The respondent, a 30-year-old Syrian man, was pushed back from Germany to Austria on December 6th 2022. This testimony provides an account of the respondent’s second pushback experience, the first of which happened two days previously on the 4th of December 2022. 

The respondent explained that he and his fellow transit member, a Turkish national, around 22.00 on December 4th were in the town center of Freassing (Germany) in front of the “Kaufland” store where he contacted his relatives living in Germany who came to collect him. While the respondent joined his relatives in their car, the Turkish man remained at the store. After what felt like ‘a short ride’ to the respondent, ‘a police car pulled up and made us stop the car’. 

The respondent, along with his relatives, was reportedly taken to a ‘police station’, where they were detained until 3:00 a.m. on December 6th. Despite expressing his intention to seek asylum, he was instead informed that he would have to pay a fine because he had ‘entered Germany irregularly’. However, the respondent explained to the presumed police officers that he had no money to pay the fine. 

According to the respondent, he was driven to a ‘police station’ in Freilassing, which was an estimated 15-30 minute drive and remained at this facility throughout the night. He was subsequently transferred to another detention facility, where he said he spent one day. Reportedly, ‘the Austrian police’ came to collect them from the facility and bring the respondent and ‘other persons back to Austria’.