MIGRANTS TRYING TO REACH EUROPE THROUGH MONTENEGRO IN GREAT TEMPTATIONS: Life on route

“As soon as migrants give their passport for money, they face the highest risk of becoming victims of trafficking in human beings. There are examples on the route of illegal migrants from Greece to Macedonia and Macedonia to Serbia, but we have not had such cases so far in Montenegro”, said Vojislav Dragović, Head of the Montenegrin Border Police.

“In order to save our children we went through many countries - Turkey, Greece, Albania, and here we are now in Montenegro. Three days ago, we tried to cross into Bosnia, but we were beaten up by their police officers at the border. We slept in the toilet and we were sent back here. Montenegro is the only country where my children are treated as human beings. We don’t know where we’ll go next”, one of the migrants from Syria, who lives in the Safe House “Bona Fide” in Pljevlja, told Centre for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG).

They come from a country devastated by war. Most of them are educated people who do not want to fight in the war, but to look for salvation for themselves and their children in one of the European countries. They face many troubles accepting indecent demands of those who are trying to make a profit on their misfortune. They accept to be treated only as objects for smuggling, and therefore in the official version, trafficking is often replaced by a “more decent” description of the criminal offense - smuggling in human beings.

A three-member family from Syria also resides in the Safe House. They failed to cross the Montenegrin-Bosnian border. A three-year-old girl went on a journey with her parents. Her father was a pilot, and her mother worked at a bank. After losing everything, they decided to leave their country and set off on the road full of uncertainty and suffering. They confirmed to CIN-CG that they tried to cross the border without specifying where, but were beaten by the Bosnian police and forced to return to Pljevlja, a town on the north of Montenegro. They are planning to continue their journey, but due to the harsh conditions and brutal attacks by the police, they hardly decide to try that again.

On the way to Western Europe, a large number of migrants pass through Pljevlja. According to unofficial information, they mostly use two border crossing points to reach Bosnia and Herzegovina – one on Metaljka and another one not far from the Šule mining settlement, which is less busy and less protected. Most of them are crossing borders illegally and going through hell while trying to reach the West.

Across the border, through woods at night

Over the past few months more than 650 migrants have visited the Safe House in Pljevlja. Sabina Talović, Director of the Safe House, explained to CIN-CG that the refugees get the necessary help there and stay until they decide to continue their journey.

“They arrive hungry, tired, wounded, with little children, in dirty clothes, with no belongings. Here they take bath, have haircuts, food, clothes, a place to sleep”, Talović said.

One of the migrants we talked to said that they reach Pljevlja by taking a regular bus line in Podgorica. He did not want to share with us how they would continue their journey towards Bosnia, nor who would be their connection for illegal border crossings. According to migrants, they mostly cross the border to Bosnia in the north of Montenegro by night, moving through the forest. They are equipped with modern phones, which they use to communicate with each other and exchange advice on the best places to cross the border. Thanks to satellite maps, they are well acquainted with the field in Pljevlja.

Several taxi drivers told CIN-CG that they were initially transporting migrants and all other passengers, but that they had been banned by the police, although that is what they do for living. They claim that they charged about thirty Euros for transport service to the border crossings Metaljka and Šula, and that certain groups charge 200 Euros for the same trip. They also suspect that the police are involved in the illegal transportation of migrants, not offering any evidence for their claims.

The starting point - villages near the border

Migrants are usually silent and do not want to talk to anyone. They carry backpacks and just walk forward as if they know where they are going – this is how Ahmet Aljoši from the village Donji Kravari, one of the southernmost points of Montenegro, describes his last year experience with migrants. In police files, this village which is placed near the Sukobin border crossing is one of the places that migrants first come across after illegally crossing the border between Albania and Montenegro on the territory of Ulcinj, a coastal town on south-east of Montenegro.

Aljoši says he has not noticed any migrants this year. There are two small roads that connect his house to the border. In the yard there are two dogs that do not like unknown people, and uninvited guests from the neighbouring country could not bypass them.

