Conditions in reception facilities

Author

Nikola Kovačević

Overcrowding, lack of privacy and poor hygiene have been just some of the reported issues in the previous years. These deficiencies were already highlighted in the 2017 report of the Council of Europe Special Representative of the Secretary General on migration and refugees who emphasized that standards of accommodation in both Asylum and Reception Centres could potentially raise issues under Article 3 ECHR.[1] However, and due to the shorter stay in Serbia which is, according to the CRM, around 12 days, the reception facilities in general were not overcrowded in 2023 and most of the reception facilities which have used tents decided to take them out of use. Thus, apart from the dilapidated and worn-out state of most of the facilities, the above-outlined issues have been compensated by the lower number of beneficiaries. On another note, same issues would arise if the number of people increases again.

Conditions in asylum centres

The conditions in the Asylum Centres vary from one to the other, with those prevailing in the centres in Banja Koviljača and Bogovađa being arguably of the highest quality AC Banja Koviljača was closed for refurbishing for most of 2021 and for the whole of 2022, and became operational at the end of 2023, but was put out of use again in late January 2024. Thus, two asylum centres in which conditions are the most appropriate were not operational in 2023.

In the following paragraphs, the living conditions, regime of life and available services in different reception facilities in Serbia will be outlined. Most descriptions are provided by relevant CSOs who are conducting regular visits to asylum and reception centres.

All the Asylum Centres are open, but for “night quiet” they are locked for security reasons and no activities outside the rooms are allowed, in line with the House Rules. The centres in Banja Koviljača and Krnjača are the only centres to have a Ministry of Interior official present at all times for the recording of incoming asylum seekers.

Asylum Centre in Banja Koviljača

AC Banja Koviljača was established in 2008 as the first Asylum Centre in Serbia and is located in an urban area near Loznica town. The closest public services, primary school and police are approximately 1 km away from the AC, which represents an example of good practice. With a capacity of 120 persons, the overall conditions in the centre are of the highest quality, especially after the refurbishment. The centre operates an open regime and the living conditions in it are satisfactory: families with children and persons with special needs are prioritised in terms of accommodation, with single women residing in separate rooms from single men. Asylum seekers accommodated there usually do not have many negative remarks concerning the reception conditions.

The centre in Banja Koviljača has three floors with eleven rooms each, and there are eight showers and eight toilets on each of the floors. The centre has a TV room and a children corner where various creative workshops and activities are organised every day. Measures are taken for the preservation of family unity and of ethnic affiliation on reception and placement of persons. This means that members of different ethnic communities are placed on different floors or that selection is made on the basis of the language the beneficiaries speak. The AC also has eight indoor cameras inside the facility, and eight outdoor cameras, and the AC gate is locked during the night. The AC has its own heating system and it does not depend on the external heat supply. Asylum seekers are provided meals three times a day, and the meals are specially adjusted to their religious and health needs.

An auxiliary building within the Asylum Centre was adapted for provision medical services with a view to securing the permanent presence of medical staff.

A room has been designated for legal counsel and associations providing legal counselling to asylum-seekers. Interpreters are present on a daily basis and legal aid is provided by APC, BCHR and IDEAS. However, the asylum procedure has not been conducted by the Asylum Office in the period December 2023 – January 2024 when this facility was briefly operational. On 17 December 2023, it accommodated 44 persons, while that number dropped to 28 on 31 December 2023.[2]

In said period, there have not been any complaints regarding access to services (e.g. health care) and which could have been reported to UNHCR and its partners, but also other CSOs. It remains to be seen to which extent will AC Banja Koviljača will be used in the future since it used to be a place in which asylum procedure was facilitated swiftly and most of the relevant services were available to beneficiaries.[3] As outlined in the previous Update, when the number of asylum seekers was under 100, this Asylum Center provided excellent living conditions.[4]

Asylum Centre in Bogovađa

AC Bogovađa is a Red Cross facility that has been used for the accommodation of asylum seekers since 2011 with an overall capacity of 200. The capacity can be extended up to maximum 280 beds (which was done during COVID-19 lockdown). It is located 70 km from Belgrade, while the closest public services are 11 km away. The AC itself is not located in an urban area, i.e., it is located in a weekend village surrounded by a forest. This makes it difficult for the asylum seekers to use all the services they need, with the exception of attending the primary school. The nearest shop is 2–3 kilometres away while for other necessities asylum seekers had to go to the closest town called Lajkovac. This also meant that they had to pay for the taxi or to walk for around two hours in order to get to the city centre. This is also why many of them were dissatisfied when referred to this AC and why the fluctuations in the numbers of people the centre hosted was quite significant, as people did not wish to remain in the centre for long periods of time. Thus, the biggest deficiency of this centre is its remote location.

