Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is alarmed by the return to Syria of several refugee journalists in Turkey since June 2019. The organization fears a proliferation of evictions after August 20, when the deadline for Syrian refugees in Istanbul to regularize their situation. In a letter to the Turkish authorities, RSF asks them to respect the principle of non-refoulement and to protect these journalists, for whom the return to Syria is often a death sentence.
Hundreds of Syrian journalists thought they had taken refuge in Turkey in recent years, but this protection is proving increasingly precarious. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) reports that several of them have been forced into “forced returns” to Syria, where they risk being arrested by the authorities or subjected to abuses by various armed groups. In a letter to Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu, RSF calls on the authorities to put an end to these practices and not to expose the refugee journalists in the country to the serious threats that would come with their forced return to Syria.
The forced return of refugee journalists to dangerous areas is contrary to the principle of non-refoulement, a principle of customary international law binding on all states,” said RSF Secretary General Christophe Deloire. After having welcomed a large part of the Syrian refugees in recent years, Turkey must continue to guarantee their safety and that of the journalists who are among them. “
According to reports, Syrian journalist Hussein Al-Taweel ( Al-Jisr TV ) was arrested in June in Reyhanli, not far from the border, and returned to Syria as he tried to reach a region within grant him a temporary protection card ( kimlik). Another, Yaroub Al-Dalie ( The Levant News ), was arrested and deported on 9 July while on the verge of obtaining a kimlik , then beaten and turned back by the army a month later while he was trying to cross the border again. The journalist was threatened in Syria upon his return, and was forced to move to another city to escape reprisals. Finally,Obaida Al-Omar ( Horrya.net ) was arrested in Antakya on July 26 when he had a kimlik , before being forced to sign a voluntary return declaration that he did not understand.
“Voluntary returns” under the threat
The Turkish authorities deny any forced return and claim that they only help those who wish to join “safe zones”. The testimonies collected by RSF, however, portray a darker reality. In recent weeks, many journalists with a kimlik are no longer able to obtain their renewal, which places them in an irregular situation. More and more refugees , arrested for identity checks, are threatened with confinement or under pressure until they sign a request for “voluntary return”, without always understanding what it is. . They can be sent back to areas where fighting is raging, like Idlib’s.
A new directive from the governor of Istanbul raises concerns: it requires Syrian refugees present in the metropolis to regularize their situation before August 20 , under penalty of being driven out. The Association of Syrian Journalists in Turkey estimates that more than 300 journalists are involved. If their editors and sometimes their families are in Istanbul, many of them are officially required to live in another region. In view of recent precedents, they fear that their transfer will result in a forced return to Syria.
Media in exile under pressure
To this fear is added that of losing their job: the vast majority of Syrian media in Turkey are settled in Istanbul. In early August, Watan FM, Orient TV, Aram News and Bisan FM , ordered their employees to regularize their situation under penalty of being dismissed.
These media are themselves under pressure: according to the founder of the Association of Syrian Journalists in Turkey, Firas Diba , Turkish law only allows them to grant a work permit to one foreign employee for five Turkish employees. A condition almost impossible to fulfill for Arabic-language media, which are thus pushed into the illegal.
RSF recommends that the specificity of Syrians be taken into account in the legislation by giving them more time in administrative procedures, by issuing temporary press cards to facilitate travel between provinces and by exempting the Syrian media from the obligation to to employ five Turks for a stranger.
Turkey and Syria rank 157th and 174th out of 180 respectively in RSF’s World Press Freedom Index in 2019.
Copyright ©2016, Reporters Without Borders. Used with the permission of Reporters Without Borders, CS 90247 75083 Paris Cedex 02 https://rsf.org
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