A leading human rights organization condemned Turkey on Thursday for its treatment of Syrian refugees at its southern border. Human Rights Watch (HRW) accused Turkish forces of indiscriminately shooting at and torturing Syrian migrants and asylum seekers at the border.
Hugh Williamson, the organization’s director for Europe, said in a statement that such abuses are common. He said, “Turkish gendarmes and armed forces in charge of border control routinely abuse and indiscriminately shoot at Syrians along the Syrian-Turkish border, with hundreds of deaths and injuries recorded in recent years.”
HRW cited data from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicating 11 deaths and 20 injuries attributable to Turkish border guards in 2023. The watchdog called on Turkish authorities to review border security policies and pursue justice for the victims.
Turkish border guards are indiscriminately shooting at Syrian civilians on the border with Syria, as well as torturing and using excessive force against asylum seekers and migrants trying to cross into Turkey. https://t.co/L58yoZu5rZ pic.twitter.com/VEKChSIBKB
— Human Rights Watch (@hrw) April 27, 2023
