The police hit the respondent on the back of the head with a black pistol

The respondent is a 22-year-old Moroccan man. On the 11th of April, 2025, he was with a group of 10 people in transit, including one minor around the age of 14. They were eating breakfast at around 10 am, in a field in Bulgaria close to Malko Sharkovo village, when a large, dark blue Ford vehicle arrived at their location (42°05'52.8"N 26°50'22.8"E). 

Respondent described that four people exited the vehicle together with three dogs, while the other three people arrived on foot. He described them all wearing the same dark blue uniform, and when shown images of various Bulgarian officers, the respondent recognised one of the dark blue uniforms and identified them as Bulgarian police.

The respondent recalled that the dogs were big, and they did not stop barking. Once out of the vehicle, several police officers kept shouting at the transit group, saying in English, ‘Fuck you, fuck you!’. However, during the rest of the incident, the officers reportedly didn’t speak in English, but only in a language that the apprehended group could not understand, recognised by the respondent as Bulgarian. 

The respondent reported that the authorities hit him on the back of the head with a black pistol and then kicked him in the ribs. He described that around five people were bitten by the police dogs, and described how one of the men he was with lost a chunk of their calf. Reportedly, the officers then searched the group, taking any money they could find and breaking their phones.

The transit group was then driven to a facility that the respondent described as a local police station, though he could not recall the exact location of the police station. Each member of the transit group was then interviewed by the police, one by one. They were not given a lawyer. The respondent recalled being asked how he had crossed the border from Turkey into Bulgaria, and who had helped them do it.

The group was held in the police station for approximately one full day. They were provided with water, but in regards to food, he said they were only given some biscuits. The respondent explained that the group was all forced to sign documents, although these were not translated into a language he could understand. At the time of the interview, he still did not know what was written in those documents. Their fingerprints and photographs were also taken.

The respondent described that he was then taken to Busmantsi’ Detention Centre (42°40'26.7"N 23°26'18.5"E) where he was held for 15 days. He explained he was not allowed to leave, as this was a closed camp. The police did not explain the reason for his detention.