BALKAN ROUTE: NGO exposes violence in detention centre in Bulgaria ― ‘Crisis’ measures set to continue for another three months in Hungary ― NGO report highlights deaths of people on the move in Serbia ― Serbian government introduces ID cards for people with protection status ― NGOs express concern about possible ‘return hubs’ in Western Balkans | European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE)

An NGO has accused police of committing acts of violence against detainees at a centre in Bulgaria.
The Hungarian government has announced another extension of “crisis” migration measures.
A new NGO report has highlighted deaths and disappearances of people on the move in Serbia.
The Serbian government has introduced new identity cards for people who are granted asylum in the country.
NGOs in the Western Balkans have raised concerns about the possible establishment of return hubs in the region.

An NGO has accused police of committing acts of violence against detainees at a centre in Bulgaria. According to the Collettivo Rotte Balcaniche group, there have been at least two violent incidents at the Pastrogor detention centre in recent weeks. The first occurred on 26 July after “a few people” attempted to escape during a protest. Shortly afterwards, police officers reportedly entered the centre and “beat a lot of people up” and “smashed a very high number of phones” after which “twelve people were taken away from the detention centre, held in a police station for 24 hours, forced to sign pledges to not to take part in any riot in the future, and later brought back to Pastrogor”. The second incident occurred after 12 people escaped during the night of 27-28 August. They were reportedly “brutally beaten up” by police before being “interrogated and beaten” in solitary confinement in Svilengrad police station and then “abused and beaten with sticks” in solitary confinement back in the detention centre. In addition to alleged police violence, Collettivo Rotte Balcaniche has also documented a hunger strike and two attempted suicides at the Pastrogor centre. Responding to questions from the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN) following the 26 July incident, the Bulgarian State Agency for Refugees said: “the material and living conditions at the temporary accommodation centre in the village of Pastrogor meet the established European standards”.

The Hungarian government has announced another extension of “crisis” migration measures. On 5 September, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced that the “state of crisis”, which was initially introduced in 2015 and has been renewed every six months since, would be extended until the end of the year. Referring to the recent events in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, Magyar justified his decision to maintain the controversial measures on the grounds that “a single legal loophole or a poorly prepared change can create an unmanageable situation in a very short time,” adding: “The Hungarian government cannot take such a risk”. He also committed to establishing a “lawful and functioning system that protects both Hungary’s borders and the money of the Hungarian people”. Commenting on the decision, the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expressed concern about “the continued use of measures allowing the summary removal of people intercepted for irregular entry or stay, as well as the requirement for asylum-seekers to initiate the asylum process through Hungarian Embassies in Serbia or Ukraine”. “UNHCR considers that these measures significantly limit access to asylum and the right to seek asylum. They are also inconsistent with the principle of non-refoulement (…),” it wrote in a press release. The UNHCR’s concerns were echoed by Lydia Gill from Human Rights Watch who called on the Hungarian government to “end the state of crisis, ensure effective access to asylum, and bring Hungary’s asylum system into compliance with EU and international law” and urged the European Commission to “press Hungary to comply with EU asylum law and outstanding Court of Justice of the European Union judgments and ensure that any replacement legislation respects refugee and human rights law”.

A new NGO report has highlighted deaths and disappearances of people on the move in Serbia. The report, which was published by KlikAktiv – Center for Development of Social Policies in July, noted that there had been at least 744 recorded deaths of people on the move have along the Balkan migration route between 2015 and 2025, and that no unified system for recording them existed in Serbia. It also noted that the Ministry of the Interior had registered 55 deaths, higher public prosecutors offices around the country had registered 104 cases, hospitals had conducted 126 autopsies and public utility companies had performed 110 burials during the same period. “Data is scattered among police authorities, prosecutors’ offices, hospitals, forensic institutions, and local utility companies, with no unified system capable of documenting the true scale of fatalities or ensuring reliable identification procedures” it noted, adding”: “As a result, many people who die along the route remain buried under “NN” markings in local cemeteries, while families continue searching for answers across multiple countries and institutions”.

The Serbian government has introduced new identity cards for people who are granted asylum in the country. On 27 August, the Ministry of the Interior adopted a new regulatory framework that will result in people who are granted refugee status or subsidiary protection being issued with biometric identity cards to replace the paper-based documents that are currently in use. ECRE member organisation the Centre for Research and Social Development (IDEAS) described the measure, which is due to apply from 1 October, as a “significant step forward in strengthening legal certainty and the institutional recognition of persons granted asylum” which could “create the legal and technical conditions for removing some of the systemic barriers that have impeded access to rights for years”. The NGO also warned that the impact of the reform would depend on its “consistent and uniform implementation” and committed to monitoring it.

NGOs in the Western Balkans have raised concerns about the possible establishment of return hubs in the region. Interviewed by BIRN, Milica Švabić from KlikAktiv – Center for Development of Social Policies said: “There are quite a lot of camps that are fully equipped with beds and everything needed. So, they [currently inactive detention centres] can very easily be put in use again within 24 or 48 hours, very quickly”. Serbian lawyer Nikola Kovačević warned that if return hubs were located in the Western Balkans, the EU would “send people who have a terrible situation, but don’t meet requirements for asylum” while “simultaneously testing” whether the country to which they were deported was “safe enough”. Kovačević’s concerns were echoed by the head of ECRE member organisation Vasa Prava, Emir Prcanovic, who said: “We have reason to be worried about Western Balkan countries potentially becoming [return hubs] – especially the countries neighbouring to the east. We might definitely become some sort of a hub”. He expressed concern about the impacts of large numbers of people being deported to countries in the region, saying: “Not a single government in the Western Balkan region has the capacities for such a system. I mean, Kosovo cannot accept 1,500 asylum seekers. In Bosnia we have the reception centres, we have the beds, but if the number grows, the system would be put to a serious stretch”.

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