Bulgaria forces Syrian asylum seekers to leave the country after Assad ousting
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, Bulgaria has been trying to forcibly expel Syrian asylum seekers by pressuring them to sign "voluntary return" documents.
The humanitarian organization No Name Kitchen (NNK), which supports refugees in the Balkan region, has reported collecting substantial evidence of harassment against Syrian nationals at Europe’s borders.
A report by NNK, analyzed by The Guardian, includes testimonies, photographs, and documents detailing how Bulgaria has deported hundreds of Syrian asylum seekers.
According to accounts gathered by activists and humanitarian workers, Bulgarian authorities have coerced many refugees into signing documents under duress, including one enabling their forced repatriation.
"My friend said that when the interview ends, you cannot leave without signing. There is someone waiting for you inside the room, telling you to sign here. You cannot do anything because violence will be used on you," a witness said.
The NNK report added: "In addition to the fall of Assad being used to coerce people into signing voluntary return documents, the shift in regime is also being used as an opportunity to deny and restrict access to the right to asylum, rejecting people’s claims on the basis of the change of leadership and not the facts of their individual case."
(QG - Source: The Guardian / Picture: © Pixabay)