Turkey forced hundreds of migrants to return to Syria: Human Rights Watch report
The Hindu
The Human Rights Watch group said hundreds of Syrian men and boys have been detained, beaten and forcibly returned to their country by Turkish authorities over a six-month period
Hundreds of Syrian men and boys were detained, beaten, and forcibly returned to their country by Turkish authorities over a six-month period, a leading human rights group said on Monday.
The treatment of migrants living in Turkey under temporary protection is a breach of international law, New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report.
The Turkish government has in the past rejected accusations of forcibly returning refugees to Syria.
Turkey houses the world’s largest refugee population, mostly 3.6 million Syrians who fled the decade-long war in their country.
Human Rights Watch said deported Syrians told researchers that Turkish officials arrested them in their homes, workplaces and on the street. They were then detained in poor conditions, with most suffering beatings and abuse, and forced to sign documents agreeing to “voluntarily” return to Syria.
After being driven in handcuffs to the Syrian border — journeys sometimes lasting up to 21 hours — they were forced across at gunpoint, the Syrians said.
“In violation of international law Turkish authorities have rounded up hundreds of Syrian refugees, even unaccompanied children, and forced them back to northern Syria,” said Nadia Hardman, refugee and migrant rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.