“They do not bark at night. I think these people have found other directions”, Aljoši said.

Opposite the Donji Kravari, just a few kilometres away, there are picturesque Albanian villages Murićani and Dodaj. This is a starting point for most of migrants, who are illegally crossing border to get to Ulcinj, Montenegro. From there, they continue their journey through Bosnia and Croatia to Western Europe.

In Albania, a shelter for migrants is in Tirana. According to our source from the police, in Shkodra they are organized in several locations at the edge of the city, which they often change in fear of police raids until they leave.

The land border is illegally crossed mostly by individuals, while larger groups of people organize themselves across the Skadar Lake, often through Bojana river, but also by the sea.

Montenegrin police are trying to return migrants to Albania if they find proof that they have previously stayed in that country, such as money or a sim card. If there are no proofs, after the hearing they are taken to the shelter in Podgorica.

Our source claims that some Albanian policemen have been involved in transferring migrants to the border.

“The Syrian, whom we arrested, showed us a secretly recorded video, showing an Albanian policeman taking him a hundred Euros”, he argued. Aljosa, who is employed in the Ulcinj Municipality Office, says that migrants are now avoiding Donji Kravari because of the police’s proximity.

Five times more migrants than last year

Vojislav Dragović, Head of Border Police of Montenegro, said that there has been an increase in the number of migrants going through Montenegro recently, but that number is currently not worrying.

Dragović explains that migrants enter Montenegro mostly through inaccessible areas and mainly on land, around Božaj, the border crossing with Albania.

According to police data, over the course of this year, about 1,500 migrants crossed the territory of Montenegro.

Currently, on average there are about 20 - 30 migrants per day, while a year ago there were five people a day.

“Migrants are not present at border crossings, because our officials are carrying out increased controls there. Based on the information we received, we enhanced the presence of the border police in the strip near Božaj, in the land area. About 70 percent of this area is along the railway line”, he said.

He added that the number of migrants coming from Albania has increased over the past eight to nine months.

“They see Montenegro as a transit country, which they want to leave as soon as possible and continue to move through Bosnia and Herzegovina most often to the countries of the Western Europe”, he said.

Dragović claims that the Montenegrin police treat migrants according to the human rights standards and that they are not involved in their illegal crossings.

He adds that criminal and disciplinary actions will be initiated against unconscientious police officers if any illegal behaviour of the police is identified.

“Police officers treat migrants according to law. We have no knowledge or a recorded situation that policemen physically attacked migrants in our territory, or that they participated in their illegal migration. So far we received no complaints about the behaviour of policemen, but only compliments”, he said.

He added that some of the international NGOs that are monitoring migration praised their attitude towards migrants.

“Among the migrants are women with babies and young children, and people with health problems. We try to help them whenever we can and in any way we can”, Head of the State Border Surveillance Department claims.

Two cases of smuggling since the beginning of the year

Dragovic says that criminal groups are often involved in their illegal transfer and according to their experience the majority of them are citizens of those countries through which migrants are passing.

“Migrants passing through Turkey, Greece and Albania have those who help them and who come from that country they are crossing. In several cases, we also had Montenegrin citizens involved in the illegal activities regarding migrants and they have been deprived of their liberty and prosecuted”, he said.

As soon as migrants give their passport for money, they face the highest risk of becoming victims of trafficking in human beings. There are examples on the route of illegal migrants from Greece to Macedonia and Macedonia to Serbia, but we have not had such cases so far in Montenegro”, claimed Dragović.

In February this year there was an attempt to transfer 17 migrants through the sea, he recalled.

“There was a case of a taxi driver from Bar who transferred migrants from Albania to Montenegro. Eventually he was stopped by our patrol which took appropriate measures and procedures against him in terms of criminal responsibility. There were several migrants in a vehicle, and the driver admitted the commission of the crime. He was deprived of liberty and prosecuted”, Dragovic said.