The conditions in this Asylum Centre have substantially improved since the main building was renovated in 2018. The centre has central heating and an adequate number of bathrooms, though they are shared by both men and women. The meals are regular, three times a day, and are served in the common dining room and are adapted to religious and health care needs of residents.

The AC does not have a fence around it; it has video surveillance, and security staff used to be present when the AC was still open. Within the AC premises are several separate buildings for different purposes, one of which is used by the AC management, doctors, the Asylum Office inspectors (which were used at the time when Asylum Office was regularly visiting the facility), and the Red Cross staff. The largest building is used for asylum seeker accommodation. Another facility is used by charity organisations, such as Caritas, to carry out their activities. There is a children’s playground in the courtyard.

A medical team used to be present in the centre every working day. However, the full-time employed doctor resigned in 2021 and was not replaced. As a result, nurses were providing primary healthcare in the period 2021-2022, while the doctor from Lajkovac Health Care Center was visiting the AC as necessary. In case healthcare needs could not have been addressed within the AC healthcare centre, the asylum seekers had been transported to the outpatient clinic in Bogovađa, the Health Centre in Lajkovac or the hospital in Valjevo, depending on the specific case. Mandatory medical check-ups used to be conducted several days after arrival by available medical staff. Access to healthcare services outside the AC was also impeded by the lack of transportation means and drivers as well as the lack of interpreters to assist doctors communicating with their patients. Psychological counselling used to provided by PIN and Group 484.

In the second half of 2020, an Asylum Office police officer was deployed to AC Bogovađa for the purpose of registering the UASCs who wish to express the intention to seek asylum and to issue registration certificates and identity cards for asylum seekers. However, the registration officer was not present in AC Bogovađa in 2021 and 2022. As a result, unaccompanied children who wished to apply for asylum had to be transported to Police Station Lajkovac. During 2020 and 2021, the vast majority of children residing in this Centre was unregistered and lodging of asylum application or hearings did not resume after the COVID-19 lockdown. The same situation was recorded in 2022.

During 2018, around 110 persons on average were residing in the centre. Families from Afghanistan and Iran represented the majority of residents in 2019. Single women were accommodated in dormitories with other single women. In 2020, AC Bogovađa was designated for UASC, and in late 2021 as a family centre as well, and it was running at full capacity most of the time. During 2021, after one barrack in AC Krnjača was designated for UASC, half of AC Bogovađa capacity was repurposed for asylum seekers from Cuba. In 2022, the AC was gradually used less and less, and it was finally closed in 2023.

There are several incidents which were related to the potential ill-treatment of residents of Bogovađa and which have never been resolved in terms of individual responsibility of alleged perpetrators who were employed in the AC. In December 2020, following an incident between the children and the employees,[5] almost half of its population was transferred to RC Preševo, even though this facility is not designated for UASC. The conflict arose when an employee of the centre accidentally stepped on the prayer rug when children were praying. A protest by the UASC ensued and a CRM employee was forced to kiss the prayer rug, while the children recorded her and published the video. The fact that dozens of UASC were subsequently transferred to RC Preševo gives serious reasons for concern, considering that, in 2020, CRM and MoI were frequently transferring , as ‘disciplinary measure’, ‘problematic’ foreigners to reception centres where living conditions can be even described as inhumane and degrading.[6] The transfer was praised by the Ombudsman,[7] which gives another reason for concern because informal forms of punishment, in the form of transferring children to poor living conditions is in clear contradiction with the best interest of the child principle.

In June 2020, a video appeared showing private security staff ill-treating children in their rooms. The video shows one of the security officers yelling and slapping boys who allegedly did not want to go to sleep. This video became viral and triggered reactions by almost all Sate institutions and CSOs, and BCHR submitted a criminal complaint.[8] The Ombudsman issued a recommendation failing to qualify such acts as at least inhumane and degrading and simply indicating that CRM had failed to timely inform MoI and the competent public prosecutor.[9] This once again showed that the Ombudsman (excluding the NPM department) is reluctant to properly assess cases of human rights violations of refugees and migrants.

