Serbian authorities have refuted allegations that over 70 migrants were violently forced back into North Macedonia by Serbian border police earlier this month. A North Macedonian NGO released video of barely clothed men allegedly pushed back, but Serbia claims no evidence shows events occurred on its territory.
The Skopje-based Legis NGO posted video on February 15th depicting multiple barefoot male migrants wearing only underwear on a road at night. Legis reported the footage was filmed between the Serbia-North Macedonia border and Lojane village, where over 70 migrants arrived February 9th after alleged police abuse.
Jasmin Redjepi, Legis President, condemned the “disturbing and degrading pushbacks”, noting they followed an EU-Serbia border security summit. He said these particular forced returns were the first recorded incidents of Serbian police stripping migrants along the Balkans route transporting people towards Western Europe.
Serbia’s Interior Ministry acknowledged North Macedonia requested an explanation regarding purported police misconduct. However, Belgrade stated subsequent checks found no Serbian patrols present in the area when alleged events transpired.
Furthermore, the Interior Ministry declaration highlighted Serbia lacks police dogs conducting border surveillance. With no confirmation of location, Serbian authorities currently deny any role in reported migrant abuse preceding forced returns into North Macedonia.
The strong denial comes as Serbia confronts rising irregular migration into Europe. Despite over 100,000 total Balkan route border crossings logged in 2023, Serbia insists it strictly respects human rights while suppressing unlawful migration per international standards.
The ongoing dispute indicates further investigation may be required to uncover factual details around the widely circulated migrant footage and corresponding border police misconduct allegations rejected by Serbian officials.