As of September 1st 2017 Refugee Rights Turkey (RRT) has initiated the implementation of a comprehensive new legal aid and asylum capacity-building project, in affiliation with American partner organization Refugee Solidarity Network (RSN) and with funding support from the US State Department Population, Refugees and Migration Bureau (PRM).  The new project builds on the previous PRM-funded RRT-RSN partnership framework, which ran from March 2016 through August 2017. Within the framework of the new project, over the next 24 months, RRT will continue to deliver a range of legal counselling and assistance services to both Syrian and non-Syrian asylum seekers, and seminars on asylum law addressed to lawyers and NGO practitioners across Turkey. The project will also enable RRT to generate

The updated new version of our “Refugee Law Manual for Lawyers” in Turkish is now in print. The resource offers a comprehensive compilation of the main international norms as well as domestic legislation informing the Turkish asylum system as well as sample documents and selected domestic case law. The Manual, intended as a reference resource for lawyers and NGO legal practitioners in Turkey, was originally launched in June 2015 and has since been periodically updated to reflect latest changes and developments in domestic legislation and case law. The Manual is produced in the framework of a project implemented by RRT in affiliation with Refugee Solidarity Network.  The resource is meant for dissemination among lawyers and NGO legal practitioners across Turkey.

As of August 2017, Refugee Rights Turkey launches and prints updated new versions of the comprehensive legal information materials for Non-Syrian asylum seekers we first published in February 2016.  The 4-piece set of information materials are made available in Turkish, English, Farsi, Arabic, French and Somali.  They are meant for asylum seekers from countries of origin other than Syria, who are subject to the international protection procedure administered by Turkey’s Directorate General for Migration Management (DGMM). The materials are also intended to benefit lawyers and NGO practitioners that work with Non-Syrian asylum seekers.  The 4 information booklets focus on: application and legal determinations for international protection status and rights associated, access to healthcare, access to education and access to legal

Refugee Rights Turkey held two consequent legal information sessions for Syrian refugees in Adana on 31 July and 1 August 2017 in collaboration with Support to Life. The sessions introduced participants to legal questions and issues pertaining to access to legal income earning opportunities in Turkey, including procedures for applying for work permit, work permit exemption in the agricultural sector and setting up a small business in Turkey, including for purpose of the selling of handicraft or working as artisan. Adana is among the top 10 provinces hosting largest populations of Syrian refugees in Turkey. The information sessions were carried out in the framework of the project currently implemented by RRT in affiliation with Refugee Solidarity Network.

Refugee Rights Turkey held a legal information session for Syrian refugees in Gaziantep on 21 July 2016, in collaboration with Watan Antep Office. The session focused on questions pertaining to access to legal income earning opportunities in Turkey, including procedures for applying for work permit, work permit exemption in the agricultural sector and setting up small a business. The information session was carried out in the framework of the project currently implemented by RRT in affiliation with Refugee Solidarity Network.

Refugee Rights Turkey and our American partner organization Refugee Solidarity Network (RSN) launch two brand new animated legal information videos for Syrian refugees in Turkey. The videos are spoken in Arabic, with English and Turkish subtitle options, and are accessible via YOUTUBE. Since early this year, RRT and RSN have been working on a series of animation videos aiming to illustrate various aspects of the temporary protection system in Turkey for refugees from Syria. The first of the two videos launched today covers the procedures pertaining to registration for temporary protection status in Turkey in two parts. To see the video, please click below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3bUsxTRdgQc The second video launched today illustrates the procedures for the registration of Syrian refugee children

Refugee Rights Turkey held an introductory refugee law training on 17 June 2017 for a group of Istanbul-based lawyers. The 1-day seminar entailed presentations on procedures, safeguards and remedies provided under Turkey’s domestic legislation to both Syrian and non-Syrian asylum seekers. The majority of the participants were young lawyers who have recently started practicing and are keen to acquire specialized expertise in the field of asylum law. The seminar was organized in the framework of the project currently implemented by RRT in affiliation with Refugee Solidarity Network. RRT also regularly contributes to trainings organized by the Istanbul Bar Association and seeks to support efforts to increase the quality and supply of legal representation available to asylum seekers and migrants in

Refugee Rights Turkey held a specialization seminar for lawyers on 22 April 2017 in collaboration with Edirne Bar Association. The seminar was organized in the framework of the project currently implemented by RRT in affiliation with Refugee Solidarity Network. The 1-day seminar focused on legal grounds and procedural provisions governing deportation and detention practices under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection as well as safeguards and remedies available to persons involved. The province of Edirne, situated by Turkey’s land borders with Greece and Bulgaria, is a particularly significant key migration location as site to frequent border interceptions as well one of Turkey’s largest removal centers. RRT is strongly committed to supporting the Edirne Bar Association in offering expertise support

Refugee Rights Turkey held a introductory seminar in Istanbul on 1 April 2017 for a group of law students. The half-day event aimed to introduce the participants to basic concepts of international refugee law as well as the main features of the Turkish asylum system and thereby to spark their interest in this field as a possible professional specialization area.  The event was organized as an element of RRT’s ongoing cooperation framework with Heinrich Böll Stiftung Turkey with a view to encouraging future legal practitioners and rights advocates to invest in the field of asylum law.

As of March 2017, Refugee Rights Turkey launches and prints updated new versions of the comprehensive legal information materials for Syrian asylum seekers in Turkey, first published in February 2016. The brochures are made available in Arabic, Turkish and English. The 4-piece set of information booklets focus on registration for temporary protection and rights associated, access to healthcare, access to education and access to legal employment respectively. The materials are meant for persons subject to Turkey’s temporary protection policy in place for refugees from Syria as well as lawyers and NGO practitioners that work with Syrian refugees. The currently re-launched updated versions integrate changes in legislation and implementation since the original launch of the materials last year. Our newly updated

Refugee Rights Turkey held an information session for Syrian refugees in Sanliurfa on 24 February 2017 in collaboration with Support to Life. The sessions focused on questions about access to legal income earning opportunities in Turkey, including procedures for Syrian refugees to apply for work permit, work permit exemption for agricultural jobs and and initiate their own business in Turkey. The participants raised issues related to difficulties experienced in convincing the employers to go through formal employment procedures.   According to latest DGMM figures, Urfa currently hosts around 420 000 registered Syrian refugees who make up 22 % of the overall city population.  The information session was carried out in the framework of the project implemented by RRT in affiliation

Refugee Rights Turkey held an information session for Syrian refugee women in Hatay on 17 February 2017 in collaboration with Support to Life. The session focused on various legal issues the participants raised concerning access to income-earning opportunities. There were many questions specifically about how refugee women can make money by selling the handicraft they produce at home. The women-only session enabled a very lively conversation between RRT team and refugee women, who have also shared problems experienced in registration of newborns and in access to healthcare. The information session was carried out in the framework of the project implemented by RRT in affiliation with Refugee Solidarity Network.