‘Afghans in İzmir forced to sign “voluntary return papers”’

* Photo: Mezopotamya Agency (MA)

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Human rights and law organizations held a press conference at the İzmir Office of the Human Rights Association (İHD) yesterday (April 21) and talked about the attempts to forcibly send back Afghan refugees who are currently held in the Harmandalı Removal Center.

Reading out the press statement, İHD Aegean Region's Representative Ali Aydın said that around 160-170 refugees from Afghanistan were subjected to torture and ill treatment in the removal center.

As reported by Mezopotamya Agency (MA), Ali Aydın shared the information that they received during their visit to the Harmandalı Removal Center. Recalling that there were allegations of refugees being forced to sign "voluntary return papers", Aydın briefly said the following:

"Upon these allegations, a delegation consisting of the İHD İzmir Branch members went to the Removal Center on April 19. During the talks, refugees talked about the ill treatment that they were subjected to.

"Afghanistan Consulate officials reportedly visited the Removal Center on April 14. Following this visit, the refugees from Afghanistan brought to the İzmir Removal Center from İzmir, Muğla, Manisa, Denizli and other provinces were forced to sign and put their thumbprints on the 'voluntary return papers' in the sports hall of the institution."

Isolation and communication ban

Aydın said that the refugees who did not want to sign the papers were handcuffed or seized by the arm by gendarmerie officers and made to put their thumbprints on the papers. Aydın noted that the refugees were isolated and they were banned from making a phone call afterwards.

According to Aydın, a person who was forced to go back to Afghanistan attempted to commit suicide by jumping from the 5th floor:

"It was indicated that two people also attempted to commit suicide and one person died as a result of this.

"Displaced due to war, political crises, socially and economically bad conditions, refugees, migrants and asylum seekers are often subjected to maltreatment, violence and human rights abuses in removal centers. Due to the harsh sentences they will be given in their country where they are forced to return, the ones to be sent back by force may even take their lives."

'Against international conventions, human rights'

Underlining that the situation is against the international conventions and human rights, Aydın listed the following demands:

"Stop torturing and maltreating refugees.

"Identify the ones responsible for the torture and ill treatment of refugees and penalize them for committing the crimes of torture and maltreatment.

"Put an immediate halt to the violations of rights committed by the İzmir Removal Center.

"Acknowledge all refugees' right to food, housing, healthcare, labor, free movement and settlement and meet their humanitarian needs. (AS/SD)