- Europe, like you've never read before -
Monday, 26 May 2025
No Result
View All Result
  • it ITA
  • en ENG
Eunews
  • Politics
  • World
  • Business
  • News
  • Defence
  • Net & Tech
  • Agrifood
  • Other sections
    • Culture
    • Diritti
    • Energy
    • Green Economy
    • Finance & Insurance
    • Industry & Markets
    • Media
    • Mobility & Logistics
    • Sports
  • Newsletter
  • European 2024
    Eunews
    • Politics
    • World
    • Business
    • News
    • Defence
    • Net & Tech
    • Agrifood
    • Other sections
      • Culture
      • Diritti
      • Energy
      • Green Economy
      • Finance & Insurance
      • Industry & Markets
      • Media
      • Mobility & Logistics
      • Sports
    No Result
    View All Result
    Eunews
    No Result
    View All Result

    Home » Politics » Nine international media outlets accuse the EU of funding mass deportations from Turkey to Syria and Afghanistan

    Nine international media outlets accuse the EU of funding mass deportations from Turkey to Syria and Afghanistan

    The investigation, coordinated by the investigative platform Lighthouse Reports, unveils the enormous machine with which Turkish authorities implement forced deportations of Afghan and Syrian refugees. With Brussels "aware that it is funding the system" and guilty of "turning a blind eye"

    Simone De La Feld</a> <a class="social twitter" href="https://twitter.com/@SimoneDeLaFeld1" target="_blank">@SimoneDeLaFeld1</a> by Simone De La Feld @SimoneDeLaFeld1
    11 October 2024
    in Politics
    turchia deportazioni

    Turkey's border police personel patrols next to a barbed wire wall fence erected on the Bulgaria-Turkey border near the town of Lesovo, on September 14, 2016. (Photo by NIKOLAY DOYCHINOV / AFP)

    Brussels – A new journalistic investigation journalism exposes the complicity – or at least negligence, if you want to be in good faith – of the European Union in the systematic deportations of hundreds of thousands of Afghan and Syrian refugees from Turkey to their countries of origin. Nine international news outlets, coordinated by the investigative platform Lighthouse Reports, have heard witnesses and collected visual evidence and documents in Turkey and Brussels, revealing not only that the detention and deportation infrastructure is being foraged with EU money but that European institutions “are aware that they are funding this system but choose to turn a blind eye.”

    Journalists from El País, Der Spiegel, Politico, Etilaat Roz, SIRAJ, NRC, Le Monde, and Italy’s L’Espresso followed the enormous flow of resources – over 10 billion euros, from 2015 to the present – that the EU has allocated to make Turkey a buffer zone to prevent millions of refugees fleeing Taliban persecution and civil war in Syria from reaching Europe. They uncovered 30 EU-built and funded deportation centers used by Turkish security forces to imprison and forcibly deport hundreds of thousands of people. To support its claims, the investigation flanked images of EU-funded equipment used by Ankara police to conduct mass arrests in Turkish cities and deportations to Syria, including a bus with a 12-star flag printed on the side. 

    Funds used to expand fingerprinting systems are now being used to “track and pick up migrants on the street” or to equip deportation centers “with barbed wire and higher walls.” Detainees are “often denied” legal assistance and crammed into overcrowded centers with poor sanitary conditions. They are subjected to “abuse and even torture.” According to the testimonies of 37 people detained in 22 different EU-funded deportation centers, many are violently coerced into signing documents stating they wish to return voluntarily to the countries from which they fled.

    The investigation also revealed testimonies from EU officials in Turkey and former staff of deportation centers, supported by official reports and documents from Ankara and Brussels. For 20 times, Lighthouse Reports said, requests to EU agencies for freedom of information to access certain documents “have been denied on the grounds that they could harm relations with Turkey.” After speaking with several European diplomats and officials in Brussels and Turkey, there is no longer any doubt: “The EU is aware that it is funding this abusive system, and its own staff has raised the alarm internally, yet senior officials choose to turn a blind eye.” 

    An attitude that, according to what Lighthouse Reports — and also The Guardian and the European Court of Auditors —   revealed last spring, the top brass of the European institutions are adopting toward human rights violations in Tunisia and Libya. The allegation is disturbing: seven European diplomats in Turkey, working for the EU or its member states, allegedly claimed to have knowledge of forced deportations of Syrians and the terrible conditions inside the centers, while according to a former EU official, these issues are allegedly “systematically deleted” from the EU’s annual reports on Turkey.

