Turkey’s pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Equality and Democracy (DEM) Party has accused Turkey of exacerbating the humanitarian crisis in Syria, saying its military operations have forced thousands to flee their homes in the North and East Syria, known as Rojava. In a statement released on Wednesday to mark International Migrants Day, the party called for urgent international action to prevent further violations and support displaced populations.
“Thousands of people have been uprooted by attacks on areas controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF),” the statement from DEM Party’s Migrants and Refugees Commission said. It noted that those displaced are struggling under harsh winter conditions with limited resources.
The statement condemned Turkey’s broader migration policies, accusing the government of using migrants as “political leverage” against the European Union. “Turkey’s exploitation of migrants as cheap, informal labour violates their fundamental rights,” the co-spokespeople, Özgül Saki and Murad Mıhçı, stated.
Highlighting systematic abuses, the DEM Party criticised the arbitrary deportation practices in Turkey, which it said violate both domestic law and international conventions, including the Geneva Convention. “Migrants live in constant fear. Women subjected to violence and sexual assault remain silent, and deportation threats suppress any attempt to seek justice,” the statement asserted.
Turkey’s role in migration politics, particularly its agreement with the EU under the Readmission Agreement, was labelled “unacceptable”. According to the DEM Party, such policies contribute to systemic deaths at borders and the erosion of asylum rights.
In addition to the domestic context, the statement turned its focus to northern Syria, where the party said military actions by the Syrian National Army (SNA), supported by Turkey, have devastated local communities. “It is our collective responsibility to amplify the voices of displaced people in the region and stand in solidarity with them,” the co-spokespeople urged.
Calling for a global response, the DEM Party appealed to international organisations and Turkish institutions to take immediate, tangible steps to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis. “We must work towards a world without borders, exploitation, or class divisions, where migrants can live equally and freely,” Saki and Mıhçı concluded.
