This report brings together first-hand testimonies from a range of countries in the region to look at the way European Union states and other actors are affecting systemic violence towards people crossing borders.

BVMN is a network of watchdog organisations active in the Balkans and Greece including Rigardu, Are You Syrious, Mobile Info Team, InfoKolpa, Collective Aid, Blindspots, Pushback Alarmphone Austria, I Have Rights, PIC, Center for Legal Aid – Voice in Bulgaria and Mission Wings. Combining insights from these different members and other partners, this month’s report covers, among other things:

– Continued policing of the Serbian-Hungarian border

– Violent pushbacks at the Romanian and Bulgarian borders

– Fortification of EU’s external border with Turkey continues

– Continued detention of undocumented people and asylum seekers in inhumane conditions in Greece

– Aegean Sea: numbers of rescues, arrivals and pushbacks in May 2024

– Migration Commission Report: Violations in Çanakkale Removal Centre, in Turkey

– Iraqi LGBTQ+ Advocate’s Deportation

– Update on the UK-Rwanda Deal