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.

Monitoring the EU-Turkey Deal, News Digest

Pushback, Violence and Separation of Families in Greek Waters!

Via Refugee Rescue – This morning (10th November) at 3.47am, Refugee Rescue boat ‘Mo Chara’ received a request by the Hellenic coastguard to assist in transitioning 17 very distressed and hypothermic people to port.

Stock photo of Turkish Coastguard with refugees

Several arrivals reported that their dinghy – originally carrying 37 people – was intercepted by the Turkish coast guard in Greek waters. It is alleged that a Turkish official fired multiple gun shots into the air before retreating, and then returned to fire shots into the water close to the dinghy, while ramming the boat with their vessel on a number of occasions.  Continue reading Pushback, Violence and Separation of Families in Greek Waters! →

News Digest

Turkey Detained more than 500 Illegal Migrants who were Heading for Bulgaria and Greece

Via Novinite – Turkish border authorities detained 575 illegal migrants and refugees who were preparing to cross illegally to Bulgaria and Greece. This was announced by the Security Directorate of the city of Edirne, reports sega.

Some of the illegal migrants were hiding in the villages of Orhanie, Sarakapanar and Bosnokoy, not far from the Bulgarian border. The other group of migrants was hiding in Uzunkopru, Ipsala and Meric, in the immediate vicinity of the Greek border, the police message said. They then state that all detainees – from Morocco, Pakistan, Egypt, Syria, Afghanistan and Myanmar – have been handed over to the migration authorities in the city of Edirne.

Monitoring the EU-Turkey Deal, News Digest

Fragile Nature of EU-Turkey Relations: Interview with Laura Batalla

Via Bosphorus Migration Studies – Laura Batalla is the Secretary-General of the European Parliament Turkey Forum which is a group comprised of members of the European Parliament who have a keen interest in EU-Turkey relations. Mehmet Enes Beşer made an interview with Mrs. Batalla on the fragile EU-Turkey relations and the future prospects:

“I wouldn’t call it a dispute. However, it is true that we may have hit our lowest point in EU-Turkey relations since accession negotiations started in 2005.” Continue reading Fragile Nature of EU-Turkey Relations: Interview with Laura Batalla →

News Digest

At least 144 detained in 2 months while on way to escape to Greek islands

Via Turkey Purge – At least 144 people affiliated with Turkey’s Gülen group were detained in two months while trying to flee to nearby Greek islands, according to state-run Anadolu news agency.

The report said that 144 were detained as part of the operations in the resort province of Mugla in September and October. Some of the suspect were rounded up by coast guard off Mugla shores while some were caught upon tips off about their departure even before they took aboard. Continue reading At least 144 detained in 2 months while on way to escape to Greek islands →

Monitoring the EU-Turkey Deal, News Digest

EU Parliamentarians Warn Refugees May Die on Greek Islands

Via Greek Reporter – Council and the European Commission must work urgently with Greece to prevent a humanitarian crisis this winter, according to the he Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) Group in the European Parliament.

The group called for a debate in the parliament’s plenary session next week in Strasbourg. “Thousands of people seeking asylum on the Greek islands still do not have adequate protection for the coming cold months,” said S&D Group President Gianni Pittella. Continue reading EU Parliamentarians Warn Refugees May Die on Greek Islands →

Monitoring the EU-Turkey Deal, News Digest

Anger rises in Lesbos over crowded refugee camps

Via The Guardian – A surge in refugee arrivals has led to soaring tensions on Greece’s outlying Aegean islands, with Lesbos’s mayor accusing the government in Athens of allowing it to become a giant prison camp.

Boycotting celebrations on Wednesday marking the 105th anniversary of Lesbos’s liberation from Ottoman Turkish rule, local officials gave the leftist-led coalition in Athens an ultimatum: either it took immediate action to decongest the island or risked mass protests from an increasingly unruly population. Continue reading Anger rises in Lesbos over crowded refugee camps →

Monitoring the EU-Turkey Deal, News Digest

Mind The Gap! A Closer Look at the Inconsistencies in the EU-Turkey Statement Progress Reports

Via University of Oxford / Faculty of Law – Today, Turkey is host to approximately 3.4 million refugees and asylum seekers, including more than 3.2 million Syrians. Due to its strategic location, Turkey has been a transit country for migrants and refugees, a necessary stop on their way to Europe. In 2015, nearly one million people arrived irregularly in Europe by sea, with more than 856,723 refugees and migrants traveling to Greece by sea from Turkey. This explains why cooperation with the Turkish government has become an essential part of the European policy to manage migration.

PHOTO: ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Continue reading Mind The Gap! A Closer Look at the Inconsistencies in the EU-Turkey Statement Progress Reports →

News Digest

Rejections and Returns: The EU-Turkey Statement and its consequences for refugees in Greece, Turkey and Germany

Event Announcement – Rejections and Returns: The EU-Turkey Statement and its consequences for refugees in Greece, Turkey and Germany

Monday, 20 November, 19:00 – 21:00

ECCHR, Zossener Straße 55-58 (Aufgang D), 10961 Berlin

The EU-Turkey Statement from March 2016 stipulates that “[a]ll new irregular migrants crossing from Turkey into Greek islands as from 20 March 2016 will be returned to Turkey”. Under the adjusted procedures, people who arrive on the Greek islands are subjected to accelerated border procedures and an initial admissibility test on their asylum claim. The European Asylum Support Office (EASO), an EU agency, is in charge of “recommending” a decision to the competent Greek Asylum Service. Based on the dubious assumption that Turkey is a safe third country, many refugees currently face the risk of being deported back there. Cases against this further erosion of the right to asylum are pending at the European Court of Human Rights. At the same time, EASO’s practice is under scrutiny by the European Ombudsman, due to a complaint lodged by ECCHR. Continue reading Rejections and Returns: The EU-Turkey Statement and its consequences for refugees in Greece, Turkey and Germany →