Latest update on the situation at the Serbo-Hungarian Border. The report covers the situation in the official camps in front of the Transit Zones as well as the consequences of the new “push back law” passed on July 5, 2016.
Although the state-controlled Balkan corridor is closed since March, hundreds of people still travel across the Balkans towards central Europe. People cross from Greece through Macedonia or from Turkey through Bulgaria to Serbia, where around 300 people arrive every day. After a few days in Belgrade, most people continue to Subotica, a small city close to the Hungarian border. Despite the fence along the Serbo-Hungarian border, there are several possibilities to cross from Serbia into Hungary. There are three camps in the area. One is a state run “one-stop-centre” in the outskirts of Subotica. The other two are self-organised camps right at the transit-zones. Around 15 people per day are allowed to cross legally into Hungary from each camp at the transit-zone.
Increasing Numbers of Pushbacks from Hungary to Serbia
Many people try to cross into Hungary on their own during the night to avoid the long waiting period and uncertainty in the transit zone. The unauthorised ways are highly frequented and many people manage to transit Hungary and continue their journey. However, the Hungarian police and fascist civil defence units control the Hungarian border tightly. They systematically push refugees back from Hungary to Serbia. In the last weeks, these pushbacks increased, leading to a larger number of people stuck in Serbia. There are many people reporting violence from the Hungarian authorities during the pushbacks. For more information, see previous report on violence during pushbacks from Hungary.
A new law is about to be passed in Hungary on July 5. When it comes into practice it will legalize the displacement of hundreds of people who cross the Hungarian border fence to the Serbian side. This is based on a legal trick, as the fence is built five meters into Hungarian territory. Therefore, legally spoken, it is based on a displacement and not a deportation and needs no bilateral agreement with Serbia. However, in practice it is nothing else than a push-back as it leaves people with no other option as returning to Serbia territory.
Already in the last days people in Serbia witnessed push-backs from Hungarian territory and interviewed some of those who have been affected.
In the last days we witnessed an increased number of people who left for Hungary returning to Belgrade. They crossed into Hungary, but were caught by the police and pushed back to Serbia through a hole in the fence. Many people reported violent behaviour by the Hungarian police, including pepper spray, electrical shocks, beatings and setting dogs on them.
Belgrade, remaining an important transit point, proves that the so-called “Balkanroute” is still a well beaten track. There is a constant flow of people arriving and leaving the city. On a daily basis, approximately 100-200 people arrive1. Most of them come via Bulgaria and Macedonia and stay only for a couple of days to rest, organize and prepare for further traveling. Others also stay for longer, as Serbia, which is not part of the Dublin Agreement, does not cause them any trouble for further asylum applications.
Continue reading about the Transit Zones, Repression and Push-Backs in the border region as well as in Belgrade.
critical reports and analysis about serbia as a country of transit and origin
