"They chased us for 5 hours and laughed whilst they did it"

Date & Time 2023-10-25

Location 46.17176870089064, 19.92734433041076 - Around a mile southwest of the Madarasz-to pond.

Reported by Collective Aid

Coordinates 46.171763134956, 19.927451085414

Pushback from Hungary

Pushback to Serbia

Taken to a police station unknown

Minors involved no

WLTI* involved yes

Men involved yes

Age unknown

Group size 20

Countries of origin Morocco

Treatment at police station or other place of detention

Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 18

Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), pushing people to the ground, exposure to air condition and extreme temperature during car ride, threatening with guns, destruction of personal belongings, theft of personal belongings

Police involved 15 armed Hungarian officers.

A pair of Moroccan men visibly in their 20s described a violent pushback from Hungary to Serbia. The first interaction with the police was believed to have been around 4am in the area surrounding the Madarasz-to pond – near to Horgos on the Serbian side. A group of 26 Moroccan adults (2 of which were female) were met by 15 armed Hungarian officers. The police proceeded to beat some of the men and using a batons 4 or 5 times, and slapping 2 men particularly hard with an open hand. The group were searched and had their phones destroyed and one power bank stolen. They were then forced to run for what felt like 5 hours with their hands on the heads whilst the officers laughed and jeered behind. It was raining in the early morning of the 25/10.

We were told by the two men: “we were chased for 5 hours and they laughed whilst they did it”

The attached image shows the two broken phones belonging to the men.