Dutch-Kurdish director Dosky: 'I was subjected to strip search in Turkey'

Dutch-Kurdish journalist, producer, and director Reber Dosky, known for films like "Radio Kobanî," "Sıddık and the Panther," and "Daughters of the Sun," was detained on November 8 in Mardin, where he came for a film project.

Having his passport confiscated and sent to the Repatriation Center (GGM) in Urfa, Dosky went on a hunger strike to protest the conditions he deemed "inhumane" at the GGM and his detention.

The director, who stated that he was subjected to a strip search, shared his experiences both at the police station and in the GGM with bianet. He also informed that he will file compensation and legal actions against the practices he faced:

"I came to Mardin on October 8 for a film project, and after staying here for a month, I went to Mardin airport on November 8 to return to Amsterdam to complete my film project."

"After completing the check-in process, a plainclothes police officer approached me and took my passport. When I asked the reason, he said, 'There is a tip about you.' I said, 'What if it's a false tip?' They didn't answer my question. From there, they took me to the Kızıltepe District Police Department. After a three-hour interrogation, they took me to the Migration Authority in Mardin, and from there to Repatriation Center (GGM) in Urfa. The police in Mardin were respectful and treated me well; however, the situation changed at the Urfa GGM."

Worms in the food, three 250-ml bottles of water per day

"At Urfa GGM, from kitchen staff to plainclothes police and soldiers, all employees treat migrants inhumanely. They don't see migrants as human beings in any way. I cannot describe the living conditions there in just a few sentences. Worms were coming out of the food, and a kitchen staff member would show the worms to migrants, saying, 'Take this, eat it.' Only three 250-milliliter bottles of water were given per person per day."

"Almost all migrants in the center are sick. They are constantly itching, and they have large wounds on their bodies. Doctor requests are not met. The funds for these GGMs are provided from Europe, and the purpose of the fund is to meet humanitarian needs. Centers must be subject to inspection, and human rights are indispensable; unfortunately, this is not the case here."

"The bathrooms and toilets are far from being hygienic. I stayed in a room for 16 people, and some migrants were sleeping on the floor. The situation of a Somali student was quite tragic. He came to Istanbul to study, paid her university fees, but plainclothes police officers detained him in İstanbul and brought here. They treated him like an illegal migrant, even though he had a record and had entered officially. He is being held here just because of communication problems. Similarly, many citizens from Rojava, despite being registered, are arbitrarily held in this center where inhumane treatment prevails. The conditions here have no connection with humanity. Not only is there no humane approach, but there are also instances of torture."

"They took a Moroccan migrant one evening just because he had argued with someone, and they took him to put in the refrigerator, keeping him there until the next morning. When they came for the headcount the next morning and found one person missing, they asked us where he was. When I told them 'In the refrigerator,' they took him out, and they didn't bring him back to us. The migrants in the center say that the most severe torture here is the 'refrigerator torture.' When I asked GGM officials about this, they replied, 'If we don't do this, they won't learn.'"

"I was not physically assaulted, but I experienced the torture of being stripped naked. When they first took me to GGM, they put on gloves and asked me to undress. They were going to conduct a weapon search, even though I had already been searched at the police station. When I objected, they said they would forcibly search me. I reacted to this, and I undressed myself. They wanted me to be completely naked, so I undressed completely to shame them, and I didn't dress for a while to make them feel ashamed."

"A different regime is applied at the Repatriation Center"

"On the second day at GGM, I started a hunger strike in protest of the conditions and the detention. I made it clear that I wouldn't end the hunger strike until they released me. The director came to me and said, 'We will release you tomorrow.' I continued my strike until I knew for sure that I would be released and got my ticket. My situation was still relatively good because, as I mentioned, dozens of migrants in helpless situations are living in these conditions. Regardless of whether a person is considered a 'terrorist' or not, they have rights, but a different regime is applied at GGM."

"We delayed announcing my detention process for security reasons. After intense diplomatic efforts by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the consulate, I was able to return to the Netherlands on the evening of November 10. Against the practices I faced, I will file compensation and legal actions, and I will pursue the process to the end."

Producer and director Reber Dosky detained in Turkey for three days

14 November 2023

(NT/TY/PE)