This reaction of the Ombudsman is in clear contrast to his much more severe position vis-à-vis the December incident. Same can be said about the Public Prosecutor who, in the case of the UASCs, ordered pre-trial detention, while in the case of the private actors who ill-treated them, he merely opened a pre-investigative procedure.

Asylum Centre in Tutin

AC Tutin opened in January 2014 in the ‘Dalas’ former furniture factory. It was located there until March 2018, when a new accommodation facility for asylum seekers was opened in Velje Polje, four kilometres away from downtown Tutin, and 295 km away from Belgrade. Officially, the centre can accommodate 230 persons.

As a new building, the accommodation conditions in this centre have significantly improved compared to earlier years. However, the location of the town of Tutin is problematic, especially during the winter months when access by CSOs and the Asylum Office is severely hindered due to unfavourable weather conditions. Namely, the AC in Tutin is located at Plateu where winter is long and harsh and snow frequently blocks the road, which prevents access to the camp for several weeks or even months. Since 2020, the Asylum Office failed to regularly conduct the asylum procedure-related activities, which means that asylum seekers there have not had effective access to the asylum procedure.[10] The situation remained unchanged in 2023.

The centre has 60 rooms and an adequate number of toilets which are shared. There is central heating and a drinking water tank has been installed. On site, measures are taken to allocate accommodation spaces in accordance with ethnic affiliation, to the extent that accommodation capacities allow. The principle of family unity is respected, and the families are always placed together in rooms with their own bathrooms. Security staff is present 24 hours a day and the centre is locked during the night in line with the House Rules. Interpreters for Arabic and Farsi are available. AC Tutin has a common TV room, a dining room, and a children’s playground. Three meals per day are provided and are adapted to religious needs and health care needs. The CRM facilitates different workshops and activities within the children’s corner, but also for the adults (sewing, hairdressing). Interpreters are provided by different CSOs including Sigma, CRPC and IOM,

The new building has an outpatient clinic with a doctor present twice In addition, a nurse and interpreters are present in the outpatient clinic thus raising the level of the medical services provided. The residents in need of specialised examinations are transported to the Health Care Centre in Tutin or to the hospital in Novi Pazar.

In 2023, AC Tutin was operational from January to March 2023 and then it was closed until the end of July. After it was reopened, it functioned normally until the end of October in terms of the number of residents. However, and after the CRM and MoI decided to transfer all asylum seekers to AC Sjenica and AC Tutin, AC Tutin has become overcrowded hosting between 250 and 330 residents in the period of November-December. On the other hand, Asylum Office visited this facility only in December 2023.

Asylum Centre in Sjenica

AC Sjenica was set up as a temporary centre in the former Hotel Berlin, in the town of Sjenica, to accommodate an increased number of asylum-seekers in Serbia in August 2013. In March 2017, the former textile factory Vesna was added to the Asylum Centre. The old Hotel Berlin, with inadequate conditions and collective dormitories in the hall, was closed in July 2018. The centre in Sjenica is now located only in the former factory Vesna, downtown Sjenica. Its reception capacity is of 250 persons, accommodated in 27 rooms. It is approximately 250 km away from Belgrade and the underdeveloped road infrastructure poses particular difficulties for the NGOs and the Asylum Office.

Within the AC, there is a children’s area, a TV room, and a playground in front of the building. Meals are provided to asylum seekers three times a day and are specially adjusted to their religious and health needs. There is also a designated room for the social workers from the local SWC.

Mandatory examinations on admission into the AC for assessment of health status or identification of potential contagious diseases are conducted at the local Health Centre. A doctor is present in the AC from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on workdays. The asylum-seekers in need of specialised examinations and stationary treatment are transported to the hospitals in Novi Pazar or Užice.

In 2020, AC Sjenica was mainly used to accommodate UASCs but was mostly empty in 2021, with the exception of between 10 and 20 beneficiaries who required medical attention. In 2022, AC Sjenica hosted less than 80 residents on average and the turnover was high. The living conditions could be described as inadequate in the old part of the factory, while significant improvements were made during 2019 when the entrance, kitchen and a certain number of bedrooms were refurbished. The new part of the building provides more privacy and plenty of accommodation space. The children who used to be accommodated at the AC are satisfied with the organised activities. Between January and August 2023, AC Sjenica hosted between 40 and 200 residents on average. The centre was overcrowded in August (390 residents on 13 August 2023) and in the period ranging between November and December (from 360 to 452 residents). This is also the consequence of the decision of Serbian authorities to refer asylum seekers to this Center or AC Tutin. For that reason, those people who are referred there face difficulty to have their asylum procedure facilitated effectively, which is also one of the reasons why many of them decide to abscond asylum procedure.

