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borderline-europe
19.12.2014
No safety for Syrian refugees in Europe: Serbian border police reject application for asylum and abuse Syrian refugees upon arrival in Belgrade.
Deportation to Beirut
09.12.2014, W., a 30 year old Syrian refugee from Aleppo arrived at the airport in Belgrade with a false passport.
As a deserter from the army he wanted to apply for asylum in Serbia, but his appeal was not accepted by the police, and instead, as he himself states, he was severely beaten. He asked for help, crying, declaring that a refusal would mean death, but he wasn’t listen to. On the 10th of December his wife had contacted and sought help from the “Nawal Syriahorra” network in Catania, Sicily which primarily supports Syrian refugees, after she had not heard from her husband for 24 hours.
Thanks to the actions of his wife, W. was quickly able to reach them, and was then able to contact the Italian network directly. He explained, that another refugee from Sri Lanka was in the same situation as him. After the attack, he explained, he was taken to the emergency room in Belgrade, the “Urgentni Centar Beograd” however he was then driven back to the airport. On the 12th of December at 23.40 he still hadn’t been granted asylum status, but instead was forced onto in a plane of a Serbian Airline, probably Air Serbia, that flies at this time nonstop to Beirut, und bought him back to Lebanon with the words “we are putting you on a plane, with force if necessary” .W. wore evidence of his head injuries, and was deported to Beirut with a bandage on his head and a black eye. Regarding the refugee from Sri Lanka, he could only say that he still finds himself in the airport in Belgrade, as he himself was deported.
W. finds himself still in Beirut, there, only through contacts of the Italian network, could he find accommodation, since he was robbed by the Serbian police and had no more money!
During W.’s stay in Belgrade, the Nawal Syriahorra network was still informing various support groups, such as borderline-europe and welcome2eu as well as amnesty international in London about the case and received the answer, that the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights had been informed. The employees have ordinary access to the airport transit area. At 19.56 amnesty International confirmed that the employees of the Belgrade Centre were attempting to speak to W. who is still in custody, and “has not been found”, so it is likely that the Serbian Border Police have denied contact with W. W. is still currently in Lebanon, but according to Lebanese statements on the ground it’s not sure. A deportation to Syria, for him as a deserter would be life threatening!
borderline-europe
19.12.2014