Ministry of Interior with a position after the "Sky News" investigation of Bulgarian border guards

An investigation by the British broadcaster "Sky News" and several other Western European media claimed that Bulgarian border guards shot and wounded a Syrian citizen who tried to cross into Bulgaria from Turkey.

The footage was taken on 3 October and was provided to a Dutch human rights organisation by a Turkish lawyer. Speaking to Western European media, 19-year-old Syrian Abdullah El Rustum Mohamed says he was wounded near the heart and suffered permanent damage.

A Sky News investigation claims Bulgarian border guards shot and wounded a Syrian citizen

A statement sent by the Ministry of Interior to Sky News said that Bulgarian border police officers were on duty on the night in question but did not fire any shots.

According to the Ministry of Interior, from the footage it is not clear from which direction the shots were fired. In connection with this incident, an investigation was carried out to establish the factual truth, which shows that no shots were fired from the Bulgarian side, the ministry noted.

The entire position of the Ministry of Interior, which was sent to "Sky News", was provided specifically for BNT, as well as photos that are related to the case.

The case involves 65 people attempting to cross the border illegally.

The Ministry of Interior added that there was aggressive behaviour on the part of the migrants, who threw stones at the border police car. A policeman from the Border Police Station "Sredets" was injured and material damage was caused.

The official statement provided to BNT by the Ministry of Interior says that the legal regime of the state borders of the Republic of Bulgaria is regulated by three types of normative acts - European, international and domestic. The Chief Directorate “Border Police” strictly observes all of them. The Border Police directorate actively cooperates with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee on the basis of the signed tripartite Memorandum of Cooperation. Since the caretaker cabinet took office, there have been no reports of serious incidents related to the Bulgarian border by the Turkish state and Frontex.

According to the Ministry of Interior, this aggression is not an isolated case.

Bulgaria protects the border of the entire European Union, because many of those trying to enter our territory are trying to reach countries in Western and Central Europe. Bulgarian security forces, with the help of Frontex, are on the front line every day to protect all European citizens. The European Commission's latest checks in our country show that our country strictly complies with Schengen legislation. This has been stated in two successive reports, the Ministry of the Interior added.

Here is the full position of the Ministry of Interior:

The legal regime of the state borders of the Republic of Bulgaria is regulated by three types of normative acts - European, international and domestic. The General Directorate of Border Police (GDBP) strictly observes all of them. The GDBP actively cooperates with the UNHCR and the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee on the basis of the signed tripartite Memorandum of Cooperation. Since the caretaker government took office, there have been no reports of serious incidents related to the Bulgarian border by the Turkish state and Frontex.

During the period 01 January -27 November.2022, 153,460 persons were registered as attempting to cross the Bulgarian-Turkish border, which is more than a 4-fold increase compared to the same period in 2021 (364,418 people). In the last two months a decrease in migrant pressure has been observed. The Bulgarian border is jointly guarded by the forces of the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Defence and Frontex.

According to the 1967 Agreement between the People's Republic of Bulgaria and the Republic of Turkey on the Prevention and Resolution of Border Incidents and the Maintenance of State Border Signs, shooting at neighbouring territory constitutes a border incident and all Bulgarian officials are instructed not to use weapons towards adjacent Turkish territory.

It should be borne in mind that the aggression by third country nationals against border police officers has increased significantly in recent times. They have thrown stones and flammable objects over the fence at the border guards, resulting in injuries to colleagues and damage to the property of the border police directorate - vehicles and permanent border guard posts. In recent months, two Interior Ministry officers lost their lives while trying to stop a bus with illegal migrants in Bourgas, one was seriously injured in a similar situation in Sofia. A border policeman was shot dead in the line of duty and the circumstances surrounding the incident are still being clarified.

Again, a case of aggression was reported on March 3, 2022, when in the area of the 92 border pyramid, a border police unit from the Sredets Border Police Station prevented an attempted violation of the state border by a group of about 65 persons. On sighting the border patrol the group retreated deep into Turkish territory. Not long after, they returned back, and the same showed aggressive and hostile behaviour, which turned into physical violence - throwing stones and burning objects at the Bulgarian police officers, the vehicle and the security booth. A border policeman of the Sredets Border Police Station was injured by the stones thrown. Significant material damage was caused to the Bulgarian service vehicle "Land Rover Discovery", as well as broken windows of the security booth.

The Turkish border authorities were immediately notified and sent a team to the scene. On November 2, 2022, an extraordinary meeting of the Bulgarian-Turkish Joint Border Commission for Sector "A" was held on Turkish territory, at which information about the incident of October 3, 2022 was exchanged. In connection with the case, the Turkish side showed a video taken with a phone by the migrants, in which a shot was heard, from which a Syrian citizen was injured on Turkish territory. It is not clear from the footage from which direction the shot was fired. In connection with this incident, a fact-finding inquiry has been carried out, which shows that no shots were fired from our side.

This aggression is not an isolated case. Bulgaria protects the border of the entire European Union, because many of those trying to enter our territory are trying to reach countries in Western and Central Europe. Bulgarian security forces, with the help of Frontex, are on the front line every day to protect all European citizens.

The European Commission's latest checks in our country show that Bulgaria strictly complies with Schengen legislation. This has been stated in two successive reports, the position of the Ministry of Interior also says.

Чуйте последните новини, където и да сте!
Последвайте ни във Facebook и Instagram
Следете и канала на БНТ в YouTube
Вече може да ни гледате и в TikTok
Намерете ни в Google News