Three officers investigated over 'torture, killing' of refugees on Turkey-Syria border

Photo: AA/File

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Eight people from Syria who on March 11 crossed into Hatay, southern Turkey, were beaten by border guards. Two of them were killed and two were put in intensive care in a hospital in Syria after their deportation.

The Reyhanlı Chief Public Prosecutor's Office opened a "murder" investigation against the gendarmerie officers responsible for the incident, the lawyer who took up the case told bianet.

Two lieutenants and one first lieutenant were arrested after giving statements. The judge later released them upon judicial control measures.

A soldier at the border checkpoint said in his statement to prosecutors that he had heard the voices of refugees being beaten by officers after they were caught and taken to the checkpoint in a vehicle.

The prosecutor's office issued a confidentiality order on the investigation. However, this decision was not notified to the lawyers who visited the office on Saturday.

Two children

All eight people were sent back to Syria. Two of them were 17 years old and one was in his 50s.

Having filed a complaint against the officers, the people said they had been subjected to severe torture and forced to drink diesel. Two people were killed because of torture, they said.

Turkey hosts over 3.7 million refugees from Syria. Last year, the security forces prevented the entry of over 270,000 people from Syria and deported nearly 120,000 others, according to government figures. (AS/VK)