tagesspiegel – During the first half of 2016, almost as many asylum applications of Turkish citizens have been registered in Germany as throughout the last year. While in 2015 1.767 persons from Turkey applied for asylum, the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees counted 1.719 applicants for the time from January until June 2016. Most of the applicants in 2016 have a Kurdish background. So far, the Federal office could not comment on a possible change of the situation in the aftermath of the attempted coup.
Category Archives: News Digest
HarekAct offers a topical and chronological collection of news on the EU-Turkish border regime under this section. We link to external newspapers and websites and do not hold the copyright.
Views and opinions expressed in the articles published on HarekAct are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of all editorial board members.
Syrian gay refugee killed in Istanbul
Kaos GL – Muhammed Wisam Sankari was a gay Syrian refugee. He had arrived in Istanbul a year ago. He was threatened, kidnapped, raped. Last week he was found dead in Yenikapi and was stabbed multiple times. Wisam’s friends identified him by his pants.
Man dies after push-back from Bulgaria
Bordermonitoring Bulgaria – Several Turkish speaking news sites (citing an article of a journalist from the Anadolou Agency) were reporting about a new victim of the European Border Regime. The 28 year old Iranian Reza Hassani was missing for about 18 days. He was found dead in the jungles of Karacadağ.
“If there’s no visa-free travel, no migrant deal”
Turkey’s foreign minister is demanding that the European Union say when its citizens will be granted visa-free entry and adds that, if the rules aren’t loosened, Ankara will back off a deal to stem the flow of migrants into Europe.
Migrant Arrivals in Greece Increase after Failed Coup Attempt in Turkey
Novinite.com – The number of migrants arriving in Greece has increased following the failed July 15 coup attempt in Turkey. According to Greek government data cited by AFP, the average rate of migrant arrivals has increased to 90 people per day, from 30 before the attempted coup. AFP quoted a Greek government source as saying that the rise in the number of migrant arrivals, could be ‘temporary’ and there was ‘no concern’ on part of the government.
Turkey recalls officials from Greek islands
Ekathimerini – Turkish officials stationed on Greek islands overlooking the implementation of a migrant relocation deal between the European Union and Turkey were ordered to return to Turkey a week ago, sources said.
Syrian shops in Ankara hit in post-coup riots
DW – Following the failed military coup in Turkey, pro-Erdogan celebrations turned into the looting of Syrian-run businesses in Ankara, leaving the city’s refugees wary of their neighbors.
EU: Don’t Send Syrians Back to Turkey
Human Rights Watch – Lack of Jobs, School, Health Care Spurs Poverty, Exploitation: Delays in registration and limited implementation of temporary protection policies in Turkey mean that many Syrian refugees are left without effective protection or access to jobs and services that they desperately need, Human Rights Watch said today. As long as Turkey remains burdened by overwhelming numbers of refugees and unable to provide sufficient protection and security for all, the European Union should not be sending Syrian refugees back to Turkey.
Dispatches: Greece’s Refugee “Hotspots” Breeding Violence
Human Rights Watch – Meanwhile on the other side of the sea: Women, Children Fearful, Unprotected; Lack Basic Shelter: (Athens) – Police are failing to protect people during frequent incidents of violence in closed centers on the Greek islands known as “hotspots,” Human Rights Watch said today. The centers were established for the reception, identification, and processing of asylum seekers and migrants. None of the three centers Human Rights Watch visited on Samos, Lesbos, and Chios in mid-May 2016, separate single women from unrelated adult men, and all three are unsanitary and severely overcrowded.
Failed coup in Turkey likely to delay arrival of Syrian refugees in Canada further
The Star – The time it takes to secure exit permits for Syrians in Turkey has delayed Liberal government’s plans to resettle thousands. Now, political instability is expected to delay things further.