site.btaPM Borrisov: "Nobody Has Right to Arrest Beyond the Law"

PM Borrisov: "Nobody Has Right to Arrest Beyond the Law"

Sofia, April 13 (BTA) - "Nobody has the right to arrest beyond the law," Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borissov said during the regular Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, referring to the so-called citizen's arrests of illegal migrants. "I have not called on anybody to go and beat, tie or bully anyone at all. Any person who crosses the land border is a trespasser, and I said that I thank everybody who submits an alert so that they can be detained," the PM insisted.

His statement comes after videos of several recent detentions of illegal border crossers by vigilante groups near Bulgaria's border with Turkey were uploaded on the Internet. On Monday, the Bulgarian Helsinki Committee alerted Prosecutor General Sotir Tsatsarov about a statement in which Borissov said: "I called these boys [the vigilantes] and we talked. Everything that helps the police, the Border Police and the State is welcome. I thanked them and I sent the Border Police Chief to meet them, so that they can coordinate the alerts. [...] Everyone who helps deserves a 'thank you'."

The law enforcement authorities have cracked down on the vigilantes. Peter Nizamov of Bourgas, the protagonist in the most recent such case, has been arrested and faces up to six years' imprisonment upon conviction. Appellate prosecutor Lyubomir Petrov and Bourgas Police Chief Kaloyan Kaloyanov told a news conference on Wednesday that the three Afghans, detained by Nizamov and another nine men, had been kicked, searched for money and tied with riot cuffs during the so-called citizen's arrest in Mt Strandja (Southeastern Bulgaria) on April 10.

On Wednesday, Borissov recalled the several drills held at the border, the personnel training and the deployment of another 300 soldiers to reinforce patrols at the places facing the strongest migrant pressure. "In my opinion, the purpose is to leave Europe with the impression that refugees are harassed in Bulgaria and we don't cope with border control! I'd like to stress expressly that we are making tremendous efforts, we are coping very well on this huge territory, both at sea and on land, and this was repeatedly acknowledged by everybody who came to Bulgaria in recent months. In a word, I don't understand this masochism and the eagerness to raise a subject which denigrates Bulgaria," the PM noted.

Interior Minister Roumyana Buchvarova said the reinforced border security by police and army teams is very costly against the background of a 36-40 per cent reduction of the migration pressure.

Buchvarova commented to journalists that the border protection measures that her Ministry is taking are not belated. She sees criticisim to this effect as "an attempt by certain groups to join this process."

The Interior Ministry is already ready with instructions for the population in the border areas, which will be circulated through the local authorities. The instructions cover the way in which people can alert the authorities if they spot migrants.