UN Accuses Bulgaria of Holding Migrants in 'Catch-22' Situation

The United Nations High Commissioners for Human Rights has voiced serious councern over the situation of migrants irregularly crossing into Bulgaria.

Their detention both as they are entering and as they are leaving, facing prosecution and even imprisonment in the latter case, places "many of them in an invidious Catch-22 situation," the UN quotes Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein as saying.

“This means that people who do not qualify under the strict definition of a refugee, but still have legitimate reasons for being unable to return to their home country, have hardly any avenues open to them,” he has noted, describing the situation as "clearly inhumane and unacceptable".

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has also pointed to "disturbing policies and practices" relating to migrants and refugees and "degrading conditions" at some migrant detention facilities.

Some migrants do not have access to legal representation or translation services, the Commissioner has noted.

The so-called "pushbacks" into neighboring countries and limited possibilities for people to integrate legally, alongside physical abuse and theft by law enforcement officials at the border have also been mentioned.

The Commissioner has also blames Bulgaria's government for not doing enough to help mitigate "xenophobia, Islamophobia and racism" and other alarming trends, alongside their support for vigilante migrant hunters and issuance of anti-migrant statements, also referring to Prime Minister Boyko Borisov himself.

However, "positive developments" over the past month have also been noted, including the fixing of a six-day time limit for the registration of an asylum claim, the "many excellent, engaged and professional staff" working in various institutions, and the the extension of the country's nascent guardianship system to include migrant children.