Human rights groups warn EU and Turkey over migrant deal

The UN and Amnesty International raise concerns over the legality of the agreement.

A migration deal struck between the EU and Turkey has yet to take effect but it’s already under fire from human rights groups concerned about the treatment of refugees.

The U.N.’s refugee agency (UNHCR) and Amnesty International have both issued strong warnings about the potential pitfalls of the agreement, which kicks in Monday. For every Syrian refugee now in the EU that Turkey takes back, Europe will resettle one Syrian now in Turkey.

“New research … in Turkey’s southern border provinces suggests that Turkish authorities have been rounding up and expelling groups of around 100 Syrian men, women and children to Syria on a near-daily basis since mid-January,” wrote Amnesty in a press release on Friday, adding that “all forced returns to Syria are illegal under Turkish, EU and international law.”

Amnesty warned the EU and Turkey that refugees must not be returned to a country where they have reason to fear persecution, the so-called “non-refoulement” principle.

The UNHCR is also worried about the situation facing migrants in Greece. It highlighted inadequate conditions at some registration facilities on Greek islands, so-called hotspots, with poor sanitation, little help available for those with special needs, and chaotic distribution of food. The situation on the Greek mainland “is equally difficult.”

The UN agency has already suspended some of its services in protest at hotspots being turned into detention centers where migrants are kept before being sent back to Turkey.

Around 4,000 officials are supposed to work on the implementation of the deal in Greece, but many of the 2,500 staff promised by EU member countries have yet to arrive, sources said.

European Commission officials said they take the allegations seriously and by Monday they expect Greek and Turkish authorities to introduce all the required legal safeguards as stated in the EU-Turkey agreement, including the “non-refoulement” principle.

“Preparations are underway,” a Commission spokeswoman said, stressing that a Greek parliamentary committee has approved the necessary legislative adjustments that will be needed.

Late Friday, the Greek parliament passed the amended law allowing migrants arriving in the country to be returned to Turkey, with 169 members of the 300-seat parliament voting in favor.

As for Turkey, the UN refugee agency on Friday urged all parties “to ensure all safeguards are in place before any returns begin,” stressing that “UNHCR does not object to returns of people without protection needs and who have not asked for asylum, providing that human rights are adhered to.”

Turkey is expected to amend 2014 legislation to provide greater protection for Syrians who are returned to Turkey. For non-Syrians there is already a law in place that needs to be fully implemented, Turkish officials said.

Yet what really counts is that full protection