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Turkey: Expulsion of Iranians confirmed, UNHCR raises concerns with government

Briefing Notes, 21 September 2007

This is a summary of what was said by UNHCR spokesperson Ron Redmond – to whom quoted text may be attributed – at the press briefing, on 21 September 2007, at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.

UNHCR has raised its serious concerns to the Government of Turkey in respect of the expulsion last month of five Iranian refugees to northern Iraq.

The refugees were recognised in Turkey by UNHCR under its mandate in view of the geographical limitation applied by Turkey to the 1951 Refugee Convention. UNHCR has received information that the five have spent almost a month in detention in Erbil, Iraq, and have just been released.

Following communications with the Turkish authorities, UNHCR received confirmation that the expulsion took place on 22 August and that the five had been sent to northern Iraq. UNHCR is concerned that no due process of law was followed prior to the expulsion and that UNHCR was not given any prior information of the authorities' intention to expel these persons or of the expulsion itself.

To forcibly send persons to Iraq's northern governorates if they do not originate from there is contrary to UNHCR's guidelines. The security situation in northern Iraq, although relatively calm compared to the rest of Iraq, is still tense and unpredictable.

UNHCR considers that unless sufficient safeguards are taken, the expulsion of refugees under its mandate may lead to a violation of the principle of non-refoulement enshrined in the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees of which Turkey is a signatory and which is a universally recognized principle of refugee protection.

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Beyond the Border

In 2010, the Turkish border with Greece became the main entry point for people attempting by irregular methods to reach member states of the European Union, with over 132,000 arrivals. While some entered as migrants with the simple wish of finding a better life, a significant number fled violence or persecution in countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iraq and Somalia. The journey is perilous, with many reports of drowning when people board flimsy vessels and try to cross the Mediterranean Sea or the River Evros on the border between Greece and Turkey. The many deficiencies in the Greek asylum system are exacerbated by the pressure of tens of thousands of people awaiting asylum hearings. Reception facilities for new arrivals, including asylum-seekers, are woefully inadequate. Last year, UNHCR visited a number of overcrowded facilities where children, men and women were detained in cramped rooms with insufficient facilities. UNHCR is working with the Greek government to improve its asylum system and has called upon other European states to offer support.

Beyond the Border

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