On 22 August, 250 people, including Rojhilat citizens, were taken into custody in Antalya and accused of allegedly "wanting to enter another country illegally". While it is stated that most of the detainees still have a valid visa, a total of 250 people, including children, have been held in a sports hall in Manavgat for two days.

A young man from Pave in Rojhilat, spoke to the Mesopotamia Agency (MA) and said that they were detained while walking on the street.

'We can't breathe'

Stating that the sports hall they are held in as a hot and uninhabitable place, the young man said: “For two days, they gave us nothing but a small piece of cucumber and old bread. We have a woman and a 2-year-old child with us. They treat us like we are their enemies. They do not have a single piece of evidence that we will cross over to another country, but they accuse us of it. We have no one helping us. Please help us. Help these babies and women. At the moment, almost 300 people are in the sport hall. The toilets and cleanliness here are non-existent. As the windows are closed, we and the children cannot breathe.”

'We were taken into custody while walking on the street'

Noting that they were detained on the street, the young man said: “Everyone knows that these people did not commit any crime. We were taken into custody while walking on the street. Yet, immediately fake news was published saying that "refugees were caught on their way to Italy". We seek help from human rights institutions. We do not know what will happen to us.”

More information could not be obtained because the phones of the refugees were confiscated.