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A nightmare in Strandzha forest: the horror at the border between Bulgaria and Turkey
The main respondent is a 30-year-old man from Afghanistan. According to him, he was part of a transit group of 60 people who crossed the border between Turkey and Bulgaria on the 4th of September. He reports that there were minors and women in the group. The respondent states that it was 1am and the group was in the Strandzha forest after crossing the border, when a vehicle suddenly arrived. The respondent is not able to provide a description of the uniforms worn by the people who came out the car, nor any description of the colors of the car, due to the stressful situation and the darkness in the forest, but names the people as being Bulgarian Border police.
According to him the members of the group tried to run away, but the people were chased by unleashed police dogs. The respondent recalls falling to the ground and being bitten by a dog in his ankle that started to bleed a lot. According to him, other members of the transit group suffered the same attacks from the police dogs. The respondent reports that after the dog attack 3 people wearing uniforms arrived, 2 men and 1 woman, and started to force the members of the transit group to the ground. He recalls the police officers beating the people with batons (not the minors) and asking them for their money, their phones and their powerbanks. The respondent reports that after 2 hours the police officers told the members in the transit group to undress, and then proceeded to collect all the clothes and shoes (minors included). According to him, the members of the transit group were forced inside a van and driven to the border with Turkey, where they were left , in the middle of a forest, without clothes, without shoes, money, or phones.
The respondent states that after the dog attack he was not able to walk normally and without pain for more than one week.
overview
60 people ,
from Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
aged of 30 years old, and minors.