ERBIL, Kurdistan Region—Human Rights Watch has lambasted the European Union’s agreement with Turkey describing the first deportations as “riddled with abuse” while the EU has announced it is accelerating implementation of its deal with Turkey.
“In the mad dash to start the deportations deal with Turkey, the European Union and Greece tossed rights to the wind, including for people who wanted to seek asylum,” said Fred Abrahams, an associate director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement published on the organization’s website today.
The European Commission has so far delivered €187 million to Turkey and is looking to speed up implementation of the agreement.
“The European Commission is currently working on all options for rapidly scaling up further the flow of funding…” stated the Commission in press release today.
Under the terms of the agreement struck between the EU and Turkey last month, the EU is committed to providing €3 billion in funding of refugee programs and services in Turkey in exchange for Turkey receiving deportees from Europe.
Human Rights Watch met with family and friends of deportees in Greece who described scenes of chaos and confusion saying that people were told to come and register for asylum but were instead put onto ferries to Turkey.
“They came here and told them they have to go to register,” said Salim, from Afghanistan, speaking about three of his Afghan friends. “They left happy and when they came out the police were waiting for them…. If the guys knew they were going to be deported, they would have taken their bags, their papers, their money.”
Registered asylum-seekers are supposed to be exempt from the EU-Turkey deal and all migrants have the right to make an asylum claim. But the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) reported that 13 people who had expressed the desire to make asylum claims were deported anyway.
That number is likely much higher. Human Rights Watch found that many they interviewed had little knowledge of the asylum system and their rights.
Human Rights Watch has also expressed concern over the treatment of those deported to Turkey. “Many Syrians in Turkey have told Human Rights Watch that they face difficulty in registering for temporary protection and receiving identification cards, which is required for employment, health care, and schools.”
Turkey has also blocked Syrian refugees from crossing its border. Over 100,000 Syrians are trapped in between Aleppo and the border with Turkey, with ISIS on one side and Turkish border guards, who have been accused of opening fire on refugees, on the other.
“Syrians seeking to escape ISIS advances in northern Syria are entitled to protection and compassion, not live ammunition,” said Human Rights Watch in a statement published yesterday. “Turkey has a clear legal responsibility not to push Syrians back into a war zone. And the EU – preoccupied with containing irregular migration flows with little regard for human consequences – should stop its morally bankrupt support for a phantom safe zone that, in reality, is one of the crucibles of Syria’s horrific conflict.”
“In the mad dash to start the deportations deal with Turkey, the European Union and Greece tossed rights to the wind, including for people who wanted to seek asylum,” said Fred Abrahams, an associate director at Human Rights Watch, in a statement published on the organization’s website today.
The European Commission has so far delivered €187 million to Turkey and is looking to speed up implementation of the agreement.
“The European Commission is currently working on all options for rapidly scaling up further the flow of funding…” stated the Commission in press release today.
Under the terms of the agreement struck between the EU and Turkey last month, the EU is committed to providing €3 billion in funding of refugee programs and services in Turkey in exchange for Turkey receiving deportees from Europe.
Human Rights Watch met with family and friends of deportees in Greece who described scenes of chaos and confusion saying that people were told to come and register for asylum but were instead put onto ferries to Turkey.
“They came here and told them they have to go to register,” said Salim, from Afghanistan, speaking about three of his Afghan friends. “They left happy and when they came out the police were waiting for them…. If the guys knew they were going to be deported, they would have taken their bags, their papers, their money.”
Registered asylum-seekers are supposed to be exempt from the EU-Turkey deal and all migrants have the right to make an asylum claim. But the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNCHR) reported that 13 people who had expressed the desire to make asylum claims were deported anyway.
That number is likely much higher. Human Rights Watch found that many they interviewed had little knowledge of the asylum system and their rights.
Human Rights Watch has also expressed concern over the treatment of those deported to Turkey. “Many Syrians in Turkey have told Human Rights Watch that they face difficulty in registering for temporary protection and receiving identification cards, which is required for employment, health care, and schools.”
Turkey has also blocked Syrian refugees from crossing its border. Over 100,000 Syrians are trapped in between Aleppo and the border with Turkey, with ISIS on one side and Turkish border guards, who have been accused of opening fire on refugees, on the other.
“Syrians seeking to escape ISIS advances in northern Syria are entitled to protection and compassion, not live ammunition,” said Human Rights Watch in a statement published yesterday. “Turkey has a clear legal responsibility not to push Syrians back into a war zone. And the EU – preoccupied with containing irregular migration flows with little regard for human consequences – should stop its morally bankrupt support for a phantom safe zone that, in reality, is one of the crucibles of Syria’s horrific conflict.”
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