For the citizens of Kobanê who entered Turkey 10 days ago and were then taken hostage there is neither domestic law nor universal law.

After 64 of the hostages were deported, a decision has now been taken to deport the remaining 149.

While the hostages rejected the decision to deport them to either Afrin or Cezire (Jazireh) cantons, Urfa Bar Association President Ali Fuat Bucak said: “the citizens of Kobanê are being held in custody. People cannot be deported without the due process of law.”

After crossing into Turkey from the Mürşitpınar border gate with the approval of the Turkish authorities on 6 October, the 310 citizens from Kobanê were initially held at the Suruç Science High School. 4 days later they were moved to the sports hall and the authorities began to release those ‘they considered suitable’ one by one. For two days the hostages have been on hunger strike in protest at their treatment. Early in the morning of 14 October 64 of the hostages were taken to Mürşitpınar and deported. One of those, 16-year-old Xelil Mistefa, was wounded by an ISIS bomb on the same day and had his right leg amputated at the Urfa Mehmet Akif İnan hospital. His condition remains life-threatening.

Last night 36 hostages, mostly women, were released. The remaining 149 hostages continue to be held in the Suruç Sports Hall. It has been announced that they are to be deported to either Afrin or da Cezire (Jazireh) cantons, but it is reported the hostages have rejected this decision.

They are being held in custody

Urfa Bar Association President Ali Fuat Bucak   our news agency that the decision was in contravention of both domestic and universal law. He said that the citizens of Kobanê were being held under the law on Aliens, adding: "this law encapsulates asylum seekers and stipulates that they should be supervised for 6 months. This happens in a camp, but the people Kobanê are being held in custody. People cannot be deported without due process of law. A child was brought back seriously injured. One and a half million people have come here from Syria. None of them have been treated like this.”

Hostage situation continuing

HDP Urfa MP İbrahim Ayhan said that a decision had been taken to deport the remaining hostages, but the hostages had rejected the decision. Ayhan added that the authorities had wanted to implement the decision as they had in previous instances of deportation, where those being deported signed a piece of paper to indicate they were leaving willingly. However, since the hostages had not agreed to this, their situation remained that of hostages.