Turkey forcibly sending Syrians back to war zone: Amnesty

Amnesty International says Turkey has forcibly expelled thousands of Syrian refugees back to their war-torn homeland in recent months.

According to Press TV, the UK-based rights group said in a report based on testimonies Turkish authorities have, on a daily basis, forced around 100 Syrian men, women and children to return home since mid-January.

“In their desperation to seal their borders, EU leaders have willfully ignored the simplest of facts: Turkey is not a safe country for Syrian refugees and is getting less safe by the day,” said John Dalhuisen, Amnesty’s director for Europe and Central Asia.

The report also said such mass returns to Syria are “illegal” under Turkish, EU and international law.

“The large-scale returns of Syrian refugees we have documented highlight the fatal flaws in the EU-Turkey deal. It is a deal that can only be implemented with the hardest of hearts and a blithe disregard for international law,” Dalhuisen added.

On March 18, Ankara and the European Union signed a deal aimed at curbing the huge influx of asylum seekers, mostly Syrians, to Europe. Under the accord, one Syrian refugee will be settled in Europe legally in return for every refugee taken back by Turkey from Greece.

However, prominent rights groups, including Amnesty International, say the deal, which will take effect on April 4, poses threats to the rights of asylum seekers, questioning whether Turkey is a safe country for them.

They also argue that the agreement would turn the Greek registration sites into de facto detention centers for people due to be sent back to Turkey.

ME