He adds that the proceedings are ongoing and that they are charged with criminal offenses - smuggling of people.

In these two cases, Dragović added, it was found that those who transported migrants charged them from 100 to 300 Euros.

He adds that in the past, there were no migrants at the border crossings in Montenegro.

“Our colleagues in the region identified a lot of migrants at the border, who were hidden in trucks and vehicles, while we do not have such cases recorded”, he said.

He also assessed that our police have a good quality electronic border control on Skadar Lake.

When asked by CIN-CG whether police officers are involved in illegal actions regarding the trafficking of migrants, Dragović said: “It is not likely to happen that a police officer is involved in illegal actions in relation to the transportation of migrants, because the whole group of officers would have to be involved. The large group of police officers is monitoring the situation, and their work is video recorded and monitored. We are not familiar with such cases, and the police are taking legal measures and actions to detect the cases of illegal migration”.

As he says there was one group of about a dozen migrants who were stopped to cross the border near Ulcinj, thanks to electronic monitoring system.

“They crossed the river Bojana on the territory of Albania and tried to get to the Stegmaš area by land”, he said.

He denied that taxi drivers were forbidden to drive them, but he highlighted they expected them to cooperate in situations when they transport foreign citizens to the border.

“We do not want to prevent them from carrying out taxi services, but we expect them to cooperate and report to us when they transport suspicious persons, so that we can control them”, he said.

He also explains that in 90% of cases migrants apply for asylum to the Directorate for Asylum in the Ministry of Interior and that this makes them free citizens who can move freely and use regular bus lines while their request is processed.

Dragović concluded that the situation is not alarming, but that it is certainly necessary to monitor the situation in order to keep the movement of migrants under control.

“Montenegro has a special plan in the event of a mass influx of migrants, and there is also an Operational Team that operates for this purpose and monitors the situation”, he concluded.

The razor-wire fence has not arrived yet

Last year, Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia returned a total of 458 migrants to Montenegro, and 36 more by April this year. During the last year, Montenegro returned 52 migrants to Serbia and Kosovo. By April this year, 21 people were returned to them.

According to the Police Directorate of Montenegro, Albania is the only country that does not respect the Readmission Agreement, according to which each country must accept the return of those migrants who came from that country and are recorded therein.

Albania did not accept any migrants who came from its territory neither this nor last year.

Dragović explained that Albanian colleagues did not understand well that all these persons came from Albania to Montenegro, and that Albanians are obliged under international agreements to accept them.

“We believe that we have managed to reach agreement on this issue and that cooperation with colleagues from Albania should improve in the future”, he said.

He added that building razor-wire fence is the ultimate measure, which Montenegro would not want to enforce.

“This is the ultimate option, or the ultimate measure, in case the borders of other countries towards Montenegro are closed due to the mass influx of migrants. In that case, the competent body of the Government would make a decision on this. The razor-wire fence has not yet arrived to Montenegro, and the donation has already been signed. The razor-wire fence was donated by the Government of Hungary, so that the Montenegrin police would use it in case it is really needed”, he said.

For now there are no radicals among migrants

Dragović said that for now there are no criminal offenses in Montenegro committed by migrants.

“So far these people have not disturbed public order and peace, committed serious crimes or anything else that would indicate that they are radicals”, he said.

The Head of the border police says that the migrants are currently from Morocco, Algeria, Pakistan, Syria and Iran.

“We know that there is a new wave of migrants in Turkey from Afghanistan and Syria. Some of them crossed Greece, others are moving towards Macedonia, and some towards Albania, which means that probably some of them will reach Montenegro”, Dragović said.

He adds that they follow the overall situation in the region and even Turkey through the cooperation with the border police of countries that are fighting the challenge of illegal migration, as well as with the support of representatives of international organizations such as IOM and UNHCR.

Goran Malidžan, Samir Adrović, Maja Boričić