Asylum Centre in Krnjača

AC Krnjača was founded in the Belgrade municipality of Palilula in 2014 as a temporary centre for accommodation of asylum-seekers. The AC is located in the compound of workers’ barracks used – since early 1990s – for accommodation of refugees from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina as well as of IDPs from Kosovo. It can officially host 1,000 persons making it –the biggest asylum centre for accommodation of asylum seekers in Serbia. In practice, however, the AC’s actual and realistic capacity is of approximately 500 to 600 residents, when taking into consideration other standards including privacy, safety, overcrowding and hygiene.

The conditions in the centre partially improved after the 2017 renovation of the older barracks. However, video surveillance was installed but the number of security staff is inadequate. Asylum seekers also often report poor hygiene and lack of privacy. Three meals per day are provided and are specially adjusted to asylum seekers’ religious and health needs. The AC has a hair salon and a tailor shop, and civil society organisations organise various courses in the common premises so that accommodated asylum seekers can improve specific crafts or languages. Still, the fact that large number of people come and go has led to the situation in which most of the barracks are in dilapidated state, including the toilets and showers.[11]

Free health care is available to all the persons residing in Krnjača, irrespective of their legal status. A medical team is present until 8 p.m. every day except Sunday in a designated area adapted for adequate provision of this type of services. Asylum seekers and others in need of specialised examinations are referred to one of the hospitals in Belgrade and are assisted by interpreters and CRM representatives. The lack of interpreters can sometimes create problems in communication with doctors, and there were several instances in which ambulance failed to respond to the calls of CRM workers, which has led to a situation in which camp employees had to transfer applicants to the hospital themselves.

Given its proximity to downtown Belgrade, this Asylum Centre housed the greatest number of persons in 2021 and 2022, i.e., an average of 300 to 400 persons per day. CRM staff observes the principle of family unity when allocating accommodation places to residents. There is a direct bus line, connecting the AC to downtown 20 minutes. Also, the proximity to Belgrade provides greater employment and integration opportunities for the asylum seekers, which has positive effects on their willingness to apply for asylum in Serbia.

The presence of organised criminal groups involved in smuggling and potentially human trafficking is evident and it is clear that security in Krnjača is highly problematic. However, the incidents and tensions which were recorded in 2020[12] were rare in 2021 and 2022. Still, and due to the fact that AC Krnjača host vulnerable applicants, including LGBTQI+ applicants, many incidents have been reported in 2023 which implied that residents belonging to this category have been physically assaulted and constantly psychologically abused (offended, mocked and verbally bullied) by the residents of the nearby informal settlement. The most sever incidents were reported to the Police, but the ill-treatment continued and the abusers continue to act with impunity. In 2023, there was a serious physical altercation between the group of Russian asylum seekers and inhabitants of the informal settlement which led to physical injuries.[13] Many asylum seekers have clearly outlined that they are afraid to walk to AC during night.

As outlined, at the beginning of 2023, the AC Krnjača was designated for vulnerable individuals such as single women, LGBTQI+ persons, families with young children, but also asylum seekers from Russia. All single male persons were transferred to AC Obrenovac. This transfer was conducted unannounced, producing disturbance among residents. Still, this reception facility does not meet the requirements for the placement of the most vulnerable asylum seekers for the above outlined reasons and general conditions clearly indicate that special reception guarantees are not respected. On 3 January 2023, AC Krnjača accommodated 328 persons mainly from Burundi, while that number in early April 2023 was 172 with around 70 Burundians and 30 Russians. In the period between May and end of October, the numbers varied between 133 and 203, while during November more than 700 persons was accommodated there. This number dropped to 415 and then 290 on the 31 December 2024.

Asylum Centre in Vranje

In May 2017, the Reception Centre in Vranje (220 places) opened, in a motel at the entrance of the town. The conditions in Vranje may be described as very positive bearing in mind their provisional nature, but the realistic capacities that would guarantee human dignity and a longer stay are several dozen less. In June 2021, this facility became an asylum centre, accommodating Ukrainian families (28 persons in total) at the end of March 2022, and 40 persons in mid-April. The living conditions in the AC Vranje are of the highest standards and this facility was completely refurbished and equipped with new furniture for Ukrainian refugees. In January 2023, AC in Vranje accommodated 83 refugees from Ukraine, while this number at the end of the year was around 50. Also, official capacities for 2023, and according to the CRM data was reduced to 150 which is more reasonable.

