The Human Rights Association (IHD) held a press conference at its office in Beyoğlu, Istanbul to draw attention to the rights violations experienced by refugees living in Turkey. At the meeting organised on the occasion of World Refugee Day, IHD presented its suggestions for solutions to the rights violations of refugees in Turkey.

Speaking at the meeting, IHD Co-Chair Eren Keskin stated that their planned demonstration in front of the Provincial Directorate of Migration Management was banned by the Fatih District Governorate. She emphasised that this ban was against the law and that such a practice was seen only under military dictatorship regimes.

IHD Istanbul Branch Chair Gülseren Yoleri stated that migration arises out of necessity and the rights secured by international conventions are violated. She stated that one of the places where refugees in Turkey face the most violations of their rights is the repatriation centres and that the law is violated in these centres.

Yıldız Önen from International Solidarity shared her suggestions for urgent solutions to the problems faced by refugees. These suggestions included guaranteeing the minimum rights of refugees, ending the system of repatriation centres and investigating allegations of ill-treatment.

The urgent solution proposals expressed at the meeting were listed as follows:

“Asylum seekers should be provided with their minimum rights arising from international law and Law No. 6458. Arbitrary practices violating the rights of asylum seekers should be stopped and all processes should be carried out in accordance with human rights principles and the law.

In this framework; decisions and practices of the Migration Management should be kept under strict monitoring and control, readmission agreements with the EU and other countries should be cancelled, the geographical reservation to the 1951 Geneva Convention should be removed, UNHCR migration and asylum offices should be reopened, and the United Nations should take responsibility for the protection of refugees and the right to asylum.”