Afghan refugees in Turkey complain of mistreatment

Afghan refugees in Turkey have complained of mistreatment by the Turkish government, TOLO News reported.

TOLO News is an Afghan news channel broadcasting from Kabul.

The refugees said Turkish border forces have been beating and even shooting at Afghan refugees.

An Afghan refugee who returned from Turkey, Rahmatullah, said: “They detained us and beat us from dusk to dawn. I don’t think anyone would do such beating, neither a pagan nor a Muslim.”

An Afghan refugee in Turkey, Noor Ahmad Hafizi, said: “We leave Afghanistan to find work. We go through thousands of problems but the Afghan refugees mean nothing to the Turkish government.”

“The detention of refugees who lack documents has been continuing in all cities of the country. We call on the UN and Turkish government to stop this operation,” said Firoz Aydin, another Afghan refugee, as per TOLO News.

TOLO News also interviewed a family whose son disappeared.

A resident of Parwan, Aziza a widowed mother of five children, said that she sent her son to Iran and from there he went to Turkey.

She further said that on the way to Turkey, her son Noorzai disappeared. Aziza said it has been six months and there have been no details about Noorzai’s whereabouts.

“My son was in Iran for about six months. After six months, he travelled to Turkey with his friends. I also talked with him when he was on the border of Turkey. But since then, there has been no information about the life and death of my son,” Aziza told TOLO News.

Noorzai’s brother said: “He has gone missing on the border between Iran-Turkey… We call on the government to help us.”

The Taliban has meanwhile urged the refugee host countries to not mistreat Afghan refugees.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said: “We want (them) to treat the refugees with human and Islamic manners. Particularly the Islamic countries, who are our brothers—the Afghans, who are there, are their brothers—so they should not be facing harsh treatment and beating.”