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The men expressed the intention to ask for asylum, but the officers [...] shouted: ´It’s never gonna happen!´

Date & Time 2018-03-17
Location Hungarian side of the border near Bački Breg, Serbia
Reported by Rigardu
Coordinates 45.9274831, 18.96474918
Pushback from Hungary
Pushback to Serbia
Taken to a police station yes
Minors involved yes
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age 27 - 27
Group size 24
Countries of origin Pakistan
Treatment at police station or other place of detention photos taken, personal information taken
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved Unknown
Violence used dog attacks, forcing to undress
Police involved 7 Hungarian policemen (Hungarian border police uniforms, one with a torch, one with a mask and a dog), at police control place: Hungarian police officers and Hungarian army officers

In the evening on Friday 16th of March 2018 24 men (from Pakistan, 2-3 underaged and others older, interviewed one 27 years old) walked from Sombor, Serbia across the Hungarian border near Bački Breg, Serbia and continued walking in Hungarian territory. They moved the following night, then stayed till the next day on Saturday 17th, and continued again in the evening. Then, about 7 pm on 17th they got stopped by Hungarian police officers (about 7 men, Hungarian border police uniforms), one of them showing a torch, and one with a mask had a dog in an open spot in “jungle” there in Hungarian territory (the interviewed didn’t know the exact location). The officer pushed the dog to attack some of the men, but didn’t commit other violence. The men expressed the intention to seek for asylum, but the officers didn’t respond appropriately and shouted:

“It’s never gonna happen!”

They told the men to take all their clothes off and checked their bodies and bags and also money and mobile phones. The clothes and belongings were given back to the men, and after about one hour at the place the group was transported with a big police van about one hour drive away, probably closer to the Serbian-Hungarian border (the interviewed couldn’t see where they were driving), to a police control place with a large tent office. Inside the tent some Hungarian police officers (male, Hungarian border police uniforms) wrote down the names of the men and took pictures of them. No other documents were made or fingerprints were taken. The men were not asked to sign any papers and no documents were given to them. There were also some Hungarian army officers but no international police officers present. After about one hour at the place the men were put in a big police van and driven away and left in smaller groups at different spots right at the Serbian-Hungarian border. The group of the interviewee drove about one hour, between Kelebia, Hungary and Kelebija, Serbia, where they stayed the following night between Saturday 17th and Sunday 18th. At these spots the police ordered the men to go back to Serbia, so the men returned to the Serbian side.