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The Bulgarian route: Between a rock and a hard place

An Afghan man's broken boots, after traveling through Iran, Turkey and Bulgaria and arriving in Serbia Jodi Hilton/IRIN
An Afghan man's broken boots after traveling through Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria and arriving in Serbia
    DIMITROVGRAD

    The migrants and refugees arriving in Dimitrovgrad, Serbia, have all opted for the land route through Turkey and Bulgaria rather than the more expensive route by boat to Greece. It is a route that is likely to become increasingly used as non-Syrian, Afghan and Iraqi migrants are barred from proceeding into Macedonia from Greece. But as the Turkish and Bulgarian border police step up controls, and numerous reports of police brutality emerge, it is an option that comes with its own risks.

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