Skip to content
Support our work

Then they started beating him and he was on the floor and they kicked him.

Date & Time 2021-11-15
Location Near Guevguelia, North Macedonia
Reported by Anonymous Partner
Coordinates 41.128341, 22.516925
Pushback from North Macedonia
Pushback to Greece
Taken to a police station yes
Minors involved yes
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age 17 - 17
Group size 1
Countries of origin Morocco
Treatment at police station or other place of detention detention, fingerprints taken, photos taken, personal information taken, papers signed, no translator present, denial of access to toilets, denial of food/water
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 4
Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), kicking, pushing people to the ground, theft of personal belongings
Police involved North Macedonian officers, with flag on their uniform. one other in black uniform and balaclava

The respondent is a minor, 17-year-old, from Morocco. The pushback happened on the 15 of November 2021, from North Macedonia to Greece.

According to the respondent he was apprehended 15km away from the Greek border by three officers with a blue van.

He saw the Macedonian flag on their uniform, this is how he knew that it was Macedonian police.

He was loaded into a van and brought to a police station that was about one hour and a half driving.

They took him to a police station where he gave his fingerprints and they took a picture of his face and asked for his nationality, his name, personal information.

The respondent told the police officers he was from Syria but they wouldn’t believe him and pressured him until he said that he was Moroccan. He told them that he was a minor, but after the officers refused to believe him, as he had lied about his nationality. After this, the officers proceeded to beat the respondent, kicking him while he was on the floor.

According to the respondent, the beating and kicking lasted for 10-15 minutes. He was not beaten by the officers that apprehended him, but rather another officer wearing black uniform and a balaclava.

“They did not give me any food or water and I was too afraid to ask for a toilet after they beat me up.”

The police officers were speaking in English with him, but since the respondent doesn’t speak English at all he couldn’t communicate. Thus it was impossible for him to ask for asylum. He was forced to sign three papers. There was no translator present and no one explained to him what those papers were about.

“They searched me at the police station and found 100 euros which they took, but did not give it back.”

According to the respondent many other people were kept in the same police station but he was pushed back alone.

The respondent was taken to the border, where there was a small gate in the fence.  The police officers opened it, pushed him to the other side, and closed the gate after him.

The respondent then travelled back to Thessaloniki.