 said on Tuesday.){kind=link}
Turkey deported a prominent Syrian human rights activist and his wife to Syria on Monday in violation of international law, the Human Rights Association (İHD) said on Tuesday.
Taha Elgazi, a long-time refugee rights defender, was detained by plainclothes police on Friday on the pretext of an “address verification” and was held incommunicado for three days.
His wife, also a Syrian national, was reportedly detained the following day.
On Monday Elgazi sent a message stating that both he and his wife had been deported to Syria.
The Human Rights Association’s İstanbul branch condemned the deportation, calling it an unlawful act that violates the principle of non-refoulement.
The group said the decision posed a direct threat to migrant rights defenders and demanded that the deportation orders be rescinded immediately.
Elgazi had worked for years to document rights violations against Syrians in Turkey and to advocate for humane migration policies.
His deportation is part of a broader crackdown that includes arbitrary detentions, violence in deportation centers and coercive tactics to extract “voluntary return” signatures.
In a recent report Syrians for Truth and Justice (STJ) documented systemic abuse in Turkish deportation centers, including beatings, denial of food and medicine and forced returns to unsafe areas of Syria.
At least five deaths were linked to mistreatment in custody in 2024, the group said.
The report includes testimony from several deportees who say they were forced to sign return documents under threat or after physical abuse.
STJ estimates that more than 85,000 Syrians were deported from Turkey in 2024 alone.
Many of the deportations took place without legal representation or proper procedures, according to the report.
The group also pointed out the role of European Union funding in expanding Turkey’s deportation infrastructure.
Detainees reported seeing EU logos on beds, fences and supplies inside removal centers.
Under international law, including the 1951 Refugee Convention and the European Convention on Human Rights, Turkey is prohibited from returning individuals to places where they face serious risk of harm.
Human rights lawyers argue that returns to northern Syria, even to Turkish-controlled areas, fail to meet standards of safety and dignity.
The Human Rights Association urged Turkish authorities to end arbitrary deportations and allow independent monitoring of removal centers.
HUKUKSUZ GERİ GÖNDERMELERE SON VERİLSİN,
ELGAZİ AİLESİNİN HAKLARI İADE EDİLSİN!MAZLUMDER'in de bileşenlerinden olduğu Sığınmacı Hakları Platformu olarak hukuksuz bir şekilde Suriye'ye gönderilen Taha Elgazi ve eşinin son durumuna ilişkin kamuoyunu bilgilendirmek ve yetkililere… pic.twitter.com/54Ntcsr9q2
— MAZLUMDER (@mazlumder) May 20, 2025
A coalition of rights groups, including the Association for Human Rights and Solidarity for the Oppressed (MAZLUMDER), held a press conference on Tuesday in response to the deportation of Elgazi and his wife, calling for their return and an end to unlawful deportations.
The event featured statements from MAZLUMDER Vice Chair Ali Öner, Elgazi’s lawyer Abdulhalim Yılmaz and human rights scholar Prof. Dr. Bekir Berat Özipek.
The press statement was read out by activist Yıldız Önen.
Elgazi also addressed the conference via video link, describing the deportation process and his current situation in Syria.