    English version by the Translation Service of Withub
    Tags: lighthouse reportmigrantsturkey

    Related Posts

    italia danimarca migranti
    Politics

    Italy, Denmark and other 7 EU countries challenge the ECHR: “It prevents expulsion of criminal foreign nationals”

    23 May 2025
    Volodymyr Zelensky
    World politics

    Ukraine, all eyes on Istanbul (but without Putin and Zelensky)

    15 May 2025
    L'inviato speciale per Cipro Johannes Hahn e il presidente cipriota Nikos Christodoulides (Foto:
    World politics

    EU names Johannes Hahn as special envoy for Cyprus reunification

    15 May 2025
    pkk turchia
    World politics

    PKK disbands; EU urges Turkey to “seize the moment” for a political solution to the Kurdish issue

    13 May 2025
    Recep Tayyip Erdogan
    World politics

    MEPs stigmatise human rights violations in Turkey

    7 May 2025
    paesi terzi sicuri albania
    Politics

    Italy-Albania protocol is still a flop. EU Court of Justice reveals critical flaws in safe countries decree

    10 April 2025
    map visualization
    Donald Trump

    Trump’s new threat to the EU: 50 per cent tariffs from 1 June

    by Francesco Bortoletto bortoletto_f
    23 May 2025

    The US President is not letting up, in fact he is doubling down on the 25 per cent tariffs suspended...

    Il governo americano vieta l'iscrizione degli studenti stranieri all'università di Harvard (Foto:

    Trump bans foreign students from Harvard, the EU ready to step in

    by Marco La Rocca
    23 May 2025

    Over 6,000 students to be expelled, Harvard sues US government, EU Council discusses further reception measures for students and researchers....

    italia danimarca migranti

    Italy, Denmark and other 7 EU countries challenge the ECHR: “It prevents expulsion of criminal foreign nationals”

    by Simone De La Feld @SimoneDeLaFeld1
    23 May 2025

    In an open letter, Meloni and Frederiksen denounce the limits imposed on the "ability to make political decisions" and call...

    Gitanas Nauseda Friedrich Merz

    Germany starts deploying 5,000 troops near Lithuania’s border with Russia

    by Francesco Bortoletto bortoletto_f
    23 May 2025

    Berlin's army -- which Chancellor Friedrich Merz wants to make "the strongest in Europe" -- has stationed its 45th armoured...

    • Director’s Point of View
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Opinions
    • About us
    • Contacts
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie policy

    Eunews is a registered newspaper
    Press Register of the Court of Turin n° 27


     

    Copyright © 2025 - WITHUB S.p.a., Via Rubens 19 - 20148 Milan
    VAT number: 10067080969 - ROC registration number n.30628
    Fully paid-up share capital 50.000,00€

     

    No Result
    View All Result
    • it ITA
    • en ENG
    • Politics
    • Newsletter
    • World politics
    • Business
    • General News
    • Defence & Security
    • Net & Tech
    • Agrifood
    • Altre sezioni
      • European Agenda
      • Culture
      • Diritti
      • Energy
      • Green Economy
      • Gallery
      • Finance & Insurance
      • Industry & Markets
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Media
      • Mobility & Logistics
      • News
      • Opinions
      • Sports
    • Director's Point of View
    • L’Europa come non l’avete mai ascoltata
    • Draghi Report
    • Eventi
    • Eunews Newsletter

    No Result
    View All Result
    • it ITA
    • en ENG
    • Politics
    • Newsletter
    • World politics
    • Business
    • General News
    • Defence & Security
    • Net & Tech
    • Agrifood
    • Altre sezioni
      • European Agenda
      • Culture
      • Diritti
      • Energy
      • Green Economy
      • Gallery
      • Finance & Insurance
      • Industry & Markets
      • Letters to the Editor
      • Media
      • Mobility & Logistics
      • News
      • Opinions
      • Sports
    • Director's Point of View
    • L’Europa come non l’avete mai ascoltata
    • Draghi Report
    • Eventi
    • Eunews Newsletter

    Attention