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There were two [German] police officers in the van. They handed me over to the Austrian police without taking much time.

Date & Time 2022-12-03
Location near Passau train station in Germany
Reported by Anonymous Partner
Coordinates 48.574443, 13.450846
Pushback from Germany
Pushback to Austria
Taken to a police station yes
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age 31
Group size 1
Countries of origin Syria
Treatment at police station or other place of detention detention, fingerprints taken, photos taken
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved
Violence used no violence used
Police involved one “regular police van”; four German police officers (two women and two men) wearing “regular German police uniforms”; two officers driving the police van across the border, unknown number of Austrian officers

The respondent is a 31-year-old Syrian man that was alone to Frankfurt. He reported that the 3rd of December 2022, at the train station of Passau (Germany) 4 police officers wearing regular German police uniforms approached the platform of his train which was supposed to travel to Frankfurt. Reportedly, at approximately 10 pm he arrived into Passau train station (which is situated right at the German/Austrian border) the four uniformed people approached the train he was on; two men in uniform entered the train while two other women in uniform remained on the platform. The respondent described how there were numerous Arab people on the train that were attempting to avoid the officers, including the respondent, but he was apprehended by the officers and forced to leave the train.

The respondent was then reportedly taken to what he described as a police station where he attempted to ask for asylum. He stated that his fingerprints were taken and that he was subsequently held at the detention site until the following morning. 

That morning, the respondent recalled being loaded into a “regular police van” driven by two officers in blue uniforms and being driven for approximately 30 minutes before being pushed back over the border to Austria. He was reportedly handed over to Austrian officers “without taking much time” and was then relocated to another detention site referred to as an “Austrian police station” where he was held all day from morning to evening. Whilst being detained here, he reportedly attempted to ask for asylum again. 

That evening, he was relocated to what he described as a “foreign police headquarters” in Wels. The journey lasted approximately one and a half hours, recalled the respondent. He reportedly gave his fingerprints again and also had his photograph taken. The respondent stated that his asylum request was registered there and that he was then transferred to an open camp in Klagenfurt.