Amid an increasing number of Turkish citizens, particularly those of Kurdish origin, seeking refuge in Germany, the Turkish and German governments have reached a new agreement that could affect up to 13,500 Turkish citizens currently required to leave the country.
As reported by the German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), Turkey has agreed to take back 500 Turkish citizens a week. Previously, Turkey had delayed many deportations by refusing to accept citizens deported via charter flights, only allowing scheduled flights. However, Turkey has now agreed to accept charter flights as long as they are called ‘special flights’.
The Kurdish diaspora in Germany will be particularly affected by the planned deportations, as 84 percent of Turkish citizens who applied for asylum in Germany last year identified as being of Kurdish origin. The Kurdish Centre for Public Relations (Civaka Azad) has criticised the deportation agreement between Berlin and Ankara as contrary to human rights, stating that Kurds will become the primary victims of this deal.
Civaka Azad explained, “The systematic disregard for the principles of the rule of law has become more visible in Turkey since the attempted coup in 2016. Minorities and members of the opposition are being persecuted, and femicides are at an all-time high by international standards.” The group called for a general halt to deportations from Germany to Turkey, urging respect for human rights.
The organisation further stated that Germany bears some responsibility for the circumstances that force Kurdish people to flee Turkey, due to its support for Turkey through the provision of “weapons and money”.
