At home in Croatia
01 November 1994
The Home Office proposed to "return" large numbers of Bosnian asylum-seekers to Croatia on the strength of passports which are admitted to be false. The Bosnians, of whom over 20 are appealing against the decision, say they could not leave the territory of the former Yugoslavia without passports, and Croatian passports were obtainable to anyone with a certificate of Catholicism or £600. The Home Office says that, despite the Bosnians' lack of ties with Croatia, they can rely on that territory's protection. This is despite evidence from Amnesty International that Bosnians cannot stay in Croatia. By the end of 1993 370 of the 7,590 applications for asylum from nationals of the former Yugoslavia had been processed, of which 5 were granted, 255 refused and the rest allowed a year's temporary stay.