IDLIB, Syria (North Press) – Louay Abbas is currently busy with the procedures for the reunification of his wife and two children so that they can legally catch him to the Austrian capital, Vienna.
The 32-year-old Abbas spent three months moving from a forest to another and crossing borders of several countries till he got to Vienna two months ago.
He left looking for a better future after he lost hope in Turkey in which he lived as a refugee for about seven years.
Hundreds of people have passed through the same journey that the young man, who hails from Homs, a governorate in central Syria, has experienced, as many Syrian refugees left Turkey, heading towards Europe.
According to Syrian young men who have recently arrived in Europe, they left Turkey due to several reasons including deteriorating living conditions and increasing racism rates against them in Turkey, in addition to deporting Syrians to the so-called safe zone in Syria’s north.
Syrians accuse Turkish authorities of “harassing” them, to push them to return to northern Syria, which is held by Turkish-backed Syrian armed opposition factions.
The Turkish authorities continue to deport hundreds of Syrians to areas held by Turkish-backed armed opposition factions, known as Syrian National Army (SNA), in the northern countryside of Aleppo under offending refuge regulations and non-obtaining the Kimlik that entitles refugees to work.
On August 31, the Turkish authorities deported 100 Syrians to areas in Aleppo countryside through Bab al-Salameh border crossing, near the city of Azaz, north of Aleppo Governorate.
In addition, the Syrian refugees have recently started to complain about the obstacles they faced in finding houses to hire, especially after Turkey prevented all Arab refugees from living in several neighborhoods in order to avoid gatherings of Arabs from different nationalities in areas in which quarrels may take place with Turks.
Risks
Abbas, who paid €10.000 to get his last station, said that after the collapse of Turkish pound, living conditions have become very tough, as they [refugees] were almost able to afford food, especially after increasing the prices of electricity, water and houses for rent.
Although Abbas spent seven years in the Turkish city of Mersin, he could not assure his family’s future.
He worked in different professions for low salary in comparison with work hours.
Abbas, like many others who traveled to Europe, sees that life in Europe is much different from Turkey.
“In Turkey, we used to spend our lives working for obtaining food, while in Europe, we can temporarily depend on salaries that are provided to refugees,” according to Abbas.
If we decide to work, we will not be exploited like in Turkey, he continued.
Qays al-Waleed, 23, paid about €8.250 to get to Berlin, coming from Turkey about four months ago in a journey took 27 days.
Al-Waleed and 15 ones were with him, sustained varied fractures after they had an accident near Hungary-Serbia border.
Al-Waleed, a refugee from the northern countryside of Syria’s Hama and used to live in the Turkish city of Antakya, does not deny that his journey was risky, as he moved among many countries including Greece, Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, Hungary and Austria.
The young man said that he took this risk to leave Turkey in which they have suffered for five years of racism, exploiting and loss of rights.
Unsuccessful crossing attempts
So far, Sameh al-Muhammad, 38, has not been lucky to get out of Turkish lands, which he arrived as a refugee at the beginning of 2017 despite dozens of attempts in which he tried to cross Turkish-Greek border.
Muhammad confirmed that he will try again to get out of Turkish lands.
He said that during his stay in Turkey over the past years, he faced various “types of exploitation and racism”; especially he was residing in one of the most famous racist areas for Syrians in Istanbul.
About four months ago, Turkey deported Muhammad but he returned to enter it again after several attempts through smuggling and paid for $2.500.
He could not stay in Turkey because he has become like a “prisoner”. He cannot walk in the streets or even work because his Kimlik, Temporary Protection Card, was canceled after his deportation.
The Kimlik is granted by the Turkish Directorate General of Immigration Management for Syrian refugees and entitles them to move freely within Turkish territory and receive all Turkish government services.
All Muhammad’s movements are confined and he is forced to pay money for every step inside Turkey, and he is striving today to enter the Greek lands directed to Europe.
“In fact, every attempt to enter Greece, I am severely beaten by the Greek border guards, my body is shattered, but there is not any choice, so I have to try to succeed.”