On Wednesday 13/5/14, 93 refugees, among them 18 minors, were trapped for almost 12 hours in a commercial train at Gevgelija (FYROM) with original destination Serbia.
They were rescued after calling 112 and being detected by the officers of OSE (national railway organization) and Idomeni’s police officers. The Greek Police Department followed the process of receiving data and depositions from the refugees who were released and sent to Thessaloniki. They are all legal with a six month public service note.
In the following days three of the families and a number of adults visited the Thessaloniki Solidarity Center seeking support: information, clothing, medical and legal assistance.
Mohammed, a Syrian man and \”passenger\” of the train talked with us about his adventure and underlined the need to make his story public, hoping that the refugees will be informed about the risks they are dealing with.
His trip started 1, 5 month ago from Lebanon where he stayed with his family the last years, due to the war in Syria. Germany was the final destination where his father stays.
He arrived to Smyrna with no difficulty and were transferred with the help of a smuggler by boat for 1.000$ to Mytilene with 25 people, women, men and children.
The Coast Guard gathered them from an isolated beach in Mytilene and kept them for three days in the detention center of the island. Mohammed was one of the lucky refugees who was placed in the new detention center. As he heard from others, the old center was not clean and was crowded. Refugees, under custody, were mostly Syrians and Afghans. There were no translators, they were given basic medical care and there were no medical exams. After three days they were released and once they gave their fingerprints they were given a public service note which lasts for six months.
The next destination was Athens, where he came into contact with the smuggler and he took instructions on how to continue his journey to Germany. First stop was Thessaloniki where he came by train and the next goal was to continue to the borders. According to the public service note which was given to him, he is banned to stay / transit in Kilkis meaning he cannot use any legal way to reach the borders. He and 4 other people paid 600 € on a taxi ride to Polykastro (49km from Thes/niki). The taxi left them in a remote area and they had to walk five hours to arrive to Polikastro. They were instructed that they would pass the borders at night with the smuggler and from Gevgelija would board in a commercial train for Serbia. The cost was 1600€ per person.
– What were the conditions while waiting for boarding?
\”Before we travel to Gevgelija we slept in the forest. The route from Idomeni was two hours. Around 800 people were gathered from different smugglers in an abandoned area in the forest waiting the train. Some refused to continue the journey in such conditions and were forced to board (beaten and blackmailed). The FYROM Police Department were watching from distance but did nothing. There were several children among the 800 people…. I am glad that I don’t have my children with me, even in war they are safer than they would have been here with me\”
800 people were packed in the train wagons which were full of large paper rolls. Basically, they were standing and squeezed between products. In each wagon there were 2 people of Afghan origin sent from the smugglers with large knifes trying to keep them quiet.
They were more than four hours in the wagons when started to feel upset as been threatened by the smugglers (children and adults). While waiting, FYROM police opened the door of the wagon just to have a look and closed the door again, after a few moments the train moved but then a strong sound like someone released the rest of the train was heard and the train freezes again.
\”When you leave Syria you know the route, what you do not know is the risks you take. They informed us only for the physical stress and hardship, no one tells us about the mafia and crime. When you\’re in the forest you are in the hands of the mafia …\”
– What was the situation on the train?
\”The atmosphere was stuffy, we had no idea where we were and the worst, we could not escape since the wagons opened only from the outside.\”
Being in a stuffy wagon and under the threat of knives, putting their own life into danger, they tried to break the walls of the wagon and leave. They called the smuggler but didn’t respond and then FYROM police informed them that there were not in their territory so, they could not intervene. Finally, almost 12 hours later, they managed to call 112 and talk with Greek police who found them in Greek territory in the area of Idomeni and rescued them.
“I did not know that there is another way to reach your destination, that of family reunification, if I knew it, I would prefer it\”
Doctors, local organizations and residents took care of them; they offered clothing, food, water. Later they were transferred to the police and the next day they travelled to Thessaloniki by coach.
\”… I left my country where the war has destroyed everything, my wife and 2 children live in a rural area in a tent and their only hope is to be able to get to Germany, my money is over and I do not know what I will do from now on…. I am afraid that I will die in the woods away from my country and my family..\”
The interview was given at the Thessaloniki Solidarity Centre on 05.15.2015 to the staff of SN and with the assistance of Arabic-speaking translator from PRAKSIS.
According to the code of conduct, special considerations were given to the protection of personal data, and with the consent of the interviewee we conducted this interview and made it public.
Mohammed was referred to the Greek Council for Refugees where he was informed about the process to follow for family reunification.
Translation and edited in English for SN by Aggeliki Papadopoulou.