Quelle: Detained

The former Jewish neighbourhood close to Zhenski Pazar (Women’s Market) in Sofia, ”Iuchbunar”, is now called Little Beirut more and more often, because of the growing number of inhabitants of Arabic origin. During the day the streets of the most multicultural part of the capital are colorful and merry, filled with all kinds of exotic aromas from the stores and restaurants selling goods from the Near and Far East. But at night the neighbourhood turns into a gloomy and stressful place. A dozen of young migrant men from different parts of the world gather in front of the doors of the numerous hostels trying to find a job offer or a trustworthy smuggler who can help them leave Bulgaria illegally. And overall they

are killing time, which behind the walls of the rentals for “illegals” passes very slowly.

Just a few meters from the synagogue in Sofia, there is a hostel where dozens of migrants from North Africa, Bulgarians and mainly Afghanis live together in miserable conditions. Most of them are waiting for the moment to come for them to cross the border with Serbia. Some have already gone through this route but have been deported back to Bulgaria from Hungary, Germany and the Scandinavian countries. Others, even though they have filed asylum claims in Bulgaria have spent months, even years detained in the centers for “temporary” detention of the Ministry of Interior, and still others do not have money to obtain documents nor to leave the country. […]