Turkey’s border officials have been accused of serious human rights violations, including the use of excessive force, torture, and unlawful killings against Syrian refugees and immigrants attempting to cross into Turkey in a statement issued by the Human Rights Watch (HRW) on Thursday. The organisation has called on the Turkish government to investigate the incidents and hold those responsible to account.
HRW obtained data from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), an organisation monitoring conflicts in Syria, which documented 277 separate incidents of violations by Turkey’s border officials along the Syrian border between October 2015 and April 2023. The data revealed at least 234 deaths and 231 injuries, with the majority occurring as victims tried to cross the border. Children were also involved in 26 incidents, with at least 20 deaths and 15 injuries.
The fact that Turkey has taken in more than 3.5 million Syrian refugees does not absolve it of its obligation to respect the rights of refugees seeking protection at its borders, the HRW said. The organisation has previously documented instances of Turkish authorities forcing Syrian refugees to sign voluntary return forms and deporting them.
In March 2023, Turkish border officials intercepted a group of eight Syrians attempting to cross into Turkey and tortured them, killing a young boy and a man. The officials sent the group back to Syria within five hours of the incident, along with one of the corpses. Survivors reported being beaten, kicked and hit with rifles and batons.
A harrowing account of torture was given by a Syrian refugee who described how he and others were forced to lie down on the ground, had their hands and genitals crushed, and were doused with 20 litres of diesel fuel from a steel canister by their abusers, causing him to swallow some of the liquid and suffer two hours of vomiting.
Incidents of violence against Syrian refugees attempting to cross the Turkish border have reportedly been witnessed by Mazen Alouch, Syria’s press and public relations officer at the Bab al Hawa border crossing. These incidents are part of a series of similar incidents since May 2016, which have resulted in the deaths of six civilians and injuries to six others. At least four incidents have occurred since April 2021 involving shootings of Syrian children who did not attempt to cross the border.
The HRW urged Turkey to launch an independent and impartial investigation into the alleged violations and to comply with international law, including the absolute prohibition of torture and respect for the right to life and physical integrity.
