Amnesty Launches Campaign for Syrian Refugee Stranded in İstanbul Airport

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Amnesty International has launched a campaign for a Palestinian refugee from Syria who has been stuck in the transit zone of İstanbul Airport for more than six weeks. Mohamed Ajlani Younes faces a risk of imminent deportation, said the Amnesty.

While Mohamed's asylum application in Turkey has not been decided and there is no formal deportation decision against him, there have been two attempts to deport him to Lebanon and he could be deported to Syria from there, it added.

"As thousands of passengers stream through Istanbul's new airport terminal, all Mohamed Ajlani Younes can do is watch and wait. He is at risk of imminent deportation to Lebanon which would put him in danger of being sent to Syria, where he would be at risk of serious human rights violations," said Adriana Tidona, Migration Researcher at Amnesty International.

"Mohamed has nowhere to sleep or bathe and has been surviving on cheese sandwiches, water and fruit juice, and the situation is adversely affecting his health. Turkish authorities should immediately allow him to enter Turkey and access the support to which he is entitled as an asylum seeker."

What happened?

Mohamed Ajlani Younes fled Syria in 2012 and moved to Lebanon, where he lived in the Shatila refugee camp with his wife and two children, who continue to reside in the camp. After leaving Lebanon, on 26 May 2019 he was stopped in Istanbul airport, allegedly for traveling with a fake passport, and denied entry into Turkey.

On 28 May he made an application for asylum in Turkey expressing his fears about being returned to Lebanon. Asylum seekers should not be penalized for illegal entry in a country where they seek protection, as long as they present themselves without delay to the authorities showing good cause for it. (EMK/VK)