Stranded refugees have sewn their mouths shut to protest recent rulings by Balkan countries banning certain nationalities from their countries.
Migrants are sewing their lips shut to protest new policies by some Balkan countries that are blocking certain nationalities from crossing their borders.
The Macedonian government has begun blocking all migrants who are not from Syria, Iraq or Afghanistan, angering thousands of people stranded from countries including Pakistan, Iran and Morocco.
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Angry protesters along the Greek-Macedonian border protested Monday and tried to block those who were given permission to cross. Pakistanis held up images of human rights violations in their country.
Seven men, thought to be Iranians, sewed their mouths closed with twine and string in what they called a “silent” protest.
Macedonian officials say they no longer wish to give safe passage to migrants who are not Syrian, Afghan or Iraqi because they fear other countries will do the same, leaving thousands stranded on Macedonian soil
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The country’s leaders also contend the nationalities they are restricting are not in the same dire straits as the Syrian, Iraqi and Afghan refugees.
But Ranko Ostojic, the Croatian interior minister questioned such broad restrictions, the Guardian reported.
“It’s very difficult to say. What is Yemen? Is it in a war or not?”
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