without being discovered by the border police. But the risk of being caught by the Croatian police and forced back to Bosnia-Herzegovina is high. During these so-called "push-backs" they are deported to Bosnia-Herzegovina without justification or examination of their asylum claim. It often happens that Croatian border officials* take money, mobile phones and clothes from the refugees. Again and again refugees even speak of physical abuse. Back in Bosnia-Herzegovina, they look for protection and refuge in one of the camps of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in one of the many empty factory buildings, in ruins of buildings or other temporary accommodation. There they try to regain their strength and then try again through the mountains. The destination is often Italy, as the probability of getting a fair asylum procedure is higher there. The fact that the actions of the Croatian police are often contrary to international law, the Geneva Refugee Convention, the European Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights is tolerated and partly supported by Croatia and the other European Member States. Is this where the fundamental values of the European Union find their limits?

„Wir haben unsere Sprache verloren und mit ihr die Natürlichkeit unsrer Reaktionen, die Einfachheit unserer Gebärden und den ungezwungenen Ausdruck unserer Gefühle. […] Unsere Identität wechselt so häufig, dass keiner herausfinden kann, wer wir eigentlich sind. […] und das bedeutet den Zusammenbruch unserer privaten Welt.“ Hannah Arendt, We Refugees

„I made the game more than 15 times“: erklärte Eman auf die Frage, wie oft sie gemeinsam mit ihrem Mann versuchte von Bosnien-Herzegowina nach Europa zu gelangen.
Sie sind gemeinsam aus Syrien geflohen und nun in Velika Kladuša im Norden Bosnien- Herzegowinas gestrandet. Hier versuchen jährlich Tausende Flüchtende oft in vielen Versuchen, das sogenannte „Game“ zu gewinnen: Ziel des „Spiels“ ist es, durch Kroatien zu kommen, ohne von der Grenzpolizei entdeckt zu werden. Doch das Risiko von der kroatischen Polizei erwischt und nach Bosnien-Herzegowina zurückgezwungen zu werden ist hoch. Bei diesen sogenannten „Push-Backs“ werden sie ohne Begründung oder Prüfung des Asylanspruchs nach Bosnien-Herzegowina abgeschoben. Oftmals kommt es dabei vor, dass die kroatischen Grenzbeamt*innen den Flüchtenden davor Geld, Mobiltelefon und Klamotten wegnehmen. Immer wieder sprechen Flüchtende sogar von körperlichen Misshandlungen. Zurück in Bosnien-Herzegowina suchen sie in einem der Camps der Internationalen Organisation für Migration (IOM), in einem der vielen leerstehenden Fabrikgebäude, in Bauruinen oder anderen provisorischen Unterkünften Schutz und Zuflucht. Dort versuchen sie zu Kräften zu kommen, um es dann wieder durch die Berge zu versuchen. Ziel dabei ist oftmals Italien, da dort die Wahrscheinlichkeit, ein faires Asylverfahren zu bekommen, höher ist.
Dass das Vorgehen der kroatischen Polizei oftmals völkerrechtswidrig ist, der Genfer Flüchtlingskonventionen, der europäischen Grundrechtscharta und der Europäischen Menschenrechtskonvention widerspricht, wird dabei von Kroatien und den weiteren europäischen Mitgliedstaaten toleriert und teils unterstützt. Finden hier damit die Grundwerte der Europäischen Union ihre Grenzen?

"We have lost our language and with it the naturalness of our reactions, the simplicity of our gestures and the casual expression of our feelings. [...] Our identity changes so often that nobody can find out who we actually are. and that means the collapse of our private world. Hannah Arendt, We Refugees

"I made the game more than 15 times": Eman explained when asked how often she and her husband tried to get from Bosnia-Herzegovina to Europe.
They fled together from Syria and are now stranded in Velika Kladuša in the north of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Here thousands of refugees try every year, often in many attempts, to win the so-called "Game": The goal of the "Game" is to get through Croatia without being discovered by the border police. But the risk of being caught by the Croatian police and forced back to Bosnia-Herzegovina is high. During these so-called "push-backs" they are deported to Bosnia-Herzegovina without justification or examination of their asylum claim. It often happens that Croatian border officials* take money, mobile phones and clothes from the refugees. Again and again refugees even speak of physical abuse. Back in Bosnia-Herzegovina, they look for protection and refuge in one of the camps of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in one of the many empty factory buildings, in ruins of buildings or other temporary accommodation. There they try to regain their strength and then try again through the mountains. The destination is often Italy, as the probability of getting a fair asylum procedure is higher there.
The fact that the actions of the Croatian police are often contrary to international law, the Geneva Refugee Convention, the European Charter of Fundamental Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights is tolerated and partly supported by Croatia and the other European Member States. Is this where the fundamental values of the European Union find their limits?