CASE: VOLUNTEERS ARRESTED IN BULGARIA
7 Volunteers Arrested in Bulgaria after Helping Refugees in Emergency: https://www.crimesofsolidarity.com/action/321.0
In October 2022, five people called emergency services in Bulgaria to request urgent medical assistance.
They’d encountered 17 Syrians (including minors) in a forest in Bulgaria near the border with Turkey.
They had been without food, water, or shelter for 72 hours.
Border police then arrive on scene wearing balaclavas...
Everyone was arrested.
Handcuffed.
Imprisoned.
They were aggressively strip-searched, denied lawyers and translators, and held for 15 hours in cells with feces on the floor and unclean beds before being released.
The asylum seekers remained detained, without medical care.
This is a real example of how intensified border control and anti-migration policies in Bulgaria affect not only those seeking asylum, but also those who act in solidarity.
We know that the presence of activists and NGOs prevents illegal pushbacks carried out by authorities.
Yet we see constant persecution of activists, even those responding to an emergency situation and carrying out their civilian duties face intimidation, and detention.
Silencing those who help doesn’t stop arrivals, it only increases unchecked abuse against those seeking survival.
👨🏽💻 Crimes of Solidarity and Humanitarianism Database
➡️ https://www.crimesofsolidarity.com/
Database entry: https://www.crimesofsolidarity.com/action/321.0
#bulgariabordercontrol
#crimesofsolidarity