Refugee Rights Turkey (RRT), with the support of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO), launched a new 11-month project on 1 May 2024. The project aims to support access to legal assistance for refugees and vulnerable migrants in administrative detention in Istanbul and to carry out capacity-building activities for lawyers and civil society workers. It is also planned to create an online and printed resource compiling the legislation and case law of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on administrative detention of children, which will be disseminated to stakeholders such as international organizations, national and global civil society organizations, and human rights defender organizations. Once again, we thank the British authorities for their support.

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we organized a specialization seminar titled “Rights of the Asylum Seekers that Seeking Protection in Türkiye in the Light of the Judicial Decisions” in Istanbul on 1-2 March 2024. Over 40 representatives from 21 different bar associations and 8 different institutions in Türkiye had attended the seminar. First day of the seminar had started with registration and opening speeches, and we had the opportunity to examine the selection of court decisions on child protection, international protection, temporary protection, deportation, and administrative detention in the context of asylum law, with the sessions titled ” Unaccompanied Minors’ Access to Justice and the Judicial Decisions”, “International Protection in the Light of the Judicial Decisions”, “Temporary Protection in the Light

On Saturday 17 February 2024, Refugee Rights Turkey organized a specialization seminar titled “Administrative Detention and Alternatives to Administrative Detention: National and International Regulations and Appeal Procedures”. Over thirty-five lawyers from ten different institutions in Istanbul attended the seminar. The event started with the registration and opening speeches. In the first session titled “Administrative Detention Measures: International Standards, National Legislation & Appeal Procedures”, the concept of “administrative detention”, international standards pertaining to the issue and the appeal procedures under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection” were discussed and our Administrative Detention Hotline (+90 507 218 62 85) was shared with the participants. Observations from the field, good practices, and difficulties encountered were expressed by the participants. In the second

The first session started with introductions and the activities of the Refugee Rights Turkey, followed by the second session titled “The Role of Translation in the Field of Migration and Asylum”. In this session, the importance and difficulties of interpreting in civil society organizations, some important definitions in the legislation, the importance of interpreting in interviews, and the legal responsibilities of interpreters were discussed, and the participants had the opportunity to share their experiences in the field. In the session titled “Overcoming the Ethical and Technical Challenges of Interpreting for Refugees”, Dr. Jonathan Ross from the Department of Translation and Interpreting at Boğaziçi University talked about the definition of community interpreting, its challenges, ethical values, examples from Turkey and the

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we organized a two-session seminar for both the staff and the beneficiaries of Lider Women’s Association at the headquarters of Lider Women’s Association in Mardin. Experts from different fields such as caseworkers, social cohesion officers, psychologists from Lider Women’s Association’s Diyarbakır office, and Syrian beneficiaries of the association participated in the seminar. At the end of each session, frequently encountered questions such as obtaining a travel permit, the obligation to reside in the registration province, and the re-registration procedures for people who come back/return to Turkey after being deported to their country of origin were discussed. The aim of the seminar organized with Lider Kadın Derneği was to compare the common practices encountered in Istanbul, Mardin,

Dear Beneficiaries, we wish you a year with happiness, peace and solidarity.

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we held a seminar on 25 November 2023 titled “Deportation Procedures, Administrative Detention and Alternative Measures within the Framework of the Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection” in cooperation with Ağrı Bar Association and the Migration and Asylum Commission at the Ağrı Bar Association’s Conference Hall. The seminar, where the participants were the registered attorneys of the Ağrı Bar Association, consisted of three sessions respectively as the “International Protection Procedures in Turkey and the Appeal Methods”, “Deportation Procedures and the Appeal Methods”, and “Administrative Detention, Alternative Measures and the Appeal Methods”. The subjects were supported with case studies at the end of each session, while the most frequently asked questions were about accessing international

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we organized a workshop on “Access to Justice for Migrant and Refugee Women” on 10 and 11 November 2023 with over 40 representatives from 9 different cities and 24 different organizations from Turkiye. The first day of the workshop began with discussion sessions. Participants had the opportunity to discuss their organizations’ work, share field observations, address related problems, propose solutions to identified issues, and highlight examples of success. On the second day, the workshop opened with a presentation by Emrah Çelik from the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) on “Support and Protection for Syrian Women Affected by Gender-Based Violence Post-Earthquake.” Çelik addressed the difficulties faced by this vulnerable population in the aftermath of the earthquake and assessed

As Refugee Rights Turkey, in collaboration with Diyarbakır Bar Association, we organized a training titled “Rights and Guarantees Provided to Persons Seeking Protection in Turkey within the Framework of Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection (LFIP)” on 16 September 2023 at the Diyarbakır Bar Association Att. Tahir Elçi Conference Hall. The training was held with the participation of over one hundred lawyers and trainee lawyers registered to the Diyarbakır Bar Association. In the first session of the training, the topics of “Basic Concepts in Refugee Law, International Protection Procedures, and Appeals against  Negative Status Decisions” were discussed. Then, in the second session, the topics of “Rights and Services Provided to Persons under Temporary Protection and Appeals Against Negative

After 24 August Thursday, our office will be closed due to the relocation of our Istanbul head office. However, we will continue to provide service over the phone. Until Friday 25 August, we will serve you on our +90 850 218 48 30 number. As of Monday 28 August, our helpdesk line will not be available for a while. During this period, you can reach us mobile via below phone numbers. If you are a refugee from Syria please call +90 549 510 52 02, If you are a refugee from a country other than Syria, you can contact us through +90 546 903 08 45. Individuals who are detained in Removal Centres or who have a relative under administrative

On 17th June 2023, Refugee Rights Turkey organized a workshop on Alternatives to Administrative Detention (ATDs).  In the first session of the workshop titled “Accessibility of ATDs for Persons under Administrative Detention”; observations as per the implementation, good practices, and the challenges encountered regarding the access of foreigners under administrative detention to ATDs in Turkey were discussed.  During the second session titled “Screening and Identification of Persons with Special Needs and Persons in a Vulnerable Situation under Administrative Detention and Their Access to Alternatives”, participants exchanged their observations and evaluations on the safeguards afforded by the available legal framework for the identification of these persons, deficits in the legislation, good practices, and difficulties encountered. In the third session titled “The

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we are organizing an online seminar titled “Article 3 ECHR: Safeguards for those seeking international protection” on Friday, April 7th between 14:00 and 16:00 (Turkish time, TRT). The presentation will be carried out by the legal expert Sadhia Rafi, who has been the Manager of the Strategic Litigation Program at the Dutch Council for Refugees (DCR) for many years. The seminar will mainly cover the obligations of the State Parties stemming from the Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the critical concepts such as “safe third country”, “voluntary return” and “burden of proof” in light of the relevant ECtHR jurisprudence and include Q & A and Case Studies sessions. Please note