Time and Date: 12.6.17 - Between 2:00am until 5:00am
Date of Interview: 14.6.17
Location Interviewed: Palić
Location of Violence: (46.164050,19.806093)
Demographics: 14 people total: 13 from Afghanistan including one minor: age 16, and one man from Pakistan
Testimonial:
“We crossed at around 11pm, at 2am, police catch. The army catch us first, and then police come. Army not beating so much, then the police beating and kicking. They told us to crouch down like this [fetal position] with our heads to the ground, and they beat us if we moved. We stayed down like this for 2 hours, and they beat us if we moved. After some time, new people [police] come in a car and beat us also during these two hours. Then a second car with police came and they beat [us] again for one more hour. Approximately three hours of beating total. They were also kicking and punching us. After, they walked us to the big road and told us to sit down. They lowered their guns at us and said to sit far apart from each other, then another car come and police started beating again. 5-6 cars came like this. They kicked one man in the penis and he passed out because it was so hard. When he woke up, he didn’t know where he was, and he was bleeding from his mouth. Police say they recognized him, one army man say 4-5 days ago this man tried before. 4-5 police beat this man. He went back to belgrade. The police beating another man, and they kicked him in the chest. He was vomiting today. The man they kicked in the penis was vomiting blood. The man from Pakistan was beaten worse because he was from Pakistan.
They continued to beat us on the side of the road, and many of us could not walk so well because we were in this crouched position for so long. There was police man with a beard that was too much of a problem. He was beating so much. They then took out the dog, and were just holding it on the leash, and letting it bark at people, but not freeing it. Then one police person said it was enough beating; he looked like a bodybuilder with short hair. Then two vans came to the side of the road, and brought us to the Horgoš transit zone. There was a Serbian police man staying at the gates where we come through back to Serbia. Before, Hungary was letting dogs chase people back on the Serbian side, so now have a police there, and Hungary does not beat there anymore. One Hungarian man collected our shoes. I asked for one minute to take my shoes off, and he [pepper] sprayed my face. There is are two small gates close to the patrol road which go through the two fences to the Serbian side. It is ~500m from the container camp. We were forced to read a paper and go through the gates. It said, “Don’t come again to Hungary illegally. If you want to come to Hungary, register in Serbia to cross. If you cross the border again, we will bring you to a closed camp or to court, and court will decide what to do.” There was a speaker on the fence saying, “This is property of Hungary.” They said this in English, Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu. We were made to read this paper outloud and they recorded us reading it. They also took pictures of everyone. One group photo, and then alone picture. All four sides: face, back, right and left sides. The Serbian Police always stand close to the gate, and then direct us to camp. They tell us to go get food and water there, and then take leave the transit camp after, but they let us rest there.’
Date of Interview: 14.6.17
Location Interviewed: Palić
Location of Violence: (46.164050,19.806093)
Demographics: 14 people total: 13 from Afghanistan including one minor: age 16, and one man from Pakistan
Testimonial:
“We crossed at around 11pm, at 2am, police catch. The army catch us first, and then police come. Army not beating so much, then the police beating and kicking. They told us to crouch down like this [fetal position] with our heads to the ground, and they beat us if we moved. We stayed down like this for 2 hours, and they beat us if we moved. After some time, new people [police] come in a car and beat us also during these two hours. Then a second car with police came and they beat [us] again for one more hour. Approximately three hours of beating total. They were also kicking and punching us. After, they walked us to the big road and told us to sit down. They lowered their guns at us and said to sit far apart from each other, then another car come and police started beating again. 5-6 cars came like this. They kicked one man in the penis and he passed out because it was so hard. When he woke up, he didn’t know where he was, and he was bleeding from his mouth. Police say they recognized him, one army man say 4-5 days ago this man tried before. 4-5 police beat this man. He went back to belgrade. The police beating another man, and they kicked him in the chest. He was vomiting today. The man they kicked in the penis was vomiting blood. The man from Pakistan was beaten worse because he was from Pakistan.
They continued to beat us on the side of the road, and many of us could not walk so well because we were in this crouched position for so long. There was police man with a beard that was too much of a problem. He was beating so much. They then took out the dog, and were just holding it on the leash, and letting it bark at people, but not freeing it. Then one police person said it was enough beating; he looked like a bodybuilder with short hair. Then two vans came to the side of the road, and brought us to the Horgoš transit zone. There was a Serbian police man staying at the gates where we come through back to Serbia. Before, Hungary was letting dogs chase people back on the Serbian side, so now have a police there, and Hungary does not beat there anymore. One Hungarian man collected our shoes. I asked for one minute to take my shoes off, and he [pepper] sprayed my face. There is are two small gates close to the patrol road which go through the two fences to the Serbian side. It is ~500m from the container camp. We were forced to read a paper and go through the gates. It said, “Don’t come again to Hungary illegally. If you want to come to Hungary, register in Serbia to cross. If you cross the border again, we will bring you to a closed camp or to court, and court will decide what to do.” There was a speaker on the fence saying, “This is property of Hungary.” They said this in English, Arabic, Farsi, and Urdu. We were made to read this paper outloud and they recorded us reading it. They also took pictures of everyone. One group photo, and then alone picture. All four sides: face, back, right and left sides. The Serbian Police always stand close to the gate, and then direct us to camp. They tell us to go get food and water there, and then take leave the transit camp after, but they let us rest there.’