The German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF) announced that the number of Turkish nationals applying for asylum to Germany increased from 7,873 in 2021 to 20,802 in the first 11 months of 2022, Sözcü newspaper reported on Saturday.
The applicants mainly cited political oppression, the restrictions of basic freedoms and the declining Turkish economy as their reasons for seeking asylum in Germany.
A report prepared by a senior advisor of Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP), and presented to the party’s executive board showed a 216 percent increase in asylum applications to Germany. The advisor called the report an all-time record, mentioning that the number of asylum seekers did not reach this level even during periods that followed military coups in Turkey.
Turkish nationals rank third in asylum applications to Germany, following Syrians and Afghanis. According to German border police, the number of Turkish nationals trying to pass the border illegally showed an increase of 264 percent in one year and 5,362 Turkish nationals have been arrested.
