Brussels urges Turkey to ‘thoroughly’ probe alleged abuse in EU-funded migration centres

The European Commission urged Turkey on Friday to “thoroughly investigate allegations of wrongdoing” inside the migration centres that the country operates to deport Syrian and Afghan refugees with the bloc’s financial help.

The plea comes after an explosive investigation led by Lighthouse Reports found systematic mistreatment across the removal centres managed by the Turkish government and backed by €213 million in EU funds, marking a new controversial chapter in the EU-Turkey agreement signed in 2016 at the peak of the migration crisis.

The media consortium details unsanitary and overcrowded conditions in the facilities, instances of abuse and torture against migrants, and a pattern of coercion to force detainees to sign documents of “voluntary” returns to their war-torn nations.

In one case, the journalists write, a man who had fled Afghanistan after the 2023 Taliban takeover was arrested in Turkey and eventually returned to his home country, where he was “shot dead, with gunshot wounds to the neck and head.”

“We found that the EU is aware that it is funding this abusive system, with its own staff raising alarm about it internally – yet senior officials choose to turn a blind eye,” Lighthouse Reports says in its investigation, which was supported by other European outlets, including Le Monde, El Pais and Der Spiegel.

The research covered 100 sources, including testimonies from 37 people who had been detained in 22 different EU-funded facilities.

In reaction, the Commission said all EU money provided for managing removal centres and voluntary returns in Turkey was “in full respect of EU and international standards.”

The EU executive, however, insisted the ultimate responsibility to probe and crack down on violations of fundamental rights was up to the Turkish authorities, effectively putting the ball in Ankara’s court.

“Türkiye has its own set of legislation when it comes to recognition of refugees and migration management. In this context, the enforcement and protection of these formal rights remain the responsibility of Türkiye,” a Commission spokesperson said on Friday.

“The fundamental rights of individuals and the principle of non-refoulement must always be respected when enforcing any return decisions,” the spokesperson added, referring to the international principle that forbids deporting migrants to nations where they would face persecution, torture or any other form of ill-treatment.

“It is the responsibility of the Turkish authorities to thoroughly investigate allegations of wrongdoing and we urge them to do so.”

The spokesperson did not confirm if the Commission had been made aware of the abusive conditions inside the removal centres and noted EU officials based in Turkey “regularly” conduct monitoring missions to the sites.

According to UN figures, Turkey is one of the largest refugee-hosting countries worldwide, with around 3.2 million Syrian refugees alongside other nationalities.

Since 2011, the EU has provided Turkey with almost €10 billion to support the management of asylum seekers.

While Brussels and member states argue the financing and the 2016 deal have helped curb flows of irregular migration, critics counter the scheme has empowered President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to threaten the bloc and extract concessions.