Video: Armenian Citizens Beaten and Held in Inhumane Conditions in Bulgaria

Aram Mnatsakanyan, an Armenian citizen, and his friend had their planned vacation in Bulgaria end in inhumane conditions after spending three days in a cell, beaten and mistreated by Bulgarian border guards. This was reported by Tert.am.

Aram recounted in an interview with the media that they had traveled to Bulgaria on August 7, intending to stay until August 17, but returned on the 10th.

“We had already reached the border, and there were other people with us. They checked passports one by one and let people through. I thought they would check us too and let us through. However, they separated us and a few others for further verification, then said, ‘No, you are rejected, our decision is final,’” he explained.

He shared that they were given a paper they were forced to sign. “The paper stated that they couldn't convince us why we were going to Bulgaria, even though we had all the necessary documents, including visas, evidence we were going for a vacation, hotel bookings, and more,” he said.

When asked about the statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) the previous day, suggesting that the issue might be related to Armenians applying for Schengen visas, visiting Bulgaria, and then going to another country, Aram claimed they were aware of this concern. He emphasized that their visa was exclusively Bulgarian and that they had no plans to visit another country.

Continuing to elaborate on the ordeal they had to endure, Aram mentioned they were escorted to a prison-like place where they managed to contact the Armenian MFA.

“The MFA told us to endure and return. We called the consulate, and they said they knew what kind of place it was, the conditions were awful, so we should hold on. We couldn't go back through transit because the same issue could happen again, and we could be sent back to Bulgaria. The only rational option was to stay there for 3-4 more days until a direct flight from Sofia to Yerevan was available,” he noted.

Describing the conditions they faced, Aram said they were inhumane and lacked hygiene, and there were issues with food. According to him, they had no contact with the outside world.

“We could wait by the window for hours for a police officer to come and escort us to a café to buy food, which we would then have to eat back in the cell. If a policeman didn’t come, we couldn't buy food. We couldn't buy much either since it could spoil, there was no refrigerator, and there were ants and insects. Most of the time, we were left hungry,” he stated.

On the last day, they wanted to eat at a café. “We insisted on sitting there like human beings and eating, but the officer became indignant, saying, ‘You can’t eat there; I have work to do.’ He wanted to forcibly remove me from my chair, at that moment, my friend managed to capture a bit of that process on camera, and they became enraged, attacking my friend and demanding he delete the videos,” Aram detailed.

According to Aram, they were then escorted back to the cell, and ten minutes later, he heard his friend shouting, ‘Help me, help me!’ “I went to see; my friend was lying on the ground, hands restrained, and his back was even injured. Then, they laid me down on the ground as well, put handcuffs on me, and forced me to delete those videos. In the end, we realized we had no choice but to delete them. They took my phone, forced me to enter the PIN code, held the phone for an hour, then returned it with the photos and videos deleted and after an hour, escorted us to the flight back to Armenia,” he recounted.

When asked if the MFA was aware of the incident and what they said, he responded, “The MFA said they were sorry; they had sent our consulate to meet with the Bulgarian side to discuss the matter, but as of yet, there are no results. As soon as there is, we will inform you. The MFA speaks civilly, but I don’t know how much action is being taken.”

Videos have been provided to the media showing the conditions in which they were kept and the exit permission in Bulgaria.

For further details, visit the original source.