Turkey deports 16,500 Syrian refugees in June
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – Turkish authorities deported in June 16,500 Syrians through border crossings between Syrian and Turkey, North Press correspondent reported on Sunday.
During June, the Turkish authorities deported 16,500, including more than 3,300 women and children through Bab al-Hawa, Bab al-Salamah, Jarablus, and Tel Abyad border crossings.
This marks an escalation in the pace of deportation under the so-called “voluntary return.”
An official in the border crossings administration, affiliated with the Syrian opposition, said all those deported people were forcibly removed after their residence documents in Turkey were completely revoked.
The deported people numbers by the crossing are 8,000 through Bab al-Hawa crossing, 4,200 through the Bab al-Salamah crossing, 3,500 through Jarablus crossing, and 800 Syrians were deported through Tel Abyad crossing.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Turkey of forcible deportation of the Syrians from its territory.
The HRW confirmed on June 27 that while parts of Syria have not had active conflict hostilities since 2018, Syria remains unfit for safe and dignified refugee returns.
In a report issued in March, the HRW said Turkey is forcibly deporting Syrian refugees to Tel Abyad where they face deteriorating humanitarian conditions. The report revealed the administration of the border crossing labeled all Syrian returnees as voluntary between January and June 2023.
“Türkiye’s ‘voluntary’ returns are often coerced returns to ‘safe zones’ that are pits of danger and despair,” said Adam Coogle, deputy Middle East and North Africa director at the HRW.
By Hani Salem