Fears of new Turkish security campaign against Syrian refugees
ISTANBUL, Turkey (North Press) – Syrian refugees in Turkey, especially in Istanbul, expressed on Saturday their fear of a new security campaign against those who have documents by which they cannot reside in the city they are existed in, causing their economic conditions to worsen.
Abdulqader Fleifel, head of the Beit al-Arab Consulting Organization, who holds Turkish citizenship and resides in Istanbul, revealed a campaign that the Turkish authorities intend to launch against Syrian refugees and those who violate the temporary protection card (Kimlik), or who do not hold any identity papers.
He also warned of the danger of deporting refugees to Idlib, northwestern Syria.
“There are news regarding a new check and deportation campaign in Istanbul against Syrians who carry documents contrary to their place of residence,” he mentioned in a post on his Facebook page.
A number of Syrian refugees expressed, through social media, their fear and concern if the news was true and there was a real campaign against those who do not have official documents, especially in light of the poor economic conditions that they are already suffering from.
Ahmad Nabhan, an activist, said in a post on his Facebook account, several police patrols in Adana state visited a number of Syrian refugee homes last week.
Those patrols warned the refugees to fix their housing addresses with the Civil Affairs Directorate in the state for fear of deportation, in case these addresses were not confirmed as soon as possible, according to Nabhan.
From time to time, the Turkish government announces that campaigns will soon be launched against the Syrians, especially in Istanbul, which makes the Syrian workers live in a state of terror and anxiety.
Qais al-Hassan, a human rights activist, told North Press that if the campaign takes place, a large number of Syrian workers who hold ID cards from outside Istanbul will be affected.
Syrian workers in Turkey face harsh conditions in the absence of laws that protect or compensate them, in the event that they are exposed to serious accidents or lose their lives while working.
Turkish employers refuse to register Syrian workers like them in a regular way for fear of their claiming their most basic rights.
In the past, Syrian refugees in Turkey expressed their fear about their economic situations due to Turkish government decisions related to preventative measures from coronavirus.
In October 2020, Ali Yerli Kaya, Istanbul governor, announced about a large-scale campaign of the houses of the Syrians to check their identity papers, especially the temporary protection card (Kimlik).
The check will also include whether the card was issued by the competent authorities in the city in which they live or not, and also whether these documents match their residential addresses or not.
A number of Syrian refugees expressed their fear of the imminent implementation of this decision and the start of the check campaign by the Turkish authorities.