Increasing violence against immigrants at the EU borders

The EP Sol-GUE/NGL Group, together with the Border Violence Surveillance Network, which operates mainly in the Balkan and Greek regions, has reported on human rights violations at the EU’s external borders in 2021 and 2022.

The report, “The Black Book of Returns,” noted that only 5 percent of those interviewed in 2021 said they had not been subjected to or witnessed the use of “excessive force” while being deported from Europe.

“Many of these pages are full of testimonies from people on the move who were beaten, kicked, insulted, humiliated and arbitrarily detained before being illegally expelled, both from the external borders of the EU and from deep within the territory of the Member States. the press release said. It was said.

The report indicates that in many cases they were subjected to different methods of torture, such as rape, sexual abuse, excessive and prolonged beatings, the use of electric weapons against them, and even being thrown into the river by border officials, sometimes With his hands. European systems were strengthened from above.

“WE ARE BEYOND THE POINT OF DENIAL”

“We are beyond the point of denying that there are any rollbacks,” said Hope Barker, the Network’s senior policy analyst, who presented the report to the AP. We have camera evidence, medical reports and more than a thousand testimonials. This is just the data we managed to collect.” she performed her assessment.

“This is the tip of the iceberg, there are hundreds of thousands of stories that we haven’t heard.” Barker said: “Kickbacks are illegal. Until this violence ends, we will continue to fight them and publish these reports.” he used the phrases.

Cornelia Ernst, a German member of the Sol-GUE/NGL Group, blamed the EU Commission for failing to launch infringement proceedings against member states that reject immigrants and deny asylum.

Ernst called to sign the “Stop pushbacks” campaign on the Group’s website.

The report includes cases in Greece, Bulgaria, Austria, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, and Albania. (AA)