Turkey arrests 145 asylum seekers at border with Syria – advocacy group
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – An advocacy group said on Tuesday that Turkish border guards arrested 145 Syrian asylum seekers in the first half of 2024.
Synergy/Hevdesti Association, a victims’ advocacy group operating in Northeast Syria, documented in a new report the arrest of 145 asylum seekers by the Turkish border guards, of which, the fate of 36 individuals are unknown.
The Synergy cited a military source within the Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, aka the Syrian National Army (SNA), as saying that the border guards arrested a group of 50 individuals who were attempting to enter the city of Ras al-Ain(Sere Kaniye), north of Hasakah, to cross into the Turkish territory.
The source added that the group was arrested by Sultan Murad Brigade, an SNA faction, and that 44 of them were released after paying a financial ransom of approximately $300 each, while the other six were detained.
In May, the SNA’s Tajammu Ahrar al-Sharqiya (Gathering of Free Men of the East) faction arrested 10 individuals, including two women.
The faction took them to the Military Police headquarters in Ras al-Ain, and their fate remains unknown to date.
“As an occupying power, the Turkish authorities must ensure that their officials and those under their command in the opposition SNA do not arbitrarily detain, mistreat, or abuse anyone,” the Synergy’s report read. “The Turkish authorities are also obliged to investigate alleged violations and ensure that those responsible are appropriately punished.”