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.

HarekAct Reporting, News Digest

Harek Act’s Weekly News Digest 26/02/2019

We introduce you to our new weekly news digest on migration, asylum and border issues primarily in Turkey as well as on the general European context as far as it is connected to Turkey.

Anti-Migrant Violence and Discrimination///Exploitation///Border Region///Broader Discourse///Numbers///Further Information

Anti-migrant violence and discrimination

  • After mass attacks against the Syrian community in the Esenyurt district of Istanbul on the 9 February, reported here, the anti-Syrian attacks are continuing. Four masked individuals raided into the house of a Syrian family in Sultangazi, Istanbul. Among seven people living in the house, one was severely injured after being shot in the head.
  • Seven Syrian families living in the Artuklu neighborhood of Mardin were threatened with letters posted at their doors, three of which also had a bullet placed next to them, Evrensel reports. The letters read: “Respectful landlord, if you don’t leave the house in 10 days, a bomb attack will be organized. This is your first warning, the second one will hurt someone. We don’t want you in this neighborhood.”
Continue reading Harek Act’s Weekly News Digest 26/02/2019 →
News Digest

Kirisci and Brandt: A refugee compact for Turkey?

Following the new Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), adopted at the United Nations late last year, Kemal Kirisci and Jessica Brandt call EU to negotiate a preferential trading arrangement with Turkey that covers agricultural products produced with a threshold level of Syrian labor. According to the article published via Brookings:

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News Digest

The Desire to Unlearn: Being a Nigerian Student in Northern Cyprus

Chigozie Obioma has narrated his experiences as a Nigerian student in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus for the Paris Review . His experiences vary from the solidarity they build with the compatriots to cope with daily discrimination, to the differences in food culture, but most importantly about the daily racist and humiliating treatment people face being a black young adult in Northern Cyprus.

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, image from Wikimedia Commons

Via the Paris Review – “As a Nigerian young adult traveling abroad for the first time, the thrill I experienced was, at first, intoxicating.(…) My visa application to the UK had been rejected, and so I found my new destination, a university in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. It was a nation few people seemed to know much about.”

Read the full article at the Paris Review

News Digest

Turkey pledges to enter Syria so refugees can return

Al Monitor on Turkey’s plans of creating a safe zone along its border with Syria, which according to the Turkish President would allow millions of Syrians to ‘return home’. Frustrated by the slow process, Erdogan signaled that Turkey would proceed with their plans even without the involvement of the US and Russia.

Via Al Monitor – “Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated his pledge to launch a military offensive in northern Syria, saying on Monday that his military aims to create a safe zone in the area so that the 4 million or so Syrian refugees sheltering in Turkey can return home.”

Read the full article at Al Monitor

News Digest

Representation of Refugees in the Media in the AKP Era

Gece sokakta Suriyeli avına çıkıldı

Via Hâlâ Gazeteciyiz – This Study by Funda Cantek and Cavidan Soykan traces notions as movement of Turkey-bound migration, the conditions of migrants who have settled in various cities in Turkey temporarily or permanently and their relationship with the local inhabitants, Turkey’s migration policy, and incidents in which migrants were presented as victims or perpetrators by browsing the dailies Sözcü, Hürriyet and Yeni Akit from the beginning of AKP rule in 2002 up to now.

The Turkish version is available here.

Continue reading Representation of Refugees in the Media in the AKP Era →
News Digest

A Syrian family was attacked in Gaziantep: 1 child lost his life

A syrian family living in Gaziantep’ was attacked at home by unknown people. While mother and her two children got heavily injured, 15 year old Hanen Elalevi lost his life. The incidence took place at Vatan neighborhood of Gaziantep, the family members were found by the father being hit with a heavy object to their heads.

photo: Duvar

Read the full article in Turkish via Duvar

News Digest

Police rape uzbek woman in istanbul, she was refused permission to denounce the case at station

According to public prosecutor of Istanbul’s indictment, on 15 October, a taxi carrying a 27 year-old Uzbek woman was stopped by police officers Ş.Ş and İ.K. Afterwards she was taken in the police car, detained for 3-4 hours in the car, raped by the officer Ş.Ş, her 1400 turkish liras were seized and she was finally dropped in the Yedikule area.

Afterwards when she went to the police station in Aksaray in order to denounce the case she was returned by the officer Y.S who said “He is already regretful like a dog, I’ll give him the necessary punishment. Now you go and take a shower, take a good rest, and forget about this, won’t worry”

Polis otosunda tecavüz
photo: DHA

The next day, a friend of the rape victim went to the police station and other police officers who were informed of the case brought the complaint to the public prosecution. On 17th of October, police officers Ş.Ş and İ.K were arrested, the other three officers who did not take legal actions on the complaint were released.

Read the full article in Turkish at Sputnik News

News Digest

five syrian workers died in Ankara furniture workshop fire

source: Hürriyet Daily News

Via Hürriyet Daily News

Five Syrian workers were killed in the fire that erupted in the four-story furniture workshop at an Ankara shopping market on Jan. 16.

Their death was reported to be caused by smoke inhalation after they went to the upper floors of the workshop to escape the fire that erupted on the second floor.

This article was originally published by Hürriyet Daily News

News Digest

Refugee arrivals to cyprus and evros from Turkey

Via Ekathimerini

Despite the cold weather and poor conditions at sea, increasing number of refugees who left Turkey could reach to Greece. Ekathimerini reported the arrivals in Cyrpus and Evros subsequently. With the higher number of arrivals from Turkey to Cyprus, an apparent shift was addressed from recent arrivals that came from Lebanon. Moreover, an increase at the arrivals through Evros was identified both in comparison to last year and concerning the higher number of Turkish nationals seeking asylum.

source: Ekathimerini

On 8th of January, Ekathimerini reported that a total of 31 Syrian refugees managed to reach Cyprus on early morning, despite very cold weather and poor conditions at sea.

Continue reading Refugee arrivals to cyprus and evros from Turkey →