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AMNESTY: TURKEY FORCES 1000S OF SYRIANS TO RETURN

Amnesty International says Turkey has forced thousands of Syrians to return in the last two months.Citing testimonies from Turkey’s southern border provinces, Amnesty said authorities have been rounding up and expelling groups of around 100 Syrian men, women and children almost daily since the middle of January.

Most appear to be unregistered refugees, though the rights group said it also documented cases of registered Syrians being returned when stopped while not carrying their papers. In one case, three young children were forced back into Syria without their parents; another was the return of an eight-month pregnant woman.Amnesty also said authorities have scaled back the registration of Syrian refugees, leaving them with no access to basic services.

Turkey hosts more than 2.7 million Syrian refugees, more than half of the total who have fled the country since 2011. Ankara agreed with the European Union this month to take back all refugees who cross to Greece in exchange for financial aid, faster visa-free travel for Turks, and the promise of accelerated talks on EU membership.The Turkish Foreign Ministry denied Syrians were being sent back against their will: “None of the Syrians that have demanded protection from our country are being sent back to their country by force, in line with international and national law.” www.mesop.de