‘States Shouldn’t Make Decisions on our Behalf’

* Photographs: İsa Uğur Erdoğan

Click to read the article in Turkish

President and Justice and Development Party (AKP) Chair Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke first at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on September 24, then at the General Assembly of the Parliament on October 1 and said that "Turkey could settle 1-2 million refugees in safe zone".

Upon these statements, we spoke to the refugees on the streets of Aksaray in İstanbul. The district is now also known as "little Syria".

Syrians' own safe zone

Aksaray is, in a sense, the "safe zone" created by Syrians for themselves. In fact, this district is a "safe zone" not only for Syrians, but all refugees.

One can indeed see how relaxed they walk on the streets. However, when we told them we were journalists and expressed our wish to interview them, this relaxed stance was replaced by eyes full of worry and fear.

We first went to a restaurant, we were met with smiling faces. But the moment when we told them that were journalists, a shadow was cast on their smiles. No one answered our questions.

We left the restaurant and came through another door. Unlike what we experienced five minutes ago, we had the opportunity to talk.

Amir: We are accused of being cowards for fleeing

A 22-year old man from Idlib sat on our table. He introduced himself as Amir. After speaking for a while, I asked him, "Do you want to go back to Syria?". He started speaking, with rage and, at times, sorrow in his eyes:

"I came to Turkey in the first years of the war. When we first came here, everything was very bad for us. We sometimes went hungry, we sometimes had to stay on the street. But, we fled from war, death and insecurity.

"Everyone blames Syrians for fleeing from the war, we are humans. Who doesn't get afraid of the war? Who wants to die? If a war broke out in Turkey today, how many people would stay here to fight? Do you ask yourselves these questions? Heroic statements don't do. When death comes near you, heroism doesn't do. When I fled from Idlib, I was just a little child. Should I take up arms at that age?

'They tell us to go away'

"I had no idea about the war, until it happened to us... First, I feld, then my brother... Then, my whole family came. My family lives in Antakya now and their condition is very bad. I have come here from Germany for the first time after four years to see them. When I saw them, tears filled my eyes. They were not in such a bad condition four years ago. But, it is very bad now. They don't want us anymore and tell us 'Go away to your country'.

"We have a single demand: Let our country be safe, end the war and we can go back to our country. Police intercept us and say, 'You are Syrians, come on, go back to Syria'. They tell us, 'Go to Syria and fight, our soldiers are fighting in Syria, you go and fight there'.

"For 7 years, they are telling that they will make Syria safe. It is a lie, they gathered all Syrians, brought them to Idlib, stuck them there and left them for dead. What sin did those people commit? Those little children, babies, old people... What sin did they commit? OK, let's say men are mixed up in dirty business and deserved to die. But, what sin did women, children, babies commit?

"No matter where we go, it is not like our own land for us. My father was a teacher, we were well-off in Syria. We left our life there, we left our school and came here.

"They see us condemned to do everything. It is as if we were punished for having fled from the war".

Just as he was speaking in all breath, he hesitated for a moment. With his eyes filled with tears, he said, "Not a single country of the world has anything to be afraid of: When our country is safe, when the war ends, we will go back to our country".

Kamar: If I am sure that I am safe, I will go back

26-year-old Kamar came from Damascus 3 years ago. He works in tourism sector. Under no circumstances does he accept being repatriated. "I am not from Idlib. If I will go somewhere, then I will go back to Damascus, but only if I am sure that I am safe", Kamar said.

Muhammed Omran is 19 years old. When his father was killed, his mother said 'I don't want to lose you as well' and came from Damascus to Turkey with her six children. He is now preparing for university exams. He said that he did not want to go back to Syria in any case.

'Sending back to Assad means sending back to death'

Then, İbraham, who came from Damascus six years ago, also started speaking, his Turkish was little if any. But, his eyes and tone of voice were almost as reacting as those of Amir.

He was reproachful the most because others were speaking on their behalf: "Sending us back to Assad means sending us back to death. Months ago, we were intercepted on the street. They told us that they would only send back the ones who commited a crime, but we were all filled with fear. We are still afraid. Among the ones sent back were innocent people who got involved in no crime. What crime did they commit? They were sent to death.

'No one listens to us, no one hears our voice'

"No one listens to us, no one hears our voice. Powerful states speak on our behalf, they make decision on our behalf, no one asks us. Don't make decisions on our behalf.

"As long as there is Assad, we don't want to go back. But, the day when Assad goes, no one needs to force us to go back. We will go by ourselves.

'You can experience the same things as us'

"Foreign countries give financial aid to Turkey for us. But, they set conditions so as not to give this aid to us. My daughter was operated for three times for a simple health problem. We couldn't do anything, we couldn't say anything; because we are Syrians."

Concluding his remarks, he did not call on to the states, but to us: "Stand on our side, the people of any country can experience the same thing".

Abbas: I swear to Allah, we are humans, too

Yusuf Abbas is 27 years old, he comes from Aleppo. He works as a translator. He has been living in Turkey for eight years. He has quite a clear answer to the question "Do you want to go to the safe zone?": "No one will want to go back. Can you force someone from İstanbul to live in Antep? I am from Aleppo, why would I go to Idlib? If Aleppo is cleaned, I will go there. Going back to my own land is all I ever want in life, anyway."

Yusuf was quite fluent in Turkish. "So long as you don't give it to the police, I will speak to every TV or newspaper," Yusuf told us and continued as follows: "They say that they will build houses, apartments in Idlib, they won't give them to us for free. What will we eat or drink? What will they want us to do as a return for this favor? After all great powers withdraw, very big problems will arise, what will happen to us, then?

"I don't know how many of my relatives have died, I guess it is over 50. Don't get us wrong: We are humans, I swear to Allah that we are really humans...

"When someone commits a crime, you blame it on Syrians. An incident occurs, it is reported in the news that a Syrian did it, you are targeting us. You are taking to the streets in masses. You say that 'Syrians should go'. OK, open the gates and let us go to Europe. We cannot go to Syria, we cannot have living conditions in Syria.

'It is life, nothing else...'

Yusuf concluded his remarks with İstanbul earthquake. As if he was inviting us to empathize with them, he said, "An earthquake shook İstanbul, right? Did anyone stay indoors? Everyone took to the streets. We were shaken by bombs everyday. How could we stay there? It is life, nothing else...

'They were dropping bombs on our heads with planes. The enemy is not clear, either. Against whom are we fighting? I didn't want to die by killing, that's why I fled. If they force me to go back, I will be sent to death since I am at draft age".

'Idlib is also a land of Syria, our land'

Ahmad from Aleppo also said that even when the war ended, the economy of the country would not recover soon: "I have started a business here, I am paying taxes. I can go back if the war ends and everything gets better. But, now, I don't want to go back, I am here."

Yusuf is a 35-year-old electrician. He told us, "I think, no Syrian will stay here after the safe zone is established, everyone will go back. I am from Aleppo, but Idlib is also a land of Syria, our land". (RT/DB/SD)