‘They beat the hell out of us and stripped us naked’: Asylum seekers ‘abused in cage’ by Bulgarian forces | World News

They call it a “cage” or a “prison”. Nestled in the small Bulgarian town of Sredets is a dilapidated annex building on the edge of a compound where border guards are stationed.

The floor is often covered with rubbish, there is no proper bed and metal bars on one side.

The shabby room is no ordinary prison. Those who say they have been held inside deny they are criminals.

Instead, they were asylum seekers who claimed they had been detained by Bulgarian border forces in a makeshift prison before being forced back to Turkey.

Nackman, a 34-year-old refugee, said: “When they caught us, they beat us up… they stripped us naked… shaved our eyebrows with their razors. Gillette firm”. in the cage.

“Then there was a wooden room that could only hold 20 people, but they forced 60 people into it; not even an animal could survive in that wooden room. It smelled horrible, so that’s why. if you need to use the restroom, you’ll just go to the side. They won’t look at you with human eyes.”

As part of a joint investigation by Sky News, Lighthouse Reports, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, Monitor, Domani, SRF and RFE/RL Bulgaria, we filmed the annex five times in October and November 2022. .

There are always people inside. On one occasion, a Bulgarian border force officer was recorded opening the door and leading people out.

We showed a video of an annex for refugees near the Turkish-Bulgarian border. Kenan, 31, immediately recognized it.

“We slept in this prison for three days. They insulted us. When we asked for bread, they pushed back, cursed and I don’t know what they said. They beat us,” he recalls.

‘They let the dogs out’

Another man said he was held there before being pushed back to the border to Turkey.

“After throwing me in the container, they released the dogs. It was me and a child. He was 12 years old. He was bitten by a dog and so was I,” he said.

Complaints of abuse at the border by the Bulgarian government are common. A Syrian refugee named Shaddi said on one occasion he was arrested by authorities while trying to cross from Bulgaria to Serbia.

“They took our clothes off and put us in very cold water, maybe 10 minutes. And they threw sticks… and they shot us with revolvers. It was a plastic shotgun,” he said. . “I think it’s inhumane… because we’re human. We’re not animals. We’re not terrorists.”

Read more: Refugee shot near Bulgarian border

As part of the investigation, reports of illegal pushback and abuse were recorded at several EU borders. In Hungary, refugees said they were tied up for hours outside or in containers.

An unnamed man said he was badly beaten by Hungarian police and detained for two days. Similar reports were communicated to relief workers at Doctors Without Borders.

“What we’re starting to hear more and more of is that people have been held inside such containers for up to 12 hours right before being forcibly returned to Serbia. Usually up to 60 people are held in such containers. such an enclosed space, in a standing position or in a position that causes physical stress,” said Alessandro Mangione from the health NGO.

Hungary ‘totally denies the allegations’

He said aid workers regularly treat refugees who have been beaten and injured by officials.

In response to the allegations, the Hungarian authorities issued a statement saying that their officials performed their duties in a lawful, professional, humane and proportionate manner.

“The Hungarian government completely rejects the accusations of once again seeking to discredit officers on duty at the border. Hungarian police officers and soldiers are guarding the EU’s Schengen border one day at a time. legally and in compliance with EU and Hungarian regulations,” it added.

The Bulgarian government denies any wrongdoing by border officials and says it follows international and domestic law. It said officials were facing increasing attacks from people trying to illegally cross the border into Bulgaria.

The European Commission said it took all allegations of misconduct on Europe’s external borders very seriously, that violence and loss of life were unacceptable, and wished the authorities National authorities investigate all allegations and follow up quickly and efficiently.

But the revelations are related; Protection seekers are reporting abuse and incarceration in secret prisons – supposedly black locations in Europe.