The NGO denounces the expulsions of Syrians living in Turkey in a new report which casts a shadow over the generous reception of 3.7 million nationals since the start of the war. Between February and August 2022, Human Rights Watch (HRW) collected testimonies from 37 people returned to northern Syria.
With our correspondent in Istanbul, Anne Andlauer
According to the Turkish Interior Ministry, 527,000 Syrian refugees have returned to their country in recent years. At the end of his investigation, theNGO Human Rights Watch claims that some of these returns were not voluntary. ” The number of forced dismissals is increasing. We are talking about people who have enjoyed protection in Turkey for a long time, who are integrated, who speak Turkish and who have been arrested at their workplace, in the street, at home because of a neighbor’s complaint, says Nadia Hardman, researcher and author of the report. People who find themselves treated very badly in detention centers – centers that are funded by the EU – who are forced to sign voluntary return forms. Then we send to northern Syria in buses full of other Syrians. »
Forced returns linked to the elections, according to HRW
Asked by the NGO, the Turkish authorities denounced ” unfounded allegations “. But the NGO points to a socio-political climate that is increasingly hostile to refugees, particularly in the run-up to the June 2023 elections. As part of this political campaign, I think the aim is to contribute to the narrative that Turkey is intransigent on refugeesexplains Nadia Hardman. In my opinion, the idea is to continue these deportations on a regular basis, while maintaining the appearance of a welcoming country with regard to refugees. »
HRW calls on the European Union to “ recognize that Turkey is not a safe country for asylum seekers and to suspend its funding of migrant detention centers until the forced removals stop.
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