Via Gulf Times – Turkey was on Sunday deporting hundreds of Afghan migrants back home on special flights, in a major operation after thousands illegally entered the country in recent weeks.
Continue reading Turkey deports hundreds of Afghan migrants after influx
A relative of victims in Agathonisi shipwreck speaks at a demonstration in Athens and asks central questions.
Via euronews – By Sara Kayyali: At a border crossing between Syria and Turkey, a smuggler preparing a group of seven Syrian asylum seekers to enter Turkey told a 13-year-old boy to cross. He pointed toward the other side of a wide street, and said, ”See there? Run over there, that is Turkey.” The boy ran. Moments later shots rang out and the boy fell dead on the street. The smuggler turned to the rest of the group and told them, ”You can cross now, they will not shoot again.”
This was one of the many dangerous smuggling tactics Syrian refugees told me they observed while risking their lives as they desperately tried to reach Turkey. Continue reading Turkey: When the path to safety for Syrians is anything but
UNHCR data on returns from Greece published by the Ankara Initiative for Migration Studies:
Via Daily News – Nearly 20,000 undocumented Afghan migrants have arrived in Turkey over the past three months, an unprecedented number according to the latest figures from the General Directorate of Security.
A total of 17,847 undocumented Afghan migrants have been captured by security forces from the beginning of 2018 until March 29.
Continue reading Record number of Afghan migrants reaching Eastern Turkey without papers
Via Spiegel Online – Turkey has barricaded its border to Syria with the help of funding from the European Union. There are few options left for Syrians trying to flee the brutal war in their home country and those who do risk death.
Continue reading Firing at Refugees: EU Money Helped Fortify Turkey’s Border
On the 16th of March, two families tried to reach Europe through the Aegean Sea, one from Afghanistan, one from Iraq. They left Turkey and swiftly moved toward the Greek island of Agathonisi. But shortly before reaching it, they capsized. A relative of the Afghan family on Samos Island notified the authorities repeatedly, via phone and in person. At that point, many of the shipwrecked could have still been rescued.
German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung Online reports that since the failed coup attempt in Turkey in July 2016, more than 1.000 diplomats, civil servants and their families applied for asylum in Germany.
In January and February 2018 already more than 1.400 Turkish nationals applied for asylum in German. For 2017 the number was at 8.500 compared to 5.700 in 2016. The protection rate – the proportion of recognized asylum applications – rose from around 8 to 28 % in 2017. So far this year, it is already at around 42 %.
Via ECRE – On March 22 Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported interceptions of large groups of Syrian refugees by Turkish security forces who since Deecember 2017 have “summarily deported them to the war-ravaged Idlib governorate in Syria.” In its reponse the Directorate General of Migration Management (DGMM) in Turkey’s Ministry of Interior denies the allegations and underlined the fact that Turkey offers temporary protection to more than 3.5 million Syrians. Continue reading Human Rights Watch report: push backs of Syrian refugees by Turkey
Via Spiegel Online (Link in German) – 16 refugees died in the Aegean sea one week ago when their boat was sinking in front of the Greek island Agathonisi, in the largest shipwreck in the Aegean this year so far. On board were two families from Afghanistan and Iraq, many children, including a few months old baby, a total of 21 people. But only three adults made it ashore – all children drowned. Two people are still missing.
Spiegel Online reports in German that now the only three survivors are raising serious allegations, claiming that their families could have been saved. They explained that the coast guard had been contacted several times in early stage throughout calls and text messages. Also a ship had been on site for hours but did not respond to the waving and calling of the people in distress. Continue reading Shipwreck off Agathonisi, Greece: Survivors are raising serious allegations against Greek Coast Guards