Amnesty International declared that it's an "open
secret" in the region that Turkish authorities have been rounding up and
expelling refugees to Syria on a "near-daily basis"—a practice the
rights group vdenounced as both illegal and inhumane. The claims are based on
multiple testimonies of large-scale forcible deportations from the southern
Turkish province of Hatay.
"This is not a crisis caused by migrants," Global
Justice Now press officer Kevin Smith wrote. "It is a crisis caused by
war, poverty, and inequality. Rich countries, with the help of the highly
profitable security industry, have tried their best to use cruel immigration
controls, fences, walls, and even guns to force people to accept lives of
violence and destitution. This is not the solution. No matter how high the
walls of Fortress Europe become, the only way to solve this problem is to deal
with its root causes."
According to reports from the Syrian Observatory for Human
Rights Turkish security forces have shot dead refugees escaping from the Syrian
conflict. They said those killed included children.
Meanwhile in the detention camps on the Greek islands which
were once refugee camps, the increased tension has led to inter-group violence.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has called for better safeguards
at refugee camps following protests and riots in the "chaotic" and
unsanitary environment. "People are sleeping in the open, and food supply
is insufficient. Anxiety and frustration is widespread," said the UNHCR. "Making
matters worse, many families have become separated, with family members now
scattered across Greece - and presenting an additional worry should returns
begin."
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