Asylum Centre in Obrenovac

Another reception centre for the accommodation of a larger number of refugees and asylum seekers was opened in a military barracks in Obrenovac (400 places) in January 2017. Soon after, the centre was designated for 900 persons, but as it is the case of all other reception facilities, the capacities were assessed in relation to available beds. The capacities in 2020 and 2021 were estimated to be 650 persons by the CRM. Still, this number was not realistic and it is clear that RC Obrenovac should not host more than 400 persons at that time. The idea behind the opening of the centre was to provide accommodation for persons in need of international protection who used to stay in unhygienic and unsafe conditions in Belgrade. However, at the outset of its functioning, it started to suffer from overcrowding, which led to a number of violent incidents among its population. The presence of organised criminal groups involved in smuggling is evident

In June 2021, this facility was turned into an Asylum Centre but no official activities of the Asylum Office were reported in 2022. However, at the end 2021, detailed reconstruction of the facility started and in the last quarter of 2022, the capacities of this AC had extended to 1000 beds. As previously mentioned, the capacity of the centres should be lower, but newly refurbished areas are clean, provide privacy and smaller rooms, in combination with old bigger dormitories with 10 to 15 beds. The conditions in most of the areas in the AC are satisfactory. In 2023, AC Obrenovac hosted between 340 and 950 residents.

During the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, RC Obrenovac, which has been operating as an Asylum Centre since June 2021, hosted 1,063 foreigners, most of whom where accommodated in military tents, without heating, electricity and sanitary facilities.[14]

The number of foreigners accommodated in asylum centres and reception centres on 31 December 2023 were the following:

Conditions in temporary reception facilities

As already outlined, the number of refugees and migrants arriving in Serbia was significantly higher in 2022 in comparison to 2021, but the last quarter of 2022 saw a significant drop in arrivals, and thus in the number of people accommodated in RCs.[15] In 2023, the number of arrivals was 108,808, and according to the CRM.

The authorities started opening temporary reception facilities in 2015 in order to provide basic accommodation and humanitarian support to persons who were likely in need of international protection but were not interested in seeking asylum in Serbia. These are not Asylum Centres and are not meant for long-term stay, even though the Asylum Act provides for the possibility for the asylum procedure to be facilitated there. Persons in need of international protection and other categories of migrants were placed in the majority of these centres throughout the year.

Reception centres on the South of the country

The reception (‘one-stop’) centre in Preševo (1,100 places), close to the border with North Macedonia, was opened during the summer of 2015. Emergency support was initially provided by Red Cross Serbia and the local municipality, but the Government soon decided to have a local tobacco factory adapted and turned into a registration and accommodation facility. The centre has a reception capacity for several hundred persons at any given moment.

On 3 January 2023, 768 persons were accommodated there, while that number in April 2022 was 1,511. During the COVID-19 lockdown, the highest recorded number was 1,501. In the period from 5 November 2023 until 31 December 2023 the number of residents varied from 727 to 290. It is important to highlight that RC Preševo is mainly built for short-term stays and is comprised of collective sleeping premises, with several dozen bunk beds and without the possibility to enjoy the right to privacy. In general, RC Preševo cannot be considered as suitable accommodation for persons in need of international protection and its realistic capacities that could meet relevant housing standards are significantly lower than 1,000, which is the official number.

Also, it is important to note that the geographical location of RC in Preševo is easy for identification, registration and vulnerability assessment of newly arrived foreign nationals because is located close to the border with North Macedonia, a main entry point into Serbia. However, vulnerability assessments are not conducted in practice, leaving this facility to be the place where people would spend several days and would move on with their journey.

RC Bujanovac (255 places) in Southern Serbia opened in October 2016, in a former automotive battery factory lying along the Belgrade-Skopje highway. The reception conditions may be described as satisfying, especially when the number of residents is lower than the official capacity. RC Bujanovac was not operational for most of 2021 and 2022, but was fully operational in 2023. Its occupation varied from 100 in January to 452 in November 2023 and remained overcrowded until the end of the year.

