Bulgaria accused of shooting refugee at Turkiye-Bulgaria border

Bulgaria has been accused of shooting a refugee, after a new video emerged showing a young Syrian man being fired at on the border with Turkiye, Sky News reports.

Footage taken on 3 October near the Bulgarian-Turkish border fence shows 19-year-old Abdullah El Rustum fall to the ground after a bullet goes through his hand and into his chest.

He has claimed he was shot by Bulgarian border officials after they caught his group illegally entering the country and pushed them back to Turkiye.

“A green vehicle showed up with two Bulgarian officers in it. It came towards us and [they] started shooting in the air. They shot twice in the air and after that, they started shooting right in front of us on the ground,” he said.

READ: Turkish military vehicle runs over and kills woman and her son in Syria

The report says, El Rustum claims an argument broke out after border officials searched women in the group in a “sexual” manner.

Mobile phone footage shows the group of asylum seekers throwing stones at the border fence from the Turkish side and swearing.

This year, the United Nations’ Refugee Chief warned of a “disturbing pattern of threats, intimidation, violence” on the EU’s central and south-eastern borders.

The Bulgarian government denies the allegations, saying it follows international and domestic laws, adding aggression against border officials is increasing.

READ: Bulgaria deploys 350 troops to stop Syria, Afghan migrants from entering