There is grave concern at the state of protection for asylum-seekers of non-European origin in Turkey, where under the Turkish regulations regarding refugees, asylum-seekers must report to the authorities within five days, and those who enter the country illegally or who, for whatever reason, fail to report within five days, are liable to immediate deportation without any consideration of their claim. Those who are sent back to neighbouring countries are normally handed over directly to the authorities. Even those refugees recognized by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees are not safe. The majority of asylum-seekers mentioned in this report are Iranian, although the other large group of asylum-seekers in Turkey, Iraqis, are similarly at risk of refoulement. There is also concern at reports that Iraqi Kurdish and Assyrian asylum-seekers have been the victims of extrajudicial execution by Turkish forces on the border.
