Bulgarian-Turkish border: Refugee shot at the EU’s external border

Footage shows how a refugee was hit by live ammunition at the EU’s external border. Analysis of the video and eyewitness reports suggest that the shot was allegedly fired by the Bulgarian side.

On the road in the Bulgarian-Turkish border region: A few kilometers from the border fence, the roads become gravel roads. Finally, signs prohibit civilian vehicles from continuing to drive. A Bulgarian border police vehicle appears to be escorting a military vehicle. Both drive towards the border at high speed. People can be seen on the loading area. On some days he saw ten of these trucks, says an elderly man, the last inhabitant of the border village of Granicar. “They’re taking them back to where they came from. I don’t know what’s happening there, but I see them bringing them back in vehicles.”

There are repeated reports in the area of ​​pushbacks, i.e. illegal deportations across the border without checking the individual cases. It’s October 3rd. The setting sun is still flashing through the trees, bathing the disturbing scenes that are about to take place in warm autumn light. A group of young men, they later say, was sent back to Turkey, to the other side of the border fence. They rebel, curse, throw stones. The Bulgarian police later spoke of “aggressive and hostile behavior”.

riot at the border fence

A refugee films with his mobile phone – both the tumult at the border fence and what happens in the following minutes: A shot can be heard, a young man in a black T-shirt can be seen being hit. He stumbles and falls. The bullet hits him in the chest. The other refugees do what they can to save his life. One hears desperate calls, sees helpless and hectic attempts to provide first aid.

The young man’s name is Abdullah and he is 19 years old. He is taken to a Turkish hospital and operated on. The doctor’s letter suits him ARD Studio Vienna and European media partners. He confirms the injury from a projectile. The bullet seems to have just missed his heart. A reporter tracks down Abdullah and meets him in Turkey a few weeks later. His condition has stabilized. In the interview, he blames the Bulgarian border police. According to him, Bulgarian border officials appeared in a vehicle. They first fired warning shots and then shot him directly. “If the bullet had destroyed the vein, I wouldn’t be alive now. It’s a miracle. I never thought I’d be shot at. In a country that calls itself European.”

Forensic analysis of the cellphone video supports Abdullah’s account. Analysis by one audio expert suggests: “The muzzle blast spectrum peaks at 1000 Hz, consistent with forward muzzle blasts from small firearms such as a handgun.” According to the expert analysis, the shot seems to have come from the direction in which the recording medium, namely the camera, is pointing – i.e. from the Bulgarian side.

In addition, there are other videos showing the situation before the shot. In one of these videos, a military truck and a Land Rover Discovery can be seen on the Bulgarian side. Both vehicles are used by Bulgarian emergency services in the border area.

Bulgarian Interior Ministry denies allegations

When asked about the allegations, the Bulgarian Ministry of the Interior wrote that there was an outbreak of violence at the border on October 3. Stones were thrown and a police officer was injured. No shots were fired from their side.

The pressure on the Bulgarian-Turkish border is increasing. According to the Bulgarian authorities, there were more than 150,000 attempts to get from Turkey to Bulgaria this year alone. That is four times as many as in the previous year (36,000). Some people don’t survive the path through the impassable forests in the no man’s land at the borders. You end up, sometimes after days, with Dr. Galina Mileva in the forensic medicine in Burgas. She also notices that more refugees are making their way, but not all are arriving.

Actually she can store nine bodies, currently she has 18 bodies. Because there was no longer enough space in the fridge, she improvised and got herself an ice chest. There are now three people there, packed in black plastic bags, one of whom is a refugee. The condition in which the dead arrive is sometimes very bad, says the pathologist. Some are missing the clothes. “Too many refugees have died in the Strandja mountains. Those who are sick or unable to walk as they run without water and food, the weak are left behind and die.”

19-year-old Abdullah was hit by live ammunition at the EU’s external border on October 3. He miraculously survived the shot.

The text is based on joint research by the ARD studios in Vienna, Lighthouse Reports, Sky News, Le Monde, The Times and Domani.