RASC News Agency: Human Rights Watch has voiced significant concern regarding Turkey’s increasingly aggressive treatment of Afghanistani refugees, calling the government’s actions both unjust and alarming. The organization stressed that the European Union must ensure its financial aid to Turkey is not being misused to violate the fundamental rights of refugees. In a video statement shared on social media, Human Rights Watch highlighted the ongoing deportations of Afghanistani and Syrian refugees from Turkey, despite the continued financial assistance from the EU to help Turkey manage migration. This situation, according to the organization, raises questions about the EU’s role in potentially facilitating human rights violations.
The organization emphasized that, under international law, it is prohibited to deport refugees who are at risk of serious threats or persecution in their home countries. Both Afghanistan and Syria have been deemed by the EU as unsafe destinations for forced deportations, reinforcing the legal and moral obligations of Turkey and the EU to protect those fleeing danger. The report also underlined the troubling fact that many refugees in Turkey are being deported without legal assistance or due process. Afghanistani refugees, in particular, have shared stories of abuse while being held in deportation centers. One refugee, speaking anonymously, recounted the harsh treatment in such facilities: “They would come in and beat us. No one was allowed to contact their families. Complaints were ignored, and many were deported without warning. People spent up to 15 months in detention, with no transparency about their cases.”
Beyond the abuse faced in detention centers, many Afghanistani refugees fear for their lives should they be forced to return to Afghanistan. Both Human Rights Watch and the refugees themselves have expressed deep concern over the consequences of these deportations. This concern comes amid reports by “Politico” and “Der Spiegel”, which revealed that Afghanistani and Syrian refugees in Turkish deportation centers, some of which are funded by the EU, have been subjected to violence and physical abuse.
The situation has raised international alarm, as Turkey’s actions appear to be in direct violation of international norms and agreements regarding the treatment of refugees.
