Yearly Archives: 2018

News Digest

Half of the 144-kilometer wall built on the Turkish-Iranian border completed

Via T24 (Link in Turkish) – It is stated that the wall built on the Iranian border will be completed in the first 6 months of 2018. The Prime Ministry Housing Development Administration (TOKİ), which has built the third longest wall in the world on the Syrian border, has completed half of the 144-kilometer wall which is being built on the Turkish-Iranian border. TOKİ Chairman Ergün Turan said that the 57,152 kilometer part of the wall was built on the border of Ağrı with the remaining 86,848 kilometers in Iğdır. Turan said that the border wall will be completed in the first 6 months of 2018.

Continue reading Half of the 144-kilometer wall built on the Turkish-Iranian border completed →

News Digest

Social Center Kapılar in Izmir needs financial support!

Kapılar is a unique community hub in the heart of the Basmane district in Izmir, Turkey. It is a bustling social centre where people meet and organise to make friends and share skills and knowledge.  As an independent organisation, they rely solely on private donations from friends and those who support our work, both in Turkey and abroad. Now, they ask for support to help continue their vital work and projects in 2018!

*** Click here to proceed to the Fundraising page *** Continue reading Social Center Kapılar in Izmir needs financial support! →

News Digest

Court freezes decision to grant asylum to Turkish serviceman

Via Ekathimerini – An administrative court on Monday issued an order to temporarily freeze a decision to grant asylum to one of eight Turkish servicemen who fled to Greece after a failed Turkish coup in 2016 with the case to be heard next month. Meanwhile, following a decision by the Greek Police’s immigration unit, the serviceman is to remain in custody until a final decision is issued on his asylum.

The court on Monday accepted an appeal by the Greek state to suspend the ruling which was issued last month by a tribunal. In accordance with the temporary ruling, the serviceman is banned from leaving the country.  Continue reading Court freezes decision to grant asylum to Turkish serviceman →

News Digest

EU contracted entire amount of humanitarian aid: EU ambassador

Via Hurriyet Daily News (Article from 27th December 17) – The European Union has finished contracting three billion Euros that will be used for Syrian refugees in Turkey, the head of the EU delegation in Ankara has announced, informing that all these funds will be distributed under 72 separate projects.

“Yesterday we signed the very last contract with the KfW which means that now the entire amount of three billion euros we offered in 2016 are now contracted, legally bound and being implemented,” Ambassador Christian Berger told reporters on Dec. 27.

Continue reading EU contracted entire amount of humanitarian aid: EU ambassador →

Monitoring the EU-Turkey Deal, News Digest

Refugees in Greece reflect on another year of waiting

Via Aljazeera – Closed borders, racism, xenophobic attacks, rejected asylum applications, poverty and lengthy waits. These experiences are what many refugees and migrants in Greece say defined 2017 for them. More than 60,000 refugees and migrants are trapped in Greece due to sealed borders across the so-called Balkan route and the March 2016 deal between Turkey and the European Union, which was sculpted to stem the flow of displaced people to Europe.  Continue reading Refugees in Greece reflect on another year of waiting →

News Digest

50.000 irregular immigrants arrest in Edirne in 2017

Via Hürriyet (Link in Turkish) – A total of 50,000 migrants were caught while trying to cross to Greece or Bulgaria in Edirne throught the last year. Compared to the number of migrants caught in 2016 (31,000), the number of arrests increased by 19%. Among the arrested were around 15,000 Pakistanis, 12,000 Afghans and 10,000 Syrians. The number of Syrian refugees fleeing the war in their countries fell from 16,000 to 10,000 from 2016 to 2017. Further migrants from Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Iraq and Iran had been arrested throughtout 2017. Continue reading 50.000 irregular immigrants arrest in Edirne in 2017 →

News Digest

Social Cohesion in Turkey: Refugee and Host Community Online Survey

Via World Food Programme – The current social cohesion perception survey takes place within the monitoring framework of the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) programme. The Turkish name for the ESSN programme is Sosyal Uyum Yardimi programi; the literal English translation is Social Cohesion Assistance programme. This Turkish name underlines the idea that providing basic needs assistance to refugees is intended to support the social cohesion of refugees within Turkish communities. Continue reading Social Cohesion in Turkey: Refugee and Host Community Online Survey →

News Digest

Turkish Coast Guard: Migrant deaths in Aegean down 85 percent in 2017

Via Hurriyet Daily News – Migrant deaths in the Aegean Sea plummeted by 85 percent in 2017 compared to 2016, according to Turkey’s Coast Guard Command. A total of 61 people lost their lives trying to cross the Aegean in 2017, down from 434 people in 2016 and 806 people in 2015, state-run Anadolu Agency reported. Continue reading Turkish Coast Guard: Migrant deaths in Aegean down 85 percent in 2017 →

News Digest

Over 1,600 undocumented migrants detained across Turkey

Via Hürriyet Daily News-  A total of 1,632 undocumented migrants were detained across Turkey on Jan. 2, according to military figures.

Border troops detained a total of 1,556 migrants from Syria trying to illegally cross into Turkey, as well as five from Greece and two from Iran, according to the Turkish General Staff website. Turkey has been a main route for refugees trying to cross into Europe since the Syrian civil war begun.

Sixty-four migrants were also caught while trying to illegally enter Greece from Turkey, while five others were held at the Syrian border attempting to enter Syria.