On the 4th of July a group of 11 men from Afghanistan was violented and unlawfully detained by Hungarian authorities before being pushed back from Hungary to Serbia.
The respondent, a 21 year old man from Afghanistan, explains the group started their journey from Horgos. After crossing the border fences around 11pm on the 3rd of July they were found by Hungarian officers. Two big black cars arrived, with in each two men dressed in camo uniforms. He adds that in one of the cars they also brought a big dog.
The respondent explains he was shot behind the left knee with an electroshock weapon (see picture). And the officer who shot said “It’s a gift from Hungary to you”.
He adds “They fight the whole group, all eleven people, with police sticks. So much fighting.” The dog was there as well, barking a lot and jumping but did not bite anyone.
The beating lasted for some time until a police van came. All the eleven people got their hands tied with plastic ties and were put in this van.
They were driven to “containers” on the border (46.176217, 19.942485) (See picture).
Arriving there, their hands got untied and they were all put in the left container. The officers put pepper spray inside the container before locking up the whole group. The respondent says they stayed there for 2 or 3 hours, all coughing and having difficulties to breathe.
Eventually, they were released and put in a van again which drove them to the place where they got pushed back to Serbia through a gate in the border fence around 3 am. The respondent explains that before they got pushed back the officers made a video of them. The respondent used this occasion to tell on camera about the violence they all suffered. Because of this, an officer shouted at him and kicked him before pushing him back to Serbia.
The second respondent confirms the story. His back and shoulders are covered in hematoma caused by the police sticks (See picture).
He was seen by the MSF Mobile Clinic on the 5th of July. They issued him a certificate. (See picture)
Transcription of the certificate:
“Back: A big hematoma. Emerging of multiple hematoma (total size 60×20) over the left side. There are central clearings indicating hits with an elongated blunt object (eg: baton). There are at least 12 of these clearings.
Left shoulder: one tramline hematoma
Left side of torso: one tramline hematoma
Face: above left eyebrow lacerated wound (1cm)”
The group took a video of their injuries the day they were pushed back, which is the source of the picture we publish here. The inscription in Pashto on the picture translates by “The cruelty of the Hungarian police”.
The respondent explains all the group members were injured but they photographed only three of them.
Here is the picture of a third member from the group :