Reception Centres on the north of the country

The reception centre in Sombor (380 places) opened in 2015, in the warehouse of a military complex close to the border with Croatia. The centre’s capacity was increased to 160 places, in comparison to the 120 places available in 2021. On 19 December 2021, the overcrowding rate in this RC was 580%. On 26 September 2022, 768 persons were accommodated in this RC, while on 3 January 2023, this number significantly decreased to 384. In 2023, its official capacity was of 300 places and it hosted between 220 and almost 400 until November 2023 when it was official closed.

RC in Sombor is the facility known to be run by organised criminal groups involved in smuggling with dozens of security incidents, poor living conditions, lack of privacy and in general its failure to meet the requirements for the respect of human dignity (see section on Access to the Territory). In March 2023, a part of RC Sombor which was consisted of tents burned down.[16]

It is also important to note that RC Sombor was one of the most overcrowded RCs during 2020, accommodating 537 refugees and migrants during the COVID-19 lockdown. Several dozen tents have been installed in the yards in front of the centre and people were crammed inside the tents with limited access to water, sanitation and hygienic packages. Many foreigners were forced to sleep on the floor, on dirty mattresses and rugs and in unhygienic conditions.[17] It is reasonable to assume that longer stays in such conditions, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown, amounted to inhumane and degrading treatment.

Additional centres function in Principovac (220 places), Adaševci (1000 places), and Šid municipality, close to the Croatian border. In 2022 at RC Principovci did not reach more than 250 people, while that number in 2023 varied from several dozen to 316. In September 2022, RC Adaševci accommodated 1,243 persons, but in the last quarter of the year, the numbers dropped to 195 persons, all accommodated in solid building outside the rubb halls.[18] The drop-in number of residents mirrors that of general arrivals at that period. However, in 2023, RC Adaševci hosted several dozen to 929 foreign nationals in conditions which have been identical to those described by the NPM in the following chapter. RC Adasevci was closed in December 2023 and it remains like that until the conclusion of this report.

The continuous overcrowding in RC Adaševci has led to foreigners being crammed inside huge tents (‘rub-holes’) with limited or no heating during the winter, with access to a limited number of toilets and showers, where hygiene was on an extraordinary low level and where foreigners complained of live lice and different types of skin disease. The NPM in his report outlined the following:

‘In the first of the two rub halls located on the west side of the area where the camp is located, about 150 migrants were found, who were sleeping on a total of 142 bunk beds, which were arranged in three rows along the length of the facility. So, each person has less than 2m2 at his disposal. The beds are in extremely poor condition, with dilapidated mattresses that are in most cases without sheets. Some of the beds have been completely destroyed and cannot be used, so it is clear that there are not enough beds in the rubb hall for all the people staying in it, and that it is often the case that two people sleep on one bed or three on two connected beds. Due to the high rate of overcrowding, lack of windows and unsuitability of the building to climatic conditions, the rubb hall itself is stuffy and steamy, and an unpleasant odour is intensive, which is a consequence the lack of personal hygiene and inability to maintain general hygiene inside the building. Practically, there are no conditions for a minimum degree of privacy, nor are there lockers or cassettes for storing personal belongings.’[19]

NPM recommended that all of the rubb halls be put out of use and that overcrowding in the solid building be resolved by decreasing the number of inhabitants. Taking in consideration NPM’s findings, it can be concluded that maximum capacities which meet the standards necessary for the respect of human dignity, cannot be higher than 200 to 250 places. The fact that RC Adaševci was closed can be considered as a good decision having in mind that unacceptable living conditions have been reported in this facility from the day it was opened.

RC Principovci and RC Adaševci are considered to be the most unsecure RCs with a very high turnover of people coming and going towards the border with Croatia. Smuggling groups are present in all of the Western RCs, including RC Šid and inter-foreigner violence is common. In RC Adaševci the NPM recorded testimonies reporting violence committed by the camp employees. The Ombudsman stated in the Report that:

‘The NPM received several allegations of inadequate conduct of CRM officers in both reception centres, and allegations of other actions in the PC in Adaševci, which by their nature indicate the possible presence of corruption. In addition, it was noticed that there was an atmosphere of fear and mistrust among the migrants because they were not ready to openly discuss the relationship with CRM officers, RC security, police and military officers. In fact, the people who made up the visiting team were, according to the migrants, the first people to visit the centre and talk to them about the conditions in which they live, the needs and the overall realisation of their rights.

