Bulletin de liaison et d'information - Institut kurde de Paris

REVUE DE PRESSE-PRESS REVIEW-BERHEVOKA ÇAPÊ-RNISTA STAMPA-DENTRO DE lA PRENSA-BASIN ÖZETi
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eXl enewsletter
OUT OF SIGHT
In Turkey, just outside the gates
of Fortress Europe. more than
100 people of African origin
have been picked up and removed
to a remote refugee camp.
ahe Africans are being detained
in Haj Camp in Silopi, in south
eastern Turkey, in the middle
of an area of full-scale fighting
between government forces and the
Kurdish separatist group, the PKK.They
have been rounded up as illegal immigrants
on the streets of Turkey's big
cities, most of them in October/November
1993. Detained at fust in police cells
in allegedly very bad conditions, about
l SO were then transferred to Silopi.
Some have escaped, while more
detainees were transferred in early 1994
after further arrests in Turkish cities. The
camp is now said to hold III Africans.
Amnesty International points out that
none have been charged with any criminal
offence, nor have they been given
any access to legal representation. It
adds: 'It appears that the principal constant
factor in these people's detention
was the colour of their skin'.
The camp had previously been occupied
entirely by Iraqi Kurds; most of
them have either returned to Iraqi Kurdistan
or are being resettled in third
countries, but 2,000 remain.
Severe disruption of life in eastern
of the refugee (OlIlKil june '94 no.78
Turkey caused by the war, and
widespread human rights abuses have
meant the Haj camp has received little
attention.
The Turkish government wants to
deport the. detainees but is not prepared
to pay to send them to their country of
origin. It claims that all the detainees are
reluctant to reveal their nationalities. It
appears that none so far have managed
to arrange their own returns. It is by no
means certain that all the detainees are
in Turkey illegally. Although not classified
as asylum seekers, some apparently
come from conflict-tom countries such
as Sudan and Somalia and might be eligible
to apply for asylum.
Two attempts have been made to
'deport' the Africans. First, a group of
20 were taken to the border with Iraqi
Kurdistan, but Iraqi Kurdish officials
refused to accept them. They spent
almost a month camped on the border
in winter weather, being helped and fed
on a voluntary basis by international
agencies.
While there, the rest of the Africans
were brought up, and a second attempt
was made to 'deport' them, which was
again thwarted by Iraqi Kurdish officials.
All fmally returned to the Hij camp in
January.
Four Sri Lankans were reportedly subjected
to the same thwarted •deportation'
in March, ending up in the Silopi
camp. Two of them are said to be
refugees registered with UNHCR.
The African detainees are stranded
with no idea what the future may bring.
Conditions are harsh and dangerous at
the camp, with sporadic outbreaks of
fighting. Rations provided by the Turkish
authorities are meagre and the
detainees need to make extra purchases.
They are not entitled to the more substantial
rations which UNHCR provides
for the Iraqi refugees in the camp. Some
of the Africans had money when they
arrived in the camp, but are rapidly
using it up. Though some have said they
would be glad to work to earn some
money, no work is available.
Basic health care is provided in the
camp, but there have been difficulties
about keeping one seriously injured
African in hospitallong enough to convalesce,
apparently because of the Turkish
authorities' reluctance to pay for his
care. He was crushed and seriously
injured by an armoured vehicle during a
clash between the detainees and Turkish
police after the Africans were returned
to Silopi from the Iraqi border.
As far as international agencies in
Turkeyare concerned, the Africans do
not fall into any clear category. UNHCR
and UNDP assistance has been ad hoc
only. The International Organisation for
Migration is in discussion with the
Turkish government on the matter, but
it has no mandate to assist states to
deport illegal immigrants. It would
however assist any of the group who
opted for voluntary repatriation.
A number of organisations have noW
voiced their concerns, and the UN has
agreed to conduct a case-by-case survey
of the Africans, as they have requested.
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FRA0274 4 t 0117 TUR /AFP-EX44
Turquie-Kurdes
56 rebelles et 6 militaires tués depuis mardi
ANKARA, 1er juin (AFP) - 56 rebelles kurdes de Turquie et 6 membres des
forces de l'ordre turques ont été tués depuis mardi lors d'opérations et
combats dans différentes zones du sud-est anatolien à majorité kurde, a-t-on
annoncé mercredi de source officielle.
Les opérations et accrochages se sont déroulés dans les régions de
Hakkari, à la frontière avec l'Iran et l'Irak, et de Siirt et Sirnak, à la
frontière avec la Syrie et l'Irak, indique un communiqué de la
super-préfecture de Diyarbakir, chargée de la coordination de la
contre la rébellion armée du parti des travailleurs du Kurdistan
séparatiste).
CE/hc/jmc
AFP /J00245/011326
JUN 94
lutte
(PKK,
7