Bulgarian police made us lie down and walked on top of us

From Bulgaria to Turkey,

The respondent is a 17-year-old minor from Afghanistan. In a group of 35 Afghans, of which six were minors, he walked for 15 km after crossing the border from Turkey to Bulgaria. That was when three Bulgarian border policemen wearing balaclavas found the group.

Location where the pushback took place

The 3 policemen had a dog with which they attacked and intimidated the group, only yanking the dog back right before it could bite. The group had to put their hands behind their head and look down. In this position they waited for an hour. If people dared look up, they were beaten. The Bulgarian border police called Frontex who came to take pictures and videos of the group. After this, Frontex left again. The Bulgarian border police, at this point a total of 10 officers, put the respondent and 11 others in a van and drove them to the border. The respondent recalls this is when the Bulgarian police became truly cruel. The group was forced to lie down face-down on the ground. The police walked over their bodies and beat them with batons, causing bruises to skin and bone. The officers also stole all personal belongings. They put the stolen watches on their own wrists and pocketed the money. The people’s clothes were taken as well, leaving them with only a T-shirt, pants, and shoes without shoelaces.

Bruises from beating

After the violence, the group was pushed over the border and told to walk straight ahead, back into Turkey. For three days, the group could not find a single road or village. They walked around injured, without water, without food, without proper clothes, and without a means to contact anyone for help.