The Balkan nation has rejected accusations that its border guards shot a Syrian refugee in October. A video released showed a man being shot on Bulgaria's border with Turkey.
Bulgaria rejected charges that its border guards shot a Syrian refugee on October 3 after a video released on Monday (November 5) showed an asylum seeker being hit with live ammunition on Bulgaria's border with Turkey.
The video shows the young man falling to the ground after a bullet goes through his hand and into his chest. The footage was recorded on the Turkish side of the border.
The footage was part of a joint investigation by several European media outlets including British broadcaster Sky News, French newspaper Le Monde, UK newspaper The Times, Italian newspaper Domani, RFE/RL's Bulgarian Service and German broadcaster ARD. The joint probe was led by the Netherlands-based non-profit Lighthouse Reports.
The man, in separate footage captured days later, identified himself as 19-year-old Abdullah El Rustum from Syria. He said he was fired at by Bulgarian border officers after his group was caught while illegally entering Bulgaria and pushed back to Turkey.
Also read: Bulgaria uses violence and police dogs in migrant pushbacks says HRW
'There are no cases of violence against migrants'
The Bulgarian government denied the allegations, saying that border controllers followed international and domestic laws.
"There are no cases of violence against migrants," Interior Minister Ivan Demerdzhiev told reporters, according to the Associated Press. He added that Bulgarian and Turkish authorities collaborated together on investigating the incident.
"There are clear conclusions from both sides that there is no evidence that a shot has been fired by a Bulgarian border policeman and that no active actions have been taken to violate anyone's human rights,'' Demerdzhiev said.
He added that border officers recently have faced more hostility from migrants trying to enter Bulgaria illegally, including some who used stones and knives.
"If anyone expects that the Bulgarian police will not respond to such actions, they are wrong," Demerdzhiev said.
In early November, a Bulgarian police officer at the border with Turkey was killed by gunfire from the direction of a group of migrants trying to enter Bulgaria from Turkey, according to Demerdzhiev. Turkish security forces have arrested two suspects in connection with the fatal shooting.
Bulgaria has deployed around 350 troops along its southern border with Turkey and Greece to assist border police prevent a growing influx of migrants. Migrants from the Middle East and Afghanistan typically use the route through Bulgaria to enter wealthier countries in Europe.
With AP and Reuters