HRW: Turkey Should Open Borders to Refugees

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In its written statement today (May 20), Human Rights Watch (HRW) has urged the United Nations (UN) to put pressure on Turkey on the World Humanitarian Summit to be held on May 23-24 in İstanbul to open its borders to Syrian refugees again.  

In the statement, it has been mentioned that since the border had been closed in the beginning of 2015 in Turkey, thousands of Syrian refugees had been rejected.

“The Syrian witnesses whom HRW has talked to, have explained that at least five persons had been shot to dead and 14 others injured while trying to cross the border”.

“They deny that the border has been closed”

HRW has noted that since the borders had been closed, thousands of refugees had been sent to camps in clash zones or unsecured refugee camps on the other side of the border and that these camps had suffered air attacks from time to time.

Senior Researcher and Advocate, Refugee Program, Gerry Simpson from HRW has noted; “Turkey casts a pall on the summit in İstanbul by letting the security forces on the border shoot Syrian refugees or send them to the world’s worst battlefield.

”No member state of the European Council or the European Union has called on Turkey to open the borders again and put an end to the violence on the border caused by security forces. UN institutions also continue remaining silent.

“Governments and UN institutions should stop remaining silent before the maltreatment of Syrians by Turkey and put pressure to open the borders again”.

HRW has also added that the President of Turkey and other MPs had been denying that the borders had been closed.  (AS/DG)