Another beating of Turkmen migrants. This time in the deportation center of Van, Türkiye. On Monday, April 10, Turkmen migrants held in the deportation center of the city of Van in Türkiye were beaten. This message came to us from several independent sources.

“About 100 of the 130 Turkmens who are here were beaten by Turkish gendarmes. Many received minor and severe bodily injuries. Only the Turkmens were purposefully beaten, without understanding where they would hit, as a result, there were victims with broken heads, bruised hands, abrasions on the body. The reason for the incident was the refusal of the Turkmens to be forcibly deported to their homeland,” one of the eyewitnesses said and asked for help. He also said that after the incident they were deprived of the right to call for 2 days.

We turned to Turkish human rights activists, who notified the relevant authorities.

Earlier, a similar incident occurred at the Chankyry deportation center.

According to THF member Annadurdy Khajiev: “Because of their unprofessionalism, Turkmen officials continue to artificially create problems, and then shift them onto the shoulders of other states. We saw this in the situation with the plight of Turkmen students abroad, when they were cut off from the funds transferred by their parents for study and living.

We see this even now, when consulates refuse to exchange passports for compatriots. Even after receiving a message about the beating of their citizens, the Turkmen diplomats will pretend that nothing happened and put the brakes on everything.”

Earlier it was reported that the heads of the Turkish deportation centers are trying to "get through" to the Turkmen diplomats. However, their efforts are met with a refusal to recognize their citizens and issue them passports.

Because of this, the Turkish authorities have to keep thousands of Turkmen migrants in deport centers for a long time, where not everyone can withstand the tests of closeness, clashes, fights, fall into depression, and there are cases of suicide.

Neither the authorities of Turkmenistan, especially representatives of diplomatic missions in Türkiye, nor the official media, nor the Turkmen Ombudsman comment on the problems of migrants.

According to a migrant who introduced himself as Arslan T.: “We did not expect such harsh measures from the Turkish authorities, because we were always told that the Turks are our brothers. Apparently their patience also has a limit.”

Turkmen Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights.