'Deportation of 39 refugees from Afghanistan should be immediately stopped'

Photo: Ahmed Akacha, Pexels

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The Diyarbakır Bar Association has released a report including interviews with refugees from Afghanistan who are facing deportation.

Thirty-nine refugees from Afghanistan aged between 12 and 30 were detained on September 19 in the southeastern Diyarbakır province. Fifteen of them are children and two are visually impaired.

Kept at the Çınar District Gendarmerie Command until September 25, the refugees were sent to the eastern province of Van for deportation. The bar association interviewed them between September 21-24.

"Most of the migrants we talked to have stated that their families were killed by the Taliban and they will be killed as well or subjected to inhumane treatment if they are sent back to Afghanistan," says the report.

Citing Article 13 of the Geneva Convention, Article 14 of the Human rights Universal Declaration and Article 4 of the Foreigners and International Protection Law, the bar said those whose freedoms are under threat cannot be deported or repatriated.

"While the provisions of national and international legislation are clear in this regard, sending a total of 39 migrants, 15 of whom are children and two are visually impaired, to Van for deportation indicates that there are de facto practices."

No legal aid

"As of the date of their capture, the statements of the immigrants were not taken, no notice was given to them, no information was given to them about their right to apply for international protection status and object to the decision to be made, and no attorneys were appointed to provide legal support.

"Covid-19 was detected in one person in the immigrants. This person was kept apart and 38 other immigrants, including children, continued to stay together."

One meal a day

"Sufficient blankets and hygiene supplies were not provided to the immigrants. They were given one meal a day for the first two days of their capture, and their nutritional needs were not met adequately.

"Detailed health examinations of the immigrants were not carried out, they were not taken to any health institution."

Signs of torture

"After they stated that they were subjected to torture and ill-treatment by Iran's soldiers and smugglers, it was observed that some immigrants had bruises, rashes and wounds on different parts of their bodies.

"The immigrants said that they agreed with smugglers for 1,000-1,500 dollars to be taken to İstanbul on their way out of their country, that they fled their country about two months ago, that they were deported with no proceedings on the Turkey-Iran border about a month ago, that Iranian soldiers and human smugglers tortured and mistreated them, and that entered Turkey again." (AS/VK)