A new investigative report from the “Lighthouse” Foundation, in collaboration with several European newspapers including Der Spiegel, Le Monde, and Politico, reveals that the European Union has funded nearly 30 deportation centers for refugees, allocating more than 213 million euros for their construction and maintenance across Turkey. According to the report, these centers have been used for the torture and deportation of Syrian and Afghan refugees from the country.
According to the report, Europe has allocated nearly one billion euros to assist Turkey in managing the influx of asylum seekers at its borders. Of this amount, 25% was directed toward strengthening deportation centers by constructing high walls, adding barbed wire, and expanding the use of fingerprinting systems employed by Turkish authorities to track and detain migrants.
Turkish authorities, according to the report, have conducted large-scale arrests of Syrian and Afghan asylum seekers, as these groups represent the majority of migrants crossing the Turkish border. The report highlights that many migrants have been subjected to ill-treatment, torture, and, in some cases, murder, as the authorities strive to transform Turkey into a buffer zone to halt the flow of asylum seekers to Europe. These serious violations occurred despite the European Union’s classification of both Syria and Afghanistan as unsafe countries, making repatriation to these nations illegal.
The report analyzed data from official documents from the European Union and Turkey, as well as tender documents and research papers. The investigative journalists also conducted interviews with nearly 100 sources, including officials from Turkey, Syria, and Afghanistan, along with former employees of deportation centers.
The report documented the testimonies of 37 individuals who had been held in EU-funded deportation centers. It revealed that these centers were sites of systematic violence, where detainees were coerced into signing “voluntary return” documents. Additionally, the report included visual evidence, judicial rulings, and official EU documents to support its findings.
Moreover, the report documented the presence of EU trademarks and logos, along with equipment used for the mass arrest of asylum seekers and their transportation to Syria. Internal EU documents indicate that this equipment was funded by the EU, and photographs of it were included in the report.
The report confirmed that the European Union is aware of its funding for activities carried out by the Turkish government. It cited statements from several European diplomats who indicated that they had spoken with senior EU officials about the violations occurring in deportation centers in Turkey. However, the EU’s annual reports did not mention anything regarding Turkey.
