AFP reports that five Iranian migrants at the Macedonian-Greek border have sewed their lips shut to protest new restrictions only allowing Syrian, Iraqi, and Afghani refugees to travel through to Europe.
Five men from Iran have been stuck near the tracks of the railroad separating Macedonian and Greece. They threatened to hunger strike before sewing their mouths shut.
One man wrote "only freedom" on his chest, while others wrote "Iran" on their bodies, AFP reports.
The protesters are just few of the hundreds of people now stuck in flux in Skopje, Macedonia. The country declared new restrictions this week, only allowing travel for people fleeing active conflict zones.
According to local police, over a thousand people still remain at the border. They are mostly from Iran, Pakistan, and Bangladesh - considered "economic migrants" by the Macedonian government. "Economic migrants" are people escaping extreme poverty and little to no economic opportunities, but not leaving an active war zone.
