Lawmakers’ questions on Harmandalı Removal Center left unanswered

Click to read the article in Turkish

There have long been allegations of torture and ill treatment at the İzmir Harmandalı Removal Center, which is affiliated with the Interior Ministry's Directorate General of Migration Management.

CLICK - Harmandalı Removal Center Told from Inside: Battery, Attempted Suicide, Illness, Death

While the Parliamentary questions submitted by the MPs are left unanswered, the calls of the civil society organizations, including the İzmir Bar Association, have not been responded to by the authorities.

Against the background of this silence, main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) İzmir MP Murat Bakan has once again submitted a Parliamentary question to Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu.

3 different questions, 3 same answers

Speaking about his recent Parliamentary question about the issue, CHP's Murat Bakan has said that he submitted three separate Parliamentary question at different times and all three of these questions were answered in the exact same wording by their addressees.

He has raised concerns that "the three same standard texts do not answer even a single one of his 18 questions in total while it has also corroborated the opinion that the allegations regarding the Harmandalı Removal Center are not probed, no inspections are held at the center, it is led to practices that are in violation of both the law and human rights and dignity."

At this point, the MP has also referred to the video where refugees were crying for help, saying, "Help us", "Food" and "This is Guantanamo" as well as to the incidents where the lawyers were locked up in the removal center and there were allegations of torture against a woman refugee.

CHP's Bakan has also reminded the Minister that Ahmet Maslem (21) from Syria burned to death in a fire at the center.

The lawmaker's Parliamentary question has also recounted the statements of two refugees who previously stayed at the center.

'How many refugees have died?'

Accordingly, CHP MP Murat Bakan has asked Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu the following questions about the issue:

• What is the explanation of your Ministry about the allegations about the Harmandalı Removal Center that were reported in the press and have been summarized above?
• When will your Ministry carry out a comprehensive inspection and investigation process to bring the truth into light by inquiring about the allegations as to the Harmandalı Removal Center that were reported in the press and have been summarized above?
• In the last five years (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2020), when was the Harmandalı Removal Center inspected and by whom?
• What physical deficiencies were found and what administrative problems were identified in the inspections that were conducted at the Harmandalı Removal Center in the last five years (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2020) - and by provinces?
• How many times were all administrators and personnel of the Harmdandalı Removal Center subjected to an administrative action in the last five years (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2020)?
• How are the complaints about the allegations of torture and ill treatment at the Harmandalı Removal Center put into process?
• How many people lost their lives at the Harmandalı Removal Center in the last five years (2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2020) in incidents that were registered as "suicides" (including gender and places of origin)?

(EMK/SD)