The Hellenic League for Human Rights has received allegations concerning the refoulement of Turkish asylum seekers in Evros

Via Hellenic League for Human Rights – The unofficial refoulement from Greece to Turkey of persons that are possibly entitled to international protection, not only have not been terminated, but on the contrary seem to be conducted in concert with Turkish authorities violating even the notion of the rule of law. A recent eponymous incident shows the true dimensions of this practice

Read the refoulement-report here

71 Syrians stopped trying to reach Greece by sea

Via Ekathimerini – Turkey’s coast guard says it stopped 71 Syrian migrants attempting to reach Greece. The migrants were stopped in a rubber dinghy early Tuesday in Izmir province, on the Aegean sea, as they began their journey to the Greek island of Lesvos.

According to Turkish coast guard statistics, more than 5,000 migrants have been stopped so far this year, a fifth of the total number in 2016.

Former editor of Turkish news magazine arrested trying to flee to Greece

Via Hurriyet Daily News – The editor-in-chief of a now shut-down weekly magazine, who was sentenced to over 22 years in jail on May 22 for “inciting an armed uprising against the Turkish government,” was arrested on May 24 in the northwestern province of Edirne while attempting to flee to neighboring Greece, a security source has said. Continue reading Former editor of Turkish news magazine arrested trying to flee to Greece

Three policemen, university student caught near Bulgarian border while on way to escape Turkey

Via Turkey Purge – Three dismissed police chiefs and a university students were detained near Turkey’s Kapikule border gate with Bulgaria on Wednesday. The four people were detained in a military zone in Turkish part while they were reportedly on their way to escape Turkey’s post-coup crackdown to Bulgaria.

According to state-run Anadolu news agency, the detainees had outstanding arrests warrants earlier issued against them over links to the Gulen movement. The government accuses the movement of masterminding the July 15, 2016 coup attempt and has detained more than 120,000 people in its crackdown since then.

Hope, Resilience and Uncertainty: A Day with Displaced Syrians in Southern Turkey

The conversations that figure in this text took place in October 2015 during a 18-months field research that extended from June 2014 to April 2016.

“Look! All the paths are closed!” Hanan says pointing at the drawings the coffee left in her cup. “There is no opening… This is not a good sign!” she continues while turning the small white coffee cup in her hands. It is early morning, Hanan and I are the only ones awake in the flat. The children are still asleep on the floor of the living room, where we are sitting drinking our morning coffee, and reading our future. Hanan has been obsessed with coffee reading for the last couple of weeks as she is looking for signs and answers about her future. Will she stay in Turkey? Will she go back to her parents’ village in Syria? Or will she cross to Europe? In this morning cup, rather than giving a possible direction, the coffee just shows that the future is dark and with no much hope. Continue reading Hope, Resilience and Uncertainty: A Day with Displaced Syrians in Southern Turkey

Loss and everyday life on the Syrian-Turkish border

The conversations that figure in this text took place in the summer and autumn 2015 during a 18-months field research that extended from June 2014 to April 2016.

What does loss mean for Syrians living in Southern Turkey in the aftermath of the 2011 revolution and in the midst of an ongoing war? How is this loss experienced, and how does it affect Syrians’ everyday in Turkey? Those are some of the questions I looked at during my PhD’s fieldwork (June 2014 – April 2016) among Syrians in the city of (Gazi)Antep. The loss experienced by Syrians can be defined as polymorphic. It is before all the loss of Syria: the loss of one’s home and homeland. The loss was also recounted as the loss of one’s past, one’s former life, the loss of relatives, of kinship ties and networks. Yet, Syrians’ loss is also the loss of a political project, of their revolution and the subsequent loss of one’s revolutionary self. Continue reading Loss and everyday life on the Syrian-Turkish border

Thousands of refugees on Greek islands risk losing vital services as charities prepare to withdraw

Via The Independent – Thousands of refugees in Greece are at risk of losing vital support as charities prepare to withdraw services from camps on the country’s “hotspot” islands, as changes to EU funding are set to leave them out of contract by the end of July.

The Greek government will take over funding and managing support services to the camps on 31 July, but aid organisations fear the prospect of a “humanitarian gap” resulting from a poorly planned transition.

Clashes erupt in Istanbul between Turks and migrants whose lives remain on hold

Via Los Angeles Times – Turkish authorities on May 16 detained more than 300 undocumented migrantsin Istanbul’s Sultanciftligi neighborhood — mostly from Pakistan and Afghanistan — after Turkish nationals and migrants clashed, resulting in the death of a Turkish man allegedly killed by an Afghan migrant.

It’s the latest outbreak of violence between migrants and locals in Turkey in the wake of simmering tensions. Human rights groups say Turkey has fast become an unsafe country for millions of migrants and refugees seeking to resettle in Europe.