IZMIR - Stating that the Aegean and the Mediterranean is a death road for migrants fleeing from war, Lawyer Ali Ekiz referred to the migrant policy of the EU and Turkey. "Dirty politics has created a death road" he said.
Thousands of people are forced to leave their homes every year due to the wars and conflicts in the Middle East and many others parts of the world. Thousands of people who have to flee from poverty and death die on migration routes. According to data from the Internation Organization for Migration (IOM), at least 8 thousand 938 people died on migration routes in 2024. According to the data, 2024 was the year in which migrants lost their lives the most. Again, according to the data of IOM, 956 migrants lost their lives only in the first three months of 2024.
Thousands of migrants die every year on the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts, which are among the most frequently used routes for migrants to cross to Europe. Last week, 16 migrants died in two different places between the coasts of Greece and Turkey. In addition, torture, ill-treatment and pushbacks against refugees on the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts are among the most prominent incidents.
‘AEGEAN HAS BECOME A DEATH ROAD’
Lawyer Ali Ekiz, member of the Migrant Commission of the Contemporary Lawyers Association (ÇHD) Izmir Branch, referred to the experiences of migrants in the Mediterranean and Aegean coasts and pointed out the effect of the non-implementation of the right to asylum, which is an international right, on the problem.
Reminding that asylum rights are recognised by international conventions, Ekiz emphasised that in this sense, the rights of migrants who seek asylum in the country they go to should be ensured. Ekiz also stated that working conditions should be created for migrants, the right to access to health care should be ensured and a temporary identity should be given.
Ekiz said, "The migrant issue is considered a problem, but they do not make any discourse on why this problem has arisen and why these people have to leave their lands. Readmission agreements are constantly being made with Turkey. With these agreements, Turkey has become a destination and a country that carries out the ‘dirty work’. Europe sees migrants as a problem, but has not found a solution to this problem. In fact, migrants are not a problem. They are the result of an existing problem. If it were not for the barbaric regimes in countries like Syria, Afghanistan or Iran, we would not be talking about the migrant problem. The result of this dirty politics has created a road of death. The Aegean Sea has also become a stop on this road of death."
‘MIGRATION IS THE RESULT OF WAR’
Pointing out that different migrant violations occur every year, Ekiz stressed Turkey and the European Union (EU) responsible for these violations. Ekiz said that EU turns a blind eye to Greece, which pushes migrants back by skewering their boaths in the Mediterraneasn. Ekiz said, "Migrants want to go to countries where they feel safe. These countries are usually European countries. The transit to these countries is via the Aegean Sea or Cyprus via Syria. As conditions in Turkey worsen, we will see more of these crossings. However, the massacres committed by the ‘regimes’ or ‘powers’ in Syria are completely ignored and applications for international protection are rejected. Greece, on the other hand, has been implementing a push-back system for years. The law enforcement officers who apply torture are openly protected. It is made difficult for them to exercise their rights in the legal sense."
Expressing that the attacks and massacres in Syria and Palestine will create new migrations, Ekiz added, "If you create a war, you have to take responsibility for it. In the war that started in Syria in 2011, we saw that border gates were not opened in Rojava. We saw that gates were opened elsewhere. These were done consciously. There is currently an Alawite massacre. But we see that the gates are not opened in Hatay. So it is very important for Europe and Turkey to whom the massacre is directed. When Alevis, Kurds and Palestinians are massacred, they act as if there is no problem. However, if you are the author of the war, you are obliged to open the doors. The real problem is supporting the war. Countries must comply with all human rights conventions in Europe."