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“They usually drag us into rooms or toilets without cameras where they beat us arbitrarily and violently. You can’t help anyone. You can just stay there, listen and wait.” – Sever Internal Violence in Harmanli Camp Bulgaria
Bulgaria,
The main respondent is from Syria and 25 years old. He left Syria in June 2024 and stayed two months in Turkey before he reached what he described as the “hell” of Bulgaria. The respondent has been in Harmanli for more than half a year now. He states that he “wishes he never came here” and didn`t ever want to stay in Bulgaria. The respondent wanted to continue his way but they took his fingerprints.
The respondent reports that he and his friends are extremely scared of the police in Bulgaria and try to hide from them. He states that the police have caused him a lot of pain and harm especially in his leg. But he said, the only thing he can do is pray. He doesn’t want to stay but he has no other option at the moment.
The respondent reports that he and his friends are extremely scared of the police in Bulgaria and try to hide from them. He states that the police have caused him a lot of pain and harm especially in his leg. But he said, the only thing he can do is pray. He doesn’t want to stay but he has no other option at the moment.
Harmanli Reception Centre
The main respondent states he was attacked by masked policemen of the camp in December 2024, on an evening at 9 pm. “They came into the room where they are sleeping and beat everyone up”. He recounts getting subjected to arbitrary and violent beating, which resulted in a severe wound in the leg. Despite his bad conditions, the respondent felt like the camp didn`t provide medical care. He went to see the doctor of the camp in the ambulatory, which is the clinic of the camp. He got examined but the camp medicals told him that everything was fine and he had nothing to worry about. Even though the main respondent was in a lot of pain they released him without treatment. He kept throwing up and telling this to the people working in the camp. But they continued ignoring him. He went to the pharmacy but they also didn`t help him.
After one week of some examinations but no actions at the camp, people of NNK took him to Haskovo hospital. After spending a while there without being treated he went back to Harmanli Camp. In the hospital they only gave him a spray for the inflammation of his leg. He didn’t feel like he received the needed medical treatment, neither from medical services in the camp or the hospital. The respondent described further how the camp guards or policemen usually beat them in their own personal sleeping rooms but basically anywhere without cameras.
After one week of some examinations but no actions at the camp, people of NNK took him to Haskovo hospital. After spending a while there without being treated he went back to Harmanli Camp. In the hospital they only gave him a spray for the inflammation of his leg. He didn’t feel like he received the needed medical treatment, neither from medical services in the camp or the hospital. The respondent described further how the camp guards or policemen usually beat them in their own personal sleeping rooms but basically anywhere without cameras.
Photo which shows the bad conditions inside Harmanli camp
On new years eve 2024/25 at 9.30 pm the main respondent was walking around Harmanli with a group of friends. He recounts them being stopped by the police somewhere along the road. The police started to beat them up for no reason. The main respondent was beaten on the head until he started bleeding.
In a different incident the main respondent was trying to talk to a camp guard in turkish. Instead of giving him a response the guard hit him with the door while opening it. And the guard was about to get out and beat him but then he stopped because he saw that there were cameras.
One evening the main respondent wanted to get a bottle of coke from the machine but instead he was severely beaten. Around 8pm they close all the doors. The respondent asked: “Just before you close can I pick up a bottle of coke from the machine?” After the guards said “yes okay”, they dragged him into a room where they are hidden from the cameras, locked the doors and beat him up. Main respondent stressed in this incident that they slapped him around ten times. He describes that there is constant violence without a prior reason: “If there is any kind of inconvenience or small problem they start beating people right and left. They don’t care about the problem nor try to solve it. The people experience a lot of torture and beating and also rude or expulsive attitude with violent and insulting speaking.” The main respondent perceives this as the message, to: “Just leave, we don’t want you here, we don’t want you in this camp or this country”.
The respondent reported a situation about a friend of his, who was beaten until his eyes were severely injured. The guards of the Harmanli camp beat and destroyed his eye without a reason. The guards continued the beating even after realizing the damage to the eye.
On the 10.2.25 policemen from the camp dragged another guy to the forest and they beat him up until his eye was disfigured.
The main respondent summarizes how the camp guards and the policemen in the camp treat them: „They usually drag us into rooms or toilets without cameras where they beat us arbitrarily and violently. You can’t help anyone. You can just stay there, listen and wait. They usually break into the rooms as groups of policemen or guards and you can’t defend yourself against them.“
In a different incident the main respondent was trying to talk to a camp guard in turkish. Instead of giving him a response the guard hit him with the door while opening it. And the guard was about to get out and beat him but then he stopped because he saw that there were cameras.
One evening the main respondent wanted to get a bottle of coke from the machine but instead he was severely beaten. Around 8pm they close all the doors. The respondent asked: “Just before you close can I pick up a bottle of coke from the machine?” After the guards said “yes okay”, they dragged him into a room where they are hidden from the cameras, locked the doors and beat him up. Main respondent stressed in this incident that they slapped him around ten times. He describes that there is constant violence without a prior reason: “If there is any kind of inconvenience or small problem they start beating people right and left. They don’t care about the problem nor try to solve it. The people experience a lot of torture and beating and also rude or expulsive attitude with violent and insulting speaking.” The main respondent perceives this as the message, to: “Just leave, we don’t want you here, we don’t want you in this camp or this country”.
The respondent reported a situation about a friend of his, who was beaten until his eyes were severely injured. The guards of the Harmanli camp beat and destroyed his eye without a reason. The guards continued the beating even after realizing the damage to the eye.
On the 10.2.25 policemen from the camp dragged another guy to the forest and they beat him up until his eye was disfigured.
The main respondent summarizes how the camp guards and the policemen in the camp treat them: „They usually drag us into rooms or toilets without cameras where they beat us arbitrarily and violently. You can’t help anyone. You can just stay there, listen and wait. They usually break into the rooms as groups of policemen or guards and you can’t defend yourself against them.“
The respondent’s wounds after severe police beating
overview
1 people ,
from Syria,
aged 25.