Syrians who have been deported from Turkey tell HRW that they were searched in their homes or workplaces, taken to poor prisons, subjected to violence and finally forced to sign a “voluntary” return to Syria. Then they tell how they were driven to the border in handcuffs and forced to step over, in some cases at gunpoint.
“In violation of international law, Turkish authorities have rounded up hundreds of Syrian refugees, including unaccompanied children, and forced them back to northern Syria,” says Nadia Harman, who reviews refugee rights issues at HRW.
Turkey is the country that hosts the most refugees in the world, and among them are around 3.6 million Syrians who sought their way north due to the Syrian war.