On 24th of August, 45 refugees, having been pushed back to Turkey by Greece while trying to go to Europe were thrown into the River Meriç on the orders of a Turkish gendarmerie commander, five were drowned.
The refugees who survived first applied to the Istanbul Branch of the Human Rights Association (IHD) after the incident, and the IHD said in a statement that Mohammed Al Ali, born in Aleppo in 1984, and Mohammed Ismail, born in Aleppo in 1992, were missing.
When the incident became public after the statements of an eye witness who spoke to the press, the Lawyers for Freedom Association (ÖHD) and refugees filed complaints and the Chief State Prosecutor of Edirne province has initiated an official inquiry on “abuse of office” and “torture”.
As a result of the investigation made with the refugees in Greece-Turkey border, it was determined that the area where they were thrown into the river was the village of Sığırcılı. It has been also revealed that the Saçlımüsellim Outpost of the 2nd Border Battalion is responsible for this area.
However, prosecutors have decided a nonsuit regarding the investigation without taking the statements of the soldiers at the outpost.
The prosecution ruled that there was “not enough evidence other than the abstract allegations of the plaintiffs”, according to a report by MA on 24 December.
The body of the one of the missing refugees, Mohammed Ismail, has been identified. It has been revealed that Ismail’s body was found in Uzunköprü at around 9:30 a.m. three days after he was thrown into the river by the soldiers and was then taken to the Bakırköy Forensic Medicine Institution (ATK), MA reports.
The father of the missing Syrian Mohammed Ismail, Ali Ismail, went to ATK on 28 December and identified his son from his photo. It has been revealed that Ismail was buried in Kilyos Cemetery of the unknown on 23 September.