Hundreds of Syrian men and boys have been detained, beaten and forcibly returned to their country by Turkish authorities over a six-month period, a leading human rights group says.
The legal principle of nonrefoulement, which Ankara is bound to by international treaty, prohibits the return of anyone to a place where they would face a real risk of persecution, torture or a threat to life. The U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Syria last month restated that Syria is not safe for returnees.
Facing approaching elections, the government now aims to return increasing numbers of people to areas of northern Syria under the control of the Turkish military. Erdogan has recently signaled a change in policy toward Syria, suggesting the possibility of talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad. Ankara previously demanded Assad’s removal as it backed opposition groups. Many Syrians living in Turkey fear warming relations could led to greater pressure on them to return.“Although Turkey provided temporary protection to 3.6 million Syrian refugees, it now looks like Turkey is trying to make northern Syria a refugee dumping ground,” Hardman said.