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Turkey has stopped registering Syrian refugees, say human rights group

Human Rights Watch says move leaves refugees vulnerable to deportation, coerced returns to Syria and the denial of basic services such as healthcare and education

Bethan McKernan

Beirut

Monday 16 July 2018 21:24 BST

A Syrian woman and her child walk beside their tent in a camp in the southeastern town of Suruc on the Turkish-Syrian border in this file photo from 19 October, 2014 (Getty Images)

Several Turkish provinces have suspended the registration process for newly-arrived Syrian refugees, a new report from Human Rights Watch has said.

Only a “handful” of people fleeing the conflict next door were being registered as asylum seekers, leaving refugees vulnerable to unlawful deportations, coerced returns to Syria and the denial of basic services such as health care and education, the watchdog said on Monday.

Researchers concluded the move is designed to stop more Syrians fleeing to Turkey, which already hosts 3.5 million refugees. The border with the war-torn country has been closed since 2015, meaning new arrivals are smuggled into the country or manage to dodge border patrols.

‘Now we can finally feel safe’: Syrian family talk about life in Britain two years after arriving in Birmingham after fleeing war

Nine provinces on the border, as well as Istanbul governorate, were guilty of the practice, HRW said, adding that since 2015 many Syrians had also had their freedom of movement within Turkey restricted without special travel permits.

Turkey has denied the allegations in the new report.

“We have always welcomed Syrians and we still welcome them“, a Turkish official told AFP. “People who are in Turkey have access to all the services they need.”

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

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1/20Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

This young child hides under the cover of endless white nylon tent sheeting from new visitors entering the camp. The hesitancy to engage soon passes and curiosity follows as he is interested to discover more about Muslim Aid.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

In Enmaa camp, Wardi takes a neighbour’s child onto her knee. She has 4 children of her own; they left Homs in 2013 after heavy bombardments and a lack of food. They travelled for 4 days to reach the border. Years on they still suffer acute hunger at times. Muslim Aid Food voucher scheme is literally sustaining and changing lives in these camps.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Taima, (Enmaa camp Lebanon) picks the very few flowers with her friends off the perimeter of the camp floor and hands them to a member of the Muslim Aid team. These acts of kindness are so incredibly powerful to see.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Zaynab currently lives in Suleyman camp in Mohamra, Lebanon in a small tent housing 15 people in two rooms. Zaynab fled Syria in 2013 and travelled through fields and mountains to reach the Lebanese border, traumatised by the fear of planes, bombs and grenades. The family are currently in great need of food and gas. Bread has become very expensive and inaffordable. In her tent was a basket of bread that was stale and mouldy.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Sumayya, Murfat’s youngest sister, peers out from their tent.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

A father attempts to create some normality by teaching his youngest son how to ride his first bike in between the network of tents and alleyways in the camp.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Malik 8 and Hazayfa 5 at Suleyman camp are amongst those fortunate to benefit from schools nearby offering classes after normal hours.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Mothers and wives are left to spend their days in the camps with memories of losing husbands fathers and sons causing in Syria and during their journey to the safety of neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

It is truly amazing the defiance and resilience these children to show that they refuse to give up smiling regardless of how terrible their journey was that brought them to Enmaa camp.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Suleyman camp, Lebanon - many people have medical issues and can’t afford treatment, so cash is desperately needed to provide this support.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Murfat 3, lives with her mother and sister in a shelter provided. Their clothes, damp from the morning showers, left to dry in the porch of the tent by the air which is warm and thick with flies.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Mohammed, 2, Suleyman camp, Lebanon. There are 250,000 Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon alone.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Al Inmar camp, Lebanon.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Malaak, 11, in Suleyman camp, Lebanon. Here children are living in tents which leak in the rain and are too flimsy to shield them from the cold in winter.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

16 yr old Homam in front of his mobile phone repair business as a result of micro-finance loan from Muslim Aid.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

A young girl looks out across the geography of Enmaa Camp and beyond to the horizon of the coastline. The 250 tents have been squeezed onto a small plot of land amongst a smart residential neighbourhood and acres of poly tunnels growing fruit and vegetables.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Hayaan, just 3 year-old, in Suleyman camp, Lebanon, makes the sign for victory or peace.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

White chalked lines replaced by empty oil drums fashioned into makeshift rubbish bins mark out the perimeter of the pitch. Hamaad, 8 years-old, likes to play football in the wasteland around the tents.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Many of Sulayman’s residents had previously been surviving on donated bags of mouldy bread and some even fasting voluntarily long before the start of Ramadan.

Paddy Dowling

Syrian families waiting in the shadows of Lebanon's refugee camps

Sumaha, 10 years-old (Suleyman camp in Lebanon), talks to us with her friends before they leave the camp to attend a class at a nearby school.

Photos Paddy Dowling

In a statement, HRW associate refugee programme director Gerry Simpson also accused Europe - which is due to release a second batch of $3bn (£2.3bn) of funding to Turkey under its migration deal - of “turning a blind eye” to the problems facing refugees in the country.

”Forcing Syrians who manage to get past Turkey's border guards to live in legal limbo only risks driving them underground and onward to the EU,” he said.

Turkey has taken in more refugees from the complex Syrian civil war than any other country, but the influx of people has put pressure on services and cause tensions with local communities.

Newly re-elected president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has promised to return all 3.5million back to Syria.

In recent months it has helped resettle mainly Arab refugees in parts of northern Syria it seized from Kurdish forces in January this year.

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