Eight
Syrians were killed by Turkish border guards while fleeing violence
in their war-torn country, according to footage obtained by The
Times. Most of the victims were women and children.
The group
was trying to cross into Turkey through a mountain smuggling route at
the western end of the border on Sunday night, but were forced back
by government forces firing live rounds.
Video
footage recorded on a mobile phone reportedly shows a man carrying
his young son after the boy was shot in both legs. The father is seen
turning back down the mountain path in search of medical help.
[...]
Earlier this
month, Human Rights Watch (HRW) called on Turkey to stop firing on
Syrian civilians and to allow them to cross the border.
“As
civilians flee ISIS fighters, Turkey is responding with live
ammunition instead of compassion,” Gerry
Simpson, senior refugee researcher at HRW, said in a statement.
“The whole world is talking about fighting ISIS, and yet those most
at risk of becoming victims of its horrific abuses are trapped on the
wrong side of a concrete wall.”
Andrew
Gardner, a researcher at Amnesty International, told RT in March that
Turkish guards routinely shoot Syrian refugees stranded at the
border.
“There
have been many reports of incidents on the border. We collected
information on this as early as 2014, when we received many reports
of people being shot when they were trying to cross the border
irregularly,” Gardner said.
[...]
According to
Amnesty, Turkey has forcibly returned thousands of Syrian refugees to
their homeland since mid-January. The organization also alleged that
Turkish authorities have scaled back the registration of Syrian
refugees in the southern provinces, making it impossible for them to
access basic services.
Full
report:
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