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They were "treating them like slaves"

Date & Time 2023-02-01
Location Near Horgoš border
Reported by No Name Kitchen
Coordinates 46.1728125, 19.9218125
Pushback from Hungary
Pushback to Serbia
Taken to a police station no
Minors involved no
WLTI* involved no
Men involved no
Age 22 - 25
Group size
Countries of origin Morocco
Treatment at police station or other place of detention
Overall number of policemen and policewomen involved 3
Violence used beating (with batons/hands/other), pushing people to the ground, insulting, pepper spray, chasing people
Police involved 3 Hungarian police officers; unknown number of police cars (white and blue)

The respondent is a 23 years old man from Marocco. He was pushed back on the 1st of February from Hungary to Serbia.

On February 1st, the respondent was walking alone during the night – around 2am – and he crossed the border between Serbia and Hungary not far from Horgoš in the direction of Mórahalom. At some point, he was apprehended by 3 men that he describes as wearing uniforms and identified as Hungarian police officers. He further recalls that there were 3 Hungarian police cars, white and blue.

The respondent was loaded in a vehicle and driven 1 km north, in Hungarian territory. Reportedly, in the vehicle there were other 6 people- Algerian and Moroccans – that according to him were brought there from different locations after being apprehended as well.

Once they got off the vehicle, the men in uniforms ordered them to kneel on the ground and they forced them to run, so they could chase them and hit them “to have fun“. The transit group members were also forced to keep their face up and while the officers were using pepper spray on their faces.

Even expressing their intention to apply for asylum, they did not have the chance do it or to have access to any other legal action, because when they tried to talk, they were beaten even harder.

The men in uniform did not take their money or phones, but the respondent recalls that they were “treating them like slaves“, namely humiliating and insulting them, and they hit them.

One of the men in the group had medical issues and he had papers and prescriptions to prove it, but when he told the officers not to beat him because of that,he was beaten harder.

After some hours, the group was forced to run to the border as the officers were chasing them with the cars until the border. The group was insulted and mocked while being chased. Eventually, in Horgoš area, they had to cross the Hungarian-Serbian border to go back to Serbia.