Dozens of Syrian-Kurdish families displaced through the Iraqi Kurdistan region by illegal routes are still stuck at the border point before the military camp in the Turkish town of Robarok. Many have been forced to sleep outside in difficult weather conditions without being allowed to enter the Turkish cities and refused entry to the refugee shelter there.
Shenaz Kilo, an activist in the Kurdish Yekiti party in Syria and one of those stuck at the border, told ARA News: “We’re in our place out in the open and we cannot do anything. Turkey isn’t allowing us to cross and isn’t sheltering us in the camp. The weather conditions are hard, especially for children, who are sleeping out in the open.”
He pointed to cases of “exploitation,” whether “by smugglers who demand $300 to get one family out of here, even though the distance is six hours by foot in rugged mountainous areas at night, and the Turkish police could catch you and return you here, or by the only hotel, which has doubled its prices to exploit the need of the people for warmth and cleanliness.”
Kilo added that, “The Turkish state which pays lip service to democratic values and human rights is in reality far away from all that. Here in the city of Robarok, there are more than 1,000 refugees, most of them Syrian and Iraqi Kurds, and some Bangladeshis, who have spent more than 10 days out in the open. The Turkish government refuses to acknowledge their presence there and deals with the displaced in a mocking and slovenly manner, because most of the refugees are Kurds.”
The Syrian crisis has caused millions of Syrians to flee towards Europe and neighboring countries and the displacement is still continuing with the absence of any end to the fighting in the country.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
