4 refugees to be deported for joining İstanbul Convention protests

* Photo: csgorselarsiv/Dilara Açıkgöz

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A decision of deportation has been given for four refugees on the grounds that they "acted against public order" by joining the countrywide protests against Turkey's withdrawal from the İstanbul Convention.

The Denizli Bar Association will file an annulment action against the decision. Speaking about the issue, lawyer Hayriye Kara has also protested the deportation, saying, "What is against the public order here? Preventing the exercise of freedom of expression is against public order."

As reported by Yıldız Tar from Kaos GL LGBTI+ association, a decision of deportation has been taken for four Iranian refugees because they joined the İstanbul Convention protests in Denizli.

Attending the press statement held in Çınar Square on March 20, when the country withdrew from the convention by a Presidential decision, four refugees were detained. Their participation in the press statement and holding banners were cited as the reason for their detention.

Denizli Bar will file a lawsuit

While they were in custody, the refugees were prevented from speaking to their attorneys for a long time. Speaking to KaosGL.org, lawyer Yağmur Yalçın from the Denizli Bar has stated that a swift decision of 6-month administrative detention and deportation was given for them.

Yalçın has announced that the Denizli Bar will file a lawsuit and demand that the administrative detention be lifted and the decision of deportation be revoked. Sharing information about the conditions of the refugees as well, she has noted that they are on their way to Aydın Removal Center. "We have not even found the opportunity to talk to them," she has added.

Saying that lawyers were also faced with problems in accessing the documents, Yalçın has said, "They did not give us the minutes, we could only examine them." Noting that there is also news of maltreatment, she has said that they have not found such information in the medical report.

"However, it does not mean that they were not subjected to maltreatment. We cannot give clear information as we could not meet. We are trying to obtain information as the Denizli Bar," she has added.

'What is against public order here?'

Kaos GL Refugee Rights Coordinator lawyer Hayriye Kara has also stressed that joining a protest about İstanbul Convention is within the scope of people's freedom of expression, meeting and demonstration.

"What is against the public order here? Preventing the exercise of freedom of expression is against public order," she has added, underlining the ambiguity of the terms "public order" and "public security."

"No effective evaluation is made to find out whether a decision of deportation can be given for these people. No evaluation is made to find out whether it is against the principle of non-refoulement or not.

"Moreover, refugees are not informed about access to their rights. There is no such mechanism. Even lawyers are having hardships. We saw an example of this again. While everyone laying claim to the İstanbul Convention is faced with sanctions such as detention, refugees are faced with the threat of deportation in addition." (EMK/SD)