The refugees who fled from the Syrian military and found shelter in three refugee camps in Antakya (Hatay, south-eastern Turkey bordering to Syria), and gone on hunger strike. According to a report from BIANET the Yayladaðý Camp was initially set up about two months ago, followed by the Altýnözü Camp and another camp that was recently set up along Reyhanlý Road.

The refugee camps currently accommodate more than 10,000 people. About the same number of people is still waiting at the Syrian border to enter Turkey. At the same time, refugees with passports and official documents flock to the country. People entering Turkey officially with legal documents have the right to stay in the country for the duration of three months.

Right activists say that refugees inside the camps are not allowed to communicate with the outside world. This also includes contact to the relatives left behind. Activists reported that the refugees in the Yayladaðý Camp started a hunger strike in protest to this isolation.