Date: 13.09.2026.
Source: APC
Photo: APC

 

 

Reception Center (RC) Preševo: Persons originating from Afghanistan, Morocco, Iraq, Syria, Algeria, Pakistan, Iran, Palestine, and Libya are staying in the camp, and were stopped and apprehended by Serbian police in border areas within the territory of Serbia, sometimes several weeks after entering the country, as well as persons who had previously unsuccessfully attempted to cross the border with Hungary or Bosnia and Herzegovina and were subsequently relocated to RC Preševo.

The most frequent complaint during the week concerned poor hygiene conditions. Users reported the presence of bedbugs and mosquitoes, as well as a lack of personal hygiene items, especially shampoo.

– Vulnerable categories – person with hearing and vision impairment in need.  A citizen of Iran (1961) represents a particularly vulnerable case due to his older age, significant impairment of vision and hearing, limited access to necessary medical treatment, long-term stay and work outside the reception system, and a previously unsuccessful attempt to regulate his legal status in Serbia. He entered Serbia by plane in 2018 and applied for asylum. He stayed in RC Preševo for about two months, in AC Sjenica for about one year, and then in AC Krnjača for about three months. During his stay he did not receive asylum, but he also did not leave Serbia.
After that, he worked for six years in a restaurant in Belgrade, living in a room within the restaurant. During that period he lost his eyesight, and for the surgery, according to his statements, he was asked to pay €3,600, which he could not afford. Recently, he decided to contact smugglers, and in a group of 17 persons he was stopped near Subotica, held for two days at the station, and transferred to RC Preševo. He states that the combination of vision impairment and hearing loss further complicates communication with camp staff, as well as the lack of a translator, and that he remains uncertain about his future, unwilling to return to Iran and worried about accommodation and living conditions while in Serbia.

– Person who, after serving a prison sentence, handed over his documentation to KIRS. A citizen of Algeria (1993) stated that after a conflict between his group and a group of Moroccan citizens in Belgrade, during which one member of his group injured a Moroccan citizen with a knife, the entire group was arrested. According to his statements, he spent 2 years and 8 months in prison in Niš, and then another 6 months in the Reception Center for Foreigners in Padinska Skela, after which he was transferred to RC Preševo, where he had already been staying for two weeks at the time of the interview. He states that he does not have court or prison documentation with him and that he handed all documents over to KIRS.

Reception Center (RC) Bujanovac: During the week, persons arriving in Serbia primarily from the direction of North Macedonia were arriving at RC Bujanovac.

– As in the previous week, during this week unaccompanied minors entering Serbia from the direction of North Macedonia and reaching RC Bujanovac reported being exposed to police violence and multiple pushbacks by Serbian border police.
A.K. (2009) and his cousin E.J. (2009), citizens of Afghanistan, entered Serbia via North Macedonia together with a group of nine migrants. According to their statements, they managed to enter Serbia only on the eighth attempt, after Serbian police had stopped them and effectively returned them to the territory of North Macedonia during the previous seven attempts. Both stated that during the previous returns they were exposed to physical mistreatment. According to their testimonies, police officers beat them with batons on the back and stomach and used electric shock devices. They also stated that on one occasion they were told to enter a police vehicle to be taken to a camp, but instead were physically mistreated in the vehicle and then returned to North Macedonia.

Situation at the southern border – North Macedonia / Serbia
Since the beginning of September, an increased arrival of refugees to Serbia from the direction of North Macedonia has been observed. During the week, groups reported entering Serbia from North Macedonia on foot, mostly during the night or early morning hours, after which they were met by smuggler vehicles or taxis.

– Police violence, use of electric shock devices, and pushbacks. Unaccompanied minors entering in smaller groups from the direction of North Macedonia reported repeated pushbacks and physical violence by Serbian police, including statements about being beaten with batons and the use of electric shock devices.
In addition to the cases recorded in Bujanovac, APC teams spoke with persons accommodated in RC Preševo who described that during their first attempt to enter Serbia, in a group of about 20 persons, they were caught, beaten with batons, and exposed to electric shock devices. According to their statements, they sustained injuries that required them to recover in North Macedonia for about two months before they could attempt entry into Serbia again.

