A family yearns for answers years after Turkish refugee’s torture, death
Al Jazeera
In 2022, the Turkish coastguard found Baris Buyuksu barely alive with signs of torture, in the Aegean Sea.
Athens, Greece – As noted in his autopsy, 30-year-old Baris Buyuksu had several tattoos.
On the inside of his left arm was the invocation, “be patient”, in Turkish. On the outside of his left hand, the Turkish word for “hope”.
Hope is a word that aptly described him, his sister Dilan Biyik told Al Jazeera. He was also optimistic.
Although he found it challenging to find stable work in Turkey, Buyuksu, a Turkish citizen of Kurdish descent, was always looking forward. He spoke frequently about trying to build a future for himself outside of the country.
“He wanted to settle in Europe and build a new life there. He wanted to get a residence permit and live there,” Biyik told Al Jazeera.
