"Only in underwear"

NGO accuses Serbia of violence against migrants

Migrants at the border with Serbia (archive photo)

(Bild: AFP)

A North Macedonian non-governmental organization has accused the Serbian police of violence against migrants. Last weekend, more than 70 migrants turned up in a village on the border with Serbia, many of them dressed only in their underwear, said the head of the refugee aid organization Legis on Friday.

The migrants had reported to employees of the organization that they had been beaten and humiliated by the Serbian police.

The NGO published a video on the internet that had been filmed by residents of the village of Lojane in the north of North Macedonia.

It shows several men, most of them wearing only underwear, walking along a road between the Serbian border and the village at night in temperatures of around three degrees Celsius.

The migrants came from different countries and were on their way to Western Europe via the so-called Balkan route, said Jasmin Redzepi, the head of the refugee organization. "These people don't want to stay here. Their destination was neither Serbia nor North Macedonia. They are not committing a crime," she added.

These people don't want to stay here. Their destination was neither Serbia nor North Macedonia. They are not committing a crime.

Jasmin Redzepi, Leiterin der Flüchtlingshilfeorganisation Legis

"Silently approved"
The head of Legis deplores a policy directed against migrants that is "silently approved" by Europe. According to the NGO, some of the migrants wanted to try to cross the border to Serbia again.

According to the EU border protection agency Frontex, around 100,000 people tried to reach Western Europe via the Balkan route between January and October 2023.

130 Austrian police officers in the "Western Balkans" task force
The countries of the Western Balkans are also being reinforced by around 130 police officers from Austria to protect their borders, for example in Serbia, North Macedonia and Montenegro. The "Western Balkans" task force led by Austria, an important tool in the fight against migrant smuggling, is being further expanded and Turkey has also joined the task force.