Situation at the southwestern border – Bulgaria / Serbia
During the week, three groups from Afghanistan reported entering the territory of Serbia from the direction of Bulgaria, consisting of 8, 13, and 7 persons. N.M. (2003), A.G. (2005), S.Z. (2006), and W.T. (2001) from Afghanistan entered Serbia via Bulgaria together with seven other migrants. They crossed the border on foot, after which they were picked up by a vehicle that took them to the bus station in Niš. There they bought tickets for Belgrade and continued their journey by bus. In Belgrade they spent two days hiding in a house. After that, they went to the bus station intending to continue their journey, but shortly after buying tickets the police arrived and took them to the police station. After approximately six hours of checks, they were transferred to the reception center in Preševo.

Situation at the northern border – Hungary / Serbia
Subotica continues to represent the main transit point for attempts to continue the journey toward Hungary. In the first two weeks of September, up to 500 persons stayed in the border area with Hungary, arriving daily through organized smuggler transport from southern border areas and from Belgrade. Persons described waiting in forested areas near the border between one and seven days before attempting further movement toward Hungary and the EU. According to field estimates, at least half are spotted and apprehended by Serbian border police before attempting to cross.

In the first two weeks of September, Hungarian police reported that a total of 133 persons were apprehended and pushbacked, the largest number originating from Bangladesh, followed by Afghanistan, Pakistan, Morocco, Egypt, Libya, Palestine, as well as Albania, Turkey, Sri Lanka, India, and Syria in smaller numbers, while 118 persons were prevented from attempting to cross during this period.

– Brutal police violence by Hungarian border authorities toward unaccompanied minors – statements about blows to the head with rifle butts. According to testimonies given to APC staff in Bujanovac on 11.09.2026, migrants stated that they spent about a week near the Serbian-Hungarian border waiting for their turn to attempt crossing. After they managed to cross into Hungarian territory, they waited in the forest for about 14 hours for a vehicle that was supposed to pick them up, but the vehicle did not appear. According to their statements, they were found by Hungarian police, who beat them on the head with rifle butts. After approximately five hours, they were returned to Serbia. After the pushback from Hungary, Serbian police took them to the police station, where they were held for about 20 hours before being relocated to Bujanovac.

– The trend of smugglers “abandoning/not arriving” to pick up migrants in the border area with Hungary continues. This is illustrated by the testimony given to APC staff in Preševo on 11 September 2026. N.A. (1998) from Palestine, from the West Bank, entered Serbia via Kosovo with four other migrants. After crossing the border on foot, they were taken by a smuggler vehicle to Belgrade, where N.A. spent 13 days in a hotel. After that, he went to Subotica, where he spent four days in the forest near the border. After four days, he attempted to cross the border with Hungary with a group. After crossing, they waited the entire day for the vehicle that was supposed to pick them up, but it did not appear. Hungarian police found them and, according to his statements, after several hours returned them to Serbia.

The time spent in police stations in the north before relocation to the south ranged from approximately 4 hours to two days, with several groups spending the night in police detention. None of the groups interviewed by the team stated that they were issued documentation after detention confirming or explaining the police’s actions toward them.

Situation at the border with Bosnia and Herzegovina
– Chain pushbacks on the route Croatia – Bosnia and Herzegovina – Serbia.
Two persons originating from Algeria crossed from Serbia into Bosnia and Herzegovina by boat across the Drina River. After that, they stayed for about three days in the area of Bihać. When crossing into Croatian territory, Croatian border police pushbacked them into Bosnia and Herzegovina, after which, approximately five hours later, they were pushbacked from Bosnia and Herzegovina into Serbia by BiH border police across the green border and without the knowledge of Serbian police. Upon returning to Serbia, they were stopped by Serbian police in Loznica and subsequently relocated to RC Preševo.

Smuggling fees
Belgrade remains the main internal transit hub, where smugglers organize temporary accommodation in hotels, hostels, houses, or in spaces near the bus station. During this week, stays in Belgrade before continuing the journey were reported, lasting from one to 13 days.

Persons originating from Afghanistan paid up to €8,000 from Turkey to Serbia, persons from Pakistan up to €6,000, persons from Syria €4,500, and persons from Palestine €4,000. Persons from Pakistan stated that they paid €13,000 for the complete service from Pakistan to Serbia.