ECtHR: Turkey violated rights of Syrian refugee by expelling him

The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) ruled yesterday (June 21) that Turkey had unlawfully repatriated Muhammad Fawzi Akkad, a Syrian refugee who had a valid residence permit in Turkey and had been granted “temporary protection” status.

“Prohibition of inhuman or degrading treatment, right to an effective remedy, and right to liberty and security of the refugee Akkad has been violated,” said the ECtHR.

Akkad was arrested by gendarmes near the Meriç river while attempting to enter Greece in 2018. He was removed to Syria two days after being handcuffed for 20 hours.

Detained by Al-Nusra militants in Syria

25-year-old Akkad arrived in Turkey with his family in 2014 escaping from the war in Syria. He stayed one year in the Gaziantep refugee camp at Syria border and then moved to İstanbul and was granted “temporary protection” status.

His father traveled to Germany in 2015, where he was granted refugee status. In 2017 the members of his family joined his father under a family reunification visa. Akkad was not authorized to follow them and he stayed in Turkey.

While attempting to enter Greece, Akkad was arrested by gendarmes one kilometer from the Meriç River, which marks the border between Turkey and Greece on 19 June 2018.

On 21 June 2018, he was repatriated to Syria by Turkey through the Reyhanlı/Bab’ul Hawa border crossing. He alleged that as soon as he had crossed the border into Syria he had been apprehended by two armed militants of the organization Al-Nusra and had been taken to a building, probably in Aleppo, where he had been interrogated.

He stated that he had been beaten and had feared for his life. He was subsequently released on the condition that he did not leave the city of Aleppo.

On 15 July 2018, he again entered Turkey and traveled to Germany, and applied for asylum. His application to ECHR was decided yesterday.

The ECtHR ruled that Akkad had suffered inhuman or degrading treatment, along with other rights violations, and fined Turkey to pay 12,250 euros in respect of non-pecuniary damage and costs and expenses.

(AS/TB)