A refugee, who was found in a lorry that was travelling from İstanbul in Turkey to Italy, was attacked in the Ataşehir district of İstanbul in Turkey by people calling themselves customs enforcement officials.

The lorry driver recorded the footage of the incident and stated that the incident took place on 10 December in Erenköy Export and Import Park, located in the Ataşehir district of İstanbul.

He stated that he noticed the refugee when he opened the door of the vehicle. After informing customs enforcement officials about this, they attended the scene.

The lorry driver said: “They called themselves customs enforcement officials. I could not tell exactly who was the one that hit him. Most probably, they were customs officials. They may have been officials who were responsible for paperwork. But I am sure that they were not the police”. He stated that officials took the refugee – seen in the footage – and he was hit by an official and taken into a cabin. He added: “The person who hit him also beat him up a lot in that cabin. I could not see anything after that”. The lorry driver clarified that a machine had been loaded into his lorry and the refugee had hidden himself amongst the machine parts.