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And they make us put hands up again. So long its so much exhausting

Date & Time 2018-09-13
Location Horgos border crossing, Hungary, Serbian-Hungarian border
Reported by Escuela Con Alma
Coordinates 46.17905247, 19.98332367
Pushback from Hungary
Pushback to Serbia
Taken to a police station yes
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved yes
Age 30 - 30
Group size 4
Countries of origin Afghanistan, Pakistan
Treatment at police station or other place of detention photos taken, denial of food/water
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved unknown
Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), insulting, forced to do physical actions, e.g. holding hands in the air for a long time
Police involved Hungarian officers, caught by 1 female and 3 male in blue and green uniforms, physical violence by one male in green uniform, deportation by other officers

The group of four tried to cross from Serbia to Hungary at the highway border crossing near Horgos (SRB). They hid in the back of a truck which was waiting in a line of other vehicles to cross the border. After about three hours the truck drove through the scanner, and the border officers detected the four individuals. There were one female and three male officers in blue and green uniforms who opened the back of the truck and saw the men hiding there. One of the officers, standing on the ground, hit the respondent with a big piece of iron 2-3 times against his lower leg, until it started bleeding and left the individual was in pain (see photos). Then the officers took photos of them and took them to a police station.

There, they were kept 3,5 hours while the officers threatened and punished the men, for example they made them hold up their hands for a long time. Then, the officers told them, that they would be deported to Serbia, made them enter a van and drove them about 10 km along the border fence. Two police cars were following them. They again took photos of the men and threatened  and punished them further in the same way as earlier.

“And they make us put hands up again. So long its so much exhausting.”

The officers there also showed them a paper saying that if any officer used violence the men could take it into court. The man showed his injury and told the officers  about the violence, but they only laughed about it. He also asked for painkillers and water, but they didn’t give him anything. They got another paper, saying that applying for asylum in Hungary is possible in asylum centers. So, the respondent expressed his intention to apply for asylum and asked for permission to go to the asylum center, but the officers again only laughed about him and didn’t comply with his request.

Afterwards the officers deported the group back to Serbia. 

The respondent was afraid of getting in trouble with the authorities if they found out that he reported the violence.