Between 27 November through 1 December 2017, Refugee Rights Turkey (RRT) held a study visit to Germany to explore issues related to family reunification procedures available to refugees in Turkey seeking to be reunified with separated family members in Germany. The initiative was jointly organized by RRT and German partner organization PRO ASYL, with the support of Heinrich Böll Foundation Turkey. Over the course of the visit the RRT Delegation had a number of site visits as well as meetings with experts from a variety of refugee assistance actors in Frankfurt, Friedland and Berlin.  In recent years RRT has been receiving an increasing number of inquiries and requests for assistance from such separated refugee family members, both Syrians and others,

On 11-12 November 2017, Refugee Rights Turkey (RRT) hosted a 2-day training on asylum and migration law for representatives of bar associations and NGOs from various provinces in North West Turkey. The training was organized in the framework of a new joint project implemented by International Commission of Jurists (ICJ), ECRE, RRT and Mülteci-Der. The new joint project, funded by the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) Turkey Program, aims to enhance access to justice for migrants, refugees and asylum-seekers in Turkey by strengthening the knowledge of lawyers and NGO legal practitioners in Turkey on relevant European and international standards and supporting the legal aid system in Turkey administered by bar associations. The 11-12 November training in Istanbul

On 7 November 2017, Refugee Rights Turkey (RRT) delivered a seminar for NGO practitioners serving with various refugee assistance NGOs operating in Sanliurfa and other provinces in South East Turkey.  Sanliurfa is one of the provinces hosting largest Syrian refugee populations in Turkey. The seminar was attended by 38 professionals from 12 different NGOs from Sanliurfa and other neighboring provinces. The seminar program covered the basics of refugee law as well as the Turkish asylum system and aimed to offer participants an opportunity to strenghthen their theoretical knowledge and raise legal questions derived from their interactions with refugee beneficiaries on the ground. The seminar was organized in the framework of the recently launched new project implemented by RRT in affiliation

Refugee Rights Turkey and our American partner organization Refugee Solidarity Network (RSN) launch another three new animated legal information videos for Syrian refugees in Turkey. The videos present rights and obligations of temporary protection beneficiaries in regards access to educational opportunities, healthcare and work permits respectively. The videos are spoken in Arabic, with English and Turkish subtitle options, and are accessible via YOUTUBE. To watch our new legal information videos for Syrian refugees in Turkey, please click the links below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rERxMpSkW3A https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow0pDOsyf4c 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 two videos produced in

Refugee Rights Turkey (RRT) held a specialization seminar for lawyers in Gaziantep on 30 September 2017 in collaboration with Gaziantep Bar Association. The 1-day seminar focused on legal grounds and procedural provisions governing temporary protection regime in place for refugees from Syria and international protection procedure applicable to non-Syrian asylum seekers in Turkey. Gaziantep remains one of the provinces hosting largest Syrian refugee populations in Turkey. Since 2015, RRT has delivered various trainings and seminars to local lawyers in Gaziantep with a view to supporting the local bar association’s efforts to strengthen expertise and capacity in this field. The seminar was organized in the framework of the recently launched new project implemented by RRT in affiliation with Refugee Solidarity Network.

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