Eyewitnesses: ongoing deportation of Syrians from Turkey amid legal pressures to return
Istanbul – North-Press Agency
Muhammad Al-Yanayri
Syrian eyewitnesses in Istanbul, specifically in the district of Aksaray, said in separate statements to North-Press that the processes of deporting Syrians from Istanbul are still going on despite the recent decisions of Istanbul governorate to stop the deportation. 30 days were granted for the Syrians holding “Kimlik” (identity card) on non-Istanbul governorate to go back to their originally registered governorates.
According to what was reported by eyewitnesses to North-Press: “Buses loaded with dozens of young people in Aksaray and nearby neighborhoods arrested by Turkish police for the violation of the residence”.
“One of the young men who was arrested by the police contacted me by telephone while begging, telling me that he was about to be deported to Syria,” an eyewitness said.
Another eyewitness reported that a 15-year-old boy had already been deported to Syria, he had contacted his relatives from Idlib, begging them for help.
Witnesses preferred not to mention their names for their security and safety, an eyewitness reported that he saw “a bus loaded with some Syrians being led by the Turkish police yesterday,” and they are likely to be deported.
He stressed that he violates residency in Istanbul and that his residence is in another governorate that is about ten hours away from Istanbul by bus, he is reluctant to go back to his governorate for fear of being arrested on the way, as he stays in his house during the past few days, fearing from deportation with those who have already been left.
This was confirmed by “Abu Uday” to North-Press, an employee in a Super-Market in central Istanbul, said that there are many workers in the shops surrounding him, stores and various restaurants have not gone to work for a week, fearing to get out of his house until the current security campaign slow down, so as not to be threatened with deportation, especially as financial and police officials visited the area a week ago and searched for work permissions and private card for workers (Kimlik).
Syrians deliberate via various social network sites, legal steps for those who were deported to follow them to come back, as well as other legal steps for those in detention immediately after arrest.
A human rights activist, Sinay Uzden, published legal steps on the eve of her participation in a meeting with the Turkish Bar Association and human rights organizations that the deportees families (if they are present in Turkey) can present a comprehensive file to the Legal Aid Office of the Turkish Bar Association for a prosecution aiming for bringing their families back to Turkey within 30 days of deportation.
In order for the prosecution to be stronger, the human rights activist appealed for the necessity to “Write the full story, including the form of the deportation procedures, its timing and their conditions in the area to which they were deported, it’s better to provide with pictures or videos, which makes the file more powerful”.
She stated that “There is a high possibility of stopping deportation, especially for persons who have not been deported yet but are still held in deportation centers. Therefore, contacts should be done with the Legal Aid Office immediately after detention, so that the Office can communicate with the Constitutional Court to issue a decision to stop the deportation.
This decision does not mean the immediate release of the detainees, but it will mean stopping their deportation necessarily,” pointing out that the Constitutional Court’s decision to stop the deportation of detainees will be very helpful in strengthening the files of the prosecutions held by the families of those deported.
The security campaign against the Syrians is being escalated in Istanbul since the beginning of July, and many young Syrians were deported, including holders of the temporary protection card “Kimlik”.