As Refugee Rights Turkey, we are organizing an online seminar in collobaration with Refugee Solidarity Network on Thursday, March 25th between 5 pm and 7 pm focusing on Presentation and Evaluation of International Protection Applications based on the Violence Against Women. Please register here first in order to participate. The presentation will be carried out by Blaine Bookey. Blaine Bookey is Legal Director at the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies, based at the University of California Hastings College of the Law, whose mission is to advance the human rights of asylum seekers. She oversees the Center’s strategic litigation, policy and advocacy, and technical assistance and training programs. Blaine also teaches courses on human rights as an Adjunct Professor of

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we are organizing online seminars on 29 January and 5-12-19 February between 14:30-16:00 focusing on national legal framework as outlined by Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection and its implementation in relation to the below-mentioned subjects. With these seminars, we hope to virtually bring together such legal professionals and civil society actors and share our experiences on both the legal framework and the actual implementation on the ground. Please note that our seminar is open to the participation of all interested individuals and that it will be in Turkish only. Seminar dates: 29 January 2021 Friday from 14:30 to 16:00 5 February 2021 Friday from 14:30 to 16:00 12 February 2021 Friday from 14:30

RRT, in collaboration with American partner organization RSN launches a new dedicated website for Turkish lawyers. The website makes available to Turkish lawyers and NGO legal practitioners a comprehensive compilation of international standards, domestic legislation, sample administrative documents and decisions, and other reference materials. The website aims to support and guide practicing lawyers to acquire and enhance specialized expertise in Turkish asylum and immigration law and procedures. The « Avukatlar İçin Mülteci Hukuku Bilgi Platformu »  (Refugee Law Information Platform for Lawyers) website is a joint RRT-RSN output, and builds on the two partner organization’s close collaboration since 2015 to promote rights-based approaches protection of refugees and other vulnerable migrants in Turkey, including efforts to strengthen the country-wide availability and quality of

Refugee Rights Turkey (RRT) launches a new 12-month project in partnership with Danish Refugee Council (DRC) Turkey Office and with funding support from ECHO. The project will channel funds to complement and strengthen RRT’s already existing legal information and assistance services for persons in immigration detention and RRT’s efforts to support Turkish lawyers acquire specialized expertise in return and immigration detention procedures. RRT had previously implemented three consecutive, similarly ECHO-funded cooperation projects with DRC Turkey, which ran from 15 June through 31 December 2016, from 1 January 2017 through 31 December 2018, and from 1 April 2019 through 30 September 2020 respectively. These successfully completed projects had enabled RRT to further strengthen legal counselling and assistance services offered to persons

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we are organizing an online seminar on Monday, September 21st between 2 pm and 4 pm focusing on national legal framework as outlined by Law No. 6458 on Foreigners and International Protection and its implementation vis-a-vis administrative detention and non-detention measures in Turkey. Please register here first in order to participate. Administrative detention refers to the deprivation of liberty of someone while the relevant migratory procedures are ongoing. Article 57 (administrative detention for the purpose of deportation) and Article 68 (administrative detention of international protection applicants) of Law No.  6458 sets the ground for who may be detained. The most recent amendments to the Law that came in effect in December 2019 made it possible for

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we are organizing a seminar titled “State Obligations to Consider and Implement Alternative Measures to Detention (ATDs) in Migration Context in light of ECtHR Caselaw” on September 18th, Friday between 2 pm and 4 pm with the presence and contributions by expert jurists Pamela McCormick from the European Court of Human Rights; and Lilya Gretarsdottir and Konul Gasimova from the Council of Europe. In this seminar, we will be discussing the framework set by the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Court of Human Rights on the implementation of ATDs that have been relatively recently put in effect in Turkey; as it is also expected to inspire the standards for relevant practices and national

On Friday August 14th, between 2 pm and 4 pm, we will be co-organizing with European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) an online seminar titled “Non-Refoulement Principle under International Human Rights Law and ECtHR Caselaw”. In this seminar, expert lawyer Julia Zelvenska from ECRE will be presenting to us the legal framework and norms surrounding non-refoulement principle, a very fundamental guarantee for refugees and asylum seekers, as outlined by international human rights law, and specifically the European Convention on Human Rights, and we will be discussing some of the precedent-setting decisions and more recent decisions from the European Court of Human Rights, with respect to the application of non-refoulement principle. Our seminar will be bilingual with Turkish and English

On Friday July 24th between 2 pm and 4 pm, we will be co-organizing with European Council on Refugees and Exiles (ECRE) an online seminar titled “Administrative Detention under International Human Rights Law and ECtHR Caselaw”. In this seminar, expert lawyer Sofia Bonatti from ECRE will be presenting to us the legal framework and principles surrounding administrative detention as outlined by international human rights law, and specifically the European Convention on Human Rights, and we will be discussing some of the precedent-setting decisions and more recent decisions from the European Court of Human Rights, with respect to detention conditions. Our seminar will be bilingual with Turkish and English simultaneous interpretation available. Our seminar is free and open to anyone interested

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we are organizing an online seminar on July 16th, 2020 between 2 pm and 4 pm (GMT + 03.00) with the participation of the experienced lawyer Massimo Frigo from Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists (“ICJ”). In this seminar, titled as “Litigation for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of Refugees”, we will be discussing some of the exemplary cases decided by ECtHR and various UN treaty bodies, as well as principles underlined in these cases, regarding refugees’ economic, social and cultural rights – a group of rights that are less frequently address but are undoubtedly very essential and critical. Please note that the seminar will be bilingual with simultaneous interpretation provided in English and Turkish; and you

As Refugee Rights Turkey, we are organizing an online seminar on July 9th, 2020 between 2 pm and 4 pm (Istanbul) with the participation of the experienced lawyer Massimo Frigo from Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists (“ICJ”). In this seminar, titled as “Applying to UN Treaty Bodies in regards to the Protection of Refugees”, we will be discussing different UN treaty mechanisms and the potentials they possess for the use of refugee rights advocates in Turkey and beyond. To this purpose, we will listen to Massimo Frigo, an expert who has extensive knowledge and practice regarding the admissibility rules, strategies and caselaw concerning these treaty bodies including Human Rights Committee, Committee Against Torture, Committee fort he Rights of Children, and

The first online refugee law specialization seminar series will take place between June 12th and July 3rd, for legal practitioners in Turkey. The series aims to support the legal counselling and representation services offered via legal aid bureaus of local bar associations for refugees, asylum seekers, and vulnerable migrants, and to exchange experience and expertise on relevant legislation and practices among legal community in Turkey. The sessions detailed below do not only offer the summary of the relevant legislation for asylum and migration in Turkey, but also aims to create opportunities for experience sharing regarding the implementation on the ground. Legal practitioners, especially lawyers and NGO practitioners already working or interested in working in the field are invited to attend,

In the context of Turkey-wide “social distancing” measures to contain health risks emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic, as from 17 March 2020, RRT operations were transitioned into a “remote working” arrangement on a temporary basis until a further assessment. RRT staff teams operating out of our Istanbul main office and field offices in Izmir and Edirne will continue daily activities as before from outside office premises. All external group-based activities, including legal empowerment sessions and lawyer trainings, are suspended until further notice. That being said, RRT’s Helpdesk services for asylum seekers and migrants as well as legal counselling interviews and litigation support interventions remain operational and continue as before over telephone and other distant communication tools. Please consult our separate