A number of migrants interviewed by the NPM reported allegations of ill-treatment that included: insults, threats, slaps, kicking, but also beatings with rubber truncheons, metal bars and wooden poles. Migrants pointed out that security workers often pushed, slapped, kicked or shouted at them, threatened them with physical violence and insulted them, and that they were afraid to complain about them, often in line for a meal or when distributing masks, gloves, hygiene kits, shoes or clothes. They are afraid to report many things that bother them because in that case they would be “marked”, after which they would be transferred to the temporary reception centre in Morović. Some also pointed out that they procure blankets and hygiene packages from certain employees, whose names they did not want to say for money.’[20]

‘The NPM uses this opportunity to draw the attention of CRM officials to the fact that the prohibition of ill-treatment is absolute and that physical and mental integrity is inviolable. For this reason, and having in mind the allegations received, the NPM makes the following recommendation:

The Commissariat for Refugees and Migration will send a clear message to its officials, which contains a clear position that torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment is absolutely forbidden and that there will be zero tolerance for such acts at the level of the entire Commissariat.’[21]

These testimonies were repeated in 2021 and 2022, when several dozen beneficiaries reported physical violence committed by the employees of CRM and private security,[22] but the situation was less intense in the last quarter of 2022 when the number of residents significantly dropped. Similar cases were not reported in 2023.

The reception centre in Subotica (220 places) was opened in 2015 at the height of the refugee and migrant movement into Hungary. The centre remained open. Like the other reception centres, it is inadequate for long-term residence. Residents are accommodated in group container rooms which do not guarantee privacy or the possibility to maintain hygiene. There were instances of attacks and stabbing reported by beneficiaries who resided there, as well as attacks from the local population.[23] The RC Subotica was overcrowded in 2022, when it illustratively hosted 431 persons in September. In 2023, the highest recorded number of residents was 248. In November 2023, RC Subotica was closed.

In April 2017, an additional centre was opened in Kikinda (280), close to the Romanian border, in refurbished agricultural facilities. The vast majority of the persons accommodated Kikinda and Subotica used to be on the waiting list for entry to Hungary.[24] For instance, during the COVID-19 lockdown, RC Kikinda hosted 660 refugees and migrants. The number remained unchanged on 10 January 2021, while on 6 June 2021, it hosted 884 persons. Only 216 beneficiaries were accommodated in Kikinda in September 2022.

The highest number of residents was recorded in August 2023, when 172 foreign nationals were accommodated there. RC Kikinda was closed in November 2023.

In mid-2016, the authorities of Serbia opened an additional three centres in Dimitrovgrad (90), Bosilegrad (110) and Pirot (190) to handle the increasing number of arrivals from Bulgaria. Another reception centre was opened in Bela Palanka (280) on 30 December 2016. All of these centres offer very basic, ageing facilities and are inadequate for anything other than very short-term stay: for example, the centre in Dimitrovgrad only offers collective dormitories, and there are no separate male and female toilets. Still, the COVID-19 lockdown did not lead to the overcrowding of these facilities, and on 10 January 2021, the number of reported people staying in these centres was far below their capacities. Moreover, RC Dimitrovgrad was not operational in 2021 and 2022, while RC Pirot and RC Bela Palanka reopened but no overcrowding was recorded. In 2023, RC Dimitrovgrad became operational at the end of the year hosting between 40 and 75 residents, while RC Pirot was overcrowded for the most of the year hosting in July around 350 persons, mainly from Morocco. RC Bosilegrad was opened for most of the year offering the best living conditions in refurbished building with separate 4 to 8 bunk beds per room. It was briefly overcrowded in November 2023.

In general, the majority of Reception Centres lack adequate living conditions due to their nature and purpose. Namely, the Reception Centres were established and designed during the 2015/2016 mass influx of refugees with the aim to provide a short-term stay not exceeding several days. However, as the border policies of neighbouring countries changed, and the time of stay in Serbia increased from several days to several weeks or months, the living conditions in the RCs deteriorated. For that reason, arguably the living conditions in the majority of RCs are inadequate and the main features are the following: overcrowding, poor hygiene, lack of privacy and safety, poor sanitation and lack of basic psycho-social services.

What is also important to note is the fact that every year capacities of different reception facilities are officially changed, even though major reconstructions were not undertaken. The criteria used by CRM when officially increasing or decreasing the official capacities are not clear, except for the one relating to the number of beds available.

Finally, it is also important to outline that CSOs in Serbia have not paid particular attention to the living conditions in Reception Centres and that all the data is collected through general observations made during the visits conducted for the purpose of legal counselling. Thus, thematic visits aimed at thoroughly documenting and reporting on the living conditions in the Reception Centres should be prioritised in the future. This is important for several reasons. First of all, the official narrative in the past was that Serbia can accommodate up to approximately 8,200 persons. However, this capacity is determined by the number of beds and not quality of the living conditions. This is also important for the future and potential cases of expulsions to Serbia, where sending states should bear in mind the quality of the reception conditions in respect to Article 3 of ECHR.[25] And finally, more detailed data on the current state of asylum and reception centres could be used as an advocacy tool for improvement of the living conditions. According to the official data, but also reports published by the NPM, realistic capacities of reception centres are at least 30 to 50% lower than the official number, when one applies the standards of the EUAA and other human rights standards.

[1] Council of Europe, Report of the fact-finding mission by Ambassador Tomáš Boček, Special Representative of the Secretary General on migration and refugees to Serbia and two transit zones in Hungary, 12-16 June 2017, available at: http://bit.ly/2DwCnI2.

[2] Information obtained from the UNHCR office in Belgrade on 15 March 2024.

[3] See more in AIDA, Country Report: Serbia – Update on the year 2022, May 2023, available here, 157-158.

[4] Ibid.

[5] N1, Zaštitnik građana traži podatke o incidentu sa migrantima u Bogovađi, 24 December 2020, available in Serbian at: http://bit.ly/39A2Tmg.

[6] NPM, Извештај о посетама прихватним центрима у Обреновцу и Адашевцима, 16 June 2020, available at https://bit.ly/3UuvmQv, 25.

[7] The Ombudsman, Недовољно обезбеђење Центра за азил у Боговађи, део миграната пребачен у Прешево, available in Serbian at: http://bit.ly/3aCLSav.

[8] Mondo, JEZIV SNIMAK iz Bogovađe: Obezbeđenje TUČE DETE MIGRANTA! (VIDEO), available in Serbian at: http://bit.ly/3pQuu8B.

[9] The Ombudsman, Заштитник грађана тражи да МУП Србије утврди све околности физичког злостављања малолетних миграната, 23 June 2020, available in Serbian at: http://bit.ly/2YAvK3C.

[10] APC, Azilni postupak nedostižan za izbeglice, 27 November 2020, available in Serbian at: https://bit.ly/39BgZnj.

[11] Observed by IDEAS legal representatives during regular visits.

[12] See more in AIDA, Country Report: Serbia – Update on the year 2020, March 2021, available here, 84.

[13] Observed by IDEAS legal representatives during regular visits to AC Krnjača and reported to IDEAS by its clients.

[14] See more in AIDA, Country Report: Serbia – Update on the year 2022, May 2023, available here, 165.

[15] An average number of refugees and migrants residing in Serbia was between 7,000 to 8,500 on a daily basis in the first 9 months of 2022, after which this number dropped to 3500 to 5,000 persons, inside and outside reception facilities.

[16] RTV, U požaru izgoreo objekat u Prihvatnom centru u Somboru, 2 March 2023, available at: https://bit.ly/4ahzTvD.

[17] APC Twitter, available at: https://bit.ly/3tfQTy2.

[18] Rubb halls are big tent constructions used to accommodate up to 100 foreign nationals.

[19] The Ombudsman, Извештај о посетама прихватним центрима у Обреновцу и Адашевцима, June 2020, available in Serbian at: http://bit.ly/3j6eL2w, 14.

[20] The Ombudsman, Извештај о посетама прихватним центрима у Обреновцу и Адашевцима, June 2020, available in Serbian at: http://bit.ly/3j6eL2w, 26-27.

[21] Ibid., p. 26.

[22] N1, N1 u centru Adaševci: Izbeglice se žale na uslove i nasilje, uprava negira, 9 Feruary 2022, available in Serbian at: https://bit.ly/3ilvKhB.

[23] APC Twitter, available at: https://bit.ly/3ioXFgC.

[24] AIDA, Country Report: Hungary – Update on the year 2018, March 2019, available here, 18.

[25] ECtHR, Tarakhel v. Switzerland, Application no. 29217/12, Judgment of 4 November 2014, EDAL, available at: http://bit.ly/2RvQipS.