On Friday 11 October, the European Commission called on Turkey to investigate allegations made the same day by the Lighthouse Report media consortium accusing the EU of giving Turkey funds to finance a vast network of centres for deporting migrants to Syria and Afghanistan.
The EU has spent at least €213 million on deportation centres in Turkey since 2007, the report says, and 25 former detainees in these centres said they had been forced or pressured to sign voluntary repatriation forms.
Officials at two border crossings between Turkey and Syria confirmed that Syrians were being forcibly deported. And two deaths occurred after the expulsion from Turkey.
“Turkey remains a key partner for the EU” and “we recognise the efforts of Turkey, which is hosting 3.6 million refugees from Syria and other countries”, said the Commission.
The EU has mobilised more than €10 billion in support of refugees in local communities since 2012 and, with regard to the management of migratory flows, EU aid “aims to improve governance in line with international and EU standards. In this context, European funds have enabled the creation of removal centres and support measures for voluntary return”.
All this is fully in line with international and EU standards, “but Turkey has its own legislation on the management of migratory flows and returns. In this context, the formal application of these rights remains the responsibility of Turkey”, commented the Commission.
“The fundamental rights of individuals and the principle of non-pushback must always be respected” and the “responsibility of the Turkish authorities is to thoroughly investigate any allegations of ill-treatment or abuse”.
Link to survey: https://aeur.eu/f/du9 (Original version in French by Solenn Paulic)