The respondent is a 21-year-old man from Morocco. He was pushed back from Albania to Greece.

According to the respondent, while crossing the border from Greece to Albania on a truck with a friend, the driver noticed them and informed the police. At the border crossing point, thy were apprehended by the Albanian police.

The respondent and his friend were loaded into a car by two policemen. The police car was described as being white and blue with a police insigniaon it. The police station was next to the border gate and identified as such by the respondent.

Once at the police station, their personal information such as nationality or name was taken. However, the officers did not ask for fingerprints or take pictures.

The respondent and his friend were kept in the police station for one night. They were brought into a cell where three other people-on-the-move (POM) were already detained. The respondent identified them as being Algerians. He also mentioned that they would be pushed back afterwards.

During their stay at the police station, they received food and water. They did not face any kind of violence.

The day after, around 12 am, the respondent and his friend were taken to the border by two officers in a police car. The drive lasted less than half an hour.

Once at the border, the officers searched them and told them to go. According to the respondent, the place they were pushed back from was next to the entrance point from Greece to Albania, in the middle of the woods.

After walking down a hill, they ended up in a place where other POM who had been pushed back sometimes will stay. Here, the respondent encountered someone else that he knew, and they continued on back to Thessaloniki together.

While the three of them were walking they got apprehended by police. The respondent described a grey car with two police officers inside stopping next to them. One of the officers questioned the group about their reasons for being there, and where they were from. They responded that they are from Syria. The police officers also asked the three POM to indicate him on the map where they crossed to enter Albania.

One person from the transit group asked the police officer: “are you going to take us back to Turkey?” The officers started laughing.

Two cars arrived and they were brought to a police station. Once there, according to the respondent, they were kept outside due to COVID-19 measures while watched by one police officer.

“He [the officer] was laughing at them, when they told them we are Syrian he told them obviously you are Algerian or Moroccan.”

Taking advantage of a moment that the officer was busy, the three of them jumped a short part of the fence and run away. It was about 11:30 am. According to the respondent, some police officers went after them but they ran away and came back to Thessaloniki.

The respondent remarked: “if you ask for asylum in Greece they put you in detention.”