At a detention center in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, dozens of Syrian asylum seekers are facing the choice of deportation to areas controlled by the Syrian regime or imprisonment for 18 months under the charge of threatening Bulgarian national security.

Seventy-six Syrians, including eight children, are living in harsh and difficult conditions at the Busmantsi detention center in Sofia, lacking sufficient resources to help them survive or any solutions to attain their freedom.

Abdul Basit al-Hassan, one of the asylum seekers detained at the center, told Enab Baladi that the 76 Syrians now find themselves between two options: the first is imprisonment for 18 months under the pretext of threatening Bulgarian national security, which happens through signing a detention paper for six months that can be extended three times (meaning their stay in prison would total 18 months).

He added that the second option is to sign a deportation order back to Syria, facing the risk of arrest and death, especially since a representative from the Syrian embassy came to the center and promised to deport them within approximately 21 days once the number is complete (for those who agree to the deportation).

Al-Hassan mentioned that some individuals were arrested while attempting to enter Bulgaria from Turkey, and some were returned by European governments because they have an asylum fingerprint in Bulgaria.

“If we remain in the center this winter, we will die,” the young man described the fate of the detainees, adding that the conditions of detention are extremely difficult, with detainees lacking heating, sufficient food, clothing, and medical care.

The guards at the center exploit the detainees’ needs, demanding money for small amounts of food; for example, an individual might pay around 100 euros to bring in a small quantity of vegetables, according to him.

The Syrians in the center are calling on humanitarian and rights organizations to consider their situation and find solutions to their “tragic” state, to spare them from the harsh conditions of detention, and to avoid falling into the “clutches of the Syrian regime.”

Violation of laws

Article 3 of the Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment states that “no State Party shall expel or return (“refouler”) or transfer any person to another State where there are substantial grounds for believing that they would be in danger of being subjected to torture.”

According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), which has documented violations against asylum seekers and refugees in Bulgaria, Article 33 of the Refugee Convention prohibits “the expulsion of refugees in any manner to territories where their life or freedom would be threatened due to their race, religion, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion.” Therefore, any deviation from this is considered a violation, and Bulgaria is one of the countries that has signed both mentioned treaties.

The Busmantsi migrant detention center in Bulgaria (Border Monitoring)

“Terrifying centers”

A week ago, demonstrators gathered outside the Busmantsi detention center to demand more rights for asylum seekers in refugee centers.

The protest was organized by the informal coalition Solidarity with Migrants – Bulgaria, which calls for an end to police violence, easier access to healthcare, and the removal of restrictions on visits to the detention center.

According to the protesters, detainees need medical supplies, medications, and special foods, with demands for their release and “treating them as human beings and respecting their rights.”

After Germany executed several deportation operations to Bulgaria, refugee assistant Stefan Reichel described the poor conditions faced by refugees in Bulgarian reception centers as “terrifying,” stating that refugees are subjected to harsh treatment, including severe beatings, detention, and imprisonment.

Dirty toilets and bathing spaces at the Busmantsi migrant detention center in Bulgaria (Enab Baladi)

Dirty toilets and bathing spaces at the Busmantsi migrant detention center in Bulgaria (Enab Baladi)

Syria is not safe

Many international organizations, including Human Rights Watch and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), confirm that Syria remains unsafe for the return of refugees and call on countries to refrain from forcibly returning refugees.

The Syrian regime’s forces have arrested 26 returnee Syrian refugees at land border crossings from Lebanon, while the killing of one person under torture among those arrested has been documented during the period from September 23 to October 25.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has documented at least 213 cases of arbitrary detention, including eight children and one woman, in October, with the Syrian regime detaining 17 individuals forcibly returned from Lebanon.

On November 1, the head of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, Paulo Pinheiro, stated that “deadly threats” face Syrians wherever they go, emphasizing that the flight of Syrians justified by fear of persecution in their homeland highlights the impossible choices they face.