Turkey’s authorities are rounding up Syrian refugees, even unaccompanied children, and forcing them back to northern Syria.
It’s a clear violation of international law.
In new HRW reporting published today, deported Syrians describe how Turkish officials arrested them in their homes, at their workplaces, and on the street. They detained them in poor conditions, and in most cases beat and abused them.
Then, the Turkish authorities compelled the refugees to sign “voluntary” return forms, drove them to the border with northern Syria, and forced them across at gunpoint.
Turkey is bound by treaty and international law to respect the principle of “nonrefoulement.” What this means is a government cannot return people to a place where they would face a real risk of persecution, torture, or death – exactly what Turkish officials are doing here.
These deportations contrast sharply with Turkey’s past record of generosity. The country hosts some 3.6 million Syrian refugees – that’s more refugees than any other country in the world and almost four times as many as all of the EU put together.
But Turkey is changing.
In May 2022, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced he intends to resettle one million refugees in northern Syria, in areas not controlled by the government, even though Syria remains unsafe for returning refugees.
These latest expulsions are likely another sign the government is trying to make northern Syria its refugee dumping ground.
The EU and its member states have sent wheelbarrows of cash to Turkey in an effort to ease the refugee burden – and (nudge nudge) keep them there rather than see them head to the EU. But these deportations should cause a rethink. The EU should suspend this funding until forced deportations cease.