UNHCR expressed concerns about an injured female Syrian refugee in Slovakia who was shot near Veľký Meder (South-Western Slovakia) on Monday. She was harmed by the Slovak border patrol forces in a shooting near Veľký Meder (south west Slovakia) that followed after four cars full of migrants failed to acknowledge an order to stop. The United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) expressed concerns about the quick reaction of the armed officers and has requested an investigation into the shooting. "Refugees fleeing from war should not face violence when trying to get to Europe safely," reads the statement of UNHCR. "States are responsible for guarding their borders. However, they should do so in a way that reflects their duty to protect refugees and asylum seekers. Europe needs to increase the number of legal refugee routes to prevent immigrants from cooperating with smugglers and choosing dangerous paths," stated the UNHCR spokesperson.
Interior Minister Robert Kaliňák (Smer-SD) defends the border patrols. "Based on the information available so far, I find the action unambiguously justified and appropriate for the situation," the Minister said on Wednesday. "We couldn't have known what was in the car. It might also have been a threat to innocent civilians. There's always a huge risk of injury in these events," added the Interior Minister. According to him, everyone knows that if they disobey an order by an armed officer of the state, steps similar to the ones used in Veľký Meder will follow. President Andrej Kiska expressed sorrow over the injured female, adding that "every person that faces injustice should be provided support."
Monday's events could be a result of the recent increased number of illegal migrants passing through Slovakia, as over the past two weeks altogether 72 illegal refugees have been detained in Slovak territory. The situation is a result of the newly installed temporary checks at the Austrian-Hungarian border. The Slovak Interior ministry is ready to take steps to control the situation, without revealing any details for now.
