The Turkey-Greece border has been a frequently used route for refugees who want to cross from the Middle East to Europe for many years. However, this journey that started with high hopes has never been easy. In fact, most of the time, the “journey to hope” has been far beyond what was expected.
Human rights are universal rights that exist for everyone. According to Karel Vasak, human rights are examined under 3 generations. Today, a fourth title has been added to these rights. First generation rights in their nature are civil and political rights. These rights include negative obligations to protect the individual from the excesses of the state. To give an example of first-generation rights, right to life, equality before the law, freedom of speech, freedom of religion, property rights. Second generation rights include social rights. The first two generations of rights are those covered by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. People defined as “refugees” are often deprived of these rights and have left their country to obtain them.
The journey of these people who risk their lives to achieve the rights that everyone is born with is not an easy one. Unfortunately, many are prevented from making this journey or are subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment on the way, which is contrary to Article 3 of the ECHR. So, what is going on at the Turkey-Greece border, which is one of these road routes? While many refugees are trying to cross the Meriç river, they drown due to bad conditions and die. Many women are raped during this journey. When they cross the border, their nightmares do not end. Because they face the risk of being sent back to Turkey by Greece.
In 2019, the United Nations Refugee Agency announced that 892 people had send from Greece to Turkey in the last 3 years, within the framework of the refugee acceptance agreement between the European Union (EU) and Turkey. It was noteworthy that most of this rate was Pakistani (38%) and Syrians (18%). Among the asylum seekers whose applications were not accepted outside of these two countries and sent to Turkey, there were people from Algeria, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Morocco, Iran, Egypt, Nigeria, and other countries. The EU agreed to take one Syrian refugee living in camps in Turkey for every returned migrant and agreed to pay a total of 6 billion euros to improve the living conditions of Syrians in Turkey.
At least 76 of those pushed back since May have been arrested by Turkish authorities on false terrorism charges
Recently, an unknown number of Turkish and other nationals’ refugees have been sent back to Turkey with inhumane treatment. Returning refugees to countries from which they fled is illegal under international non-refoulement law, which prohibits a country from forcing refugees or asylum seekers to return to a country where they may face political persecution. Three Turkish citizens whose lives were documented by OpenDemocracy were allegedly tortured by the Greek authorities on 28 September. These people swam a 3.6-kilometer route from the Turkish coastal town of Kusadasi to the Greek island of Samos. They then marched inland and were picked up by the harbor police ten kilometers from the shore. The three men were illegally put on a boat to be pushed back to Turkey, then two of them were arrested on phony terrorism charges for being political opponents of the Turkish government. According to information compiled by openDemocracy, at least 76 of those pushed back since May have been arrested by Turkish authorities on false terrorism charges.
Refugees were left naked at the Turkish border
Again, in the previous days, it was claimed that Greece ‘violently and forcibly sent’ at least 30 Cubans to Turkey. Describing their experiences, two Cubans said that the Greek authorities took them halfway up the river on the border with boats and they were forced to swim to the Turkish side in the remaining part. Incidents faced by refugees include “forced robbery, beatings, hunger and thirst, confiscation of passports, money and other personal belongings, refusal to register asylum claims, and forced immersion during the deportation process”. In addition, according to the information recorded, it is also stated that refugees are mostly stripped naked during the process of being sent back and they are left at the Turkish border in this way. On December 22, 2021, a group of Turkish refugees were again left naked at the Turkish border. They were later arrested by the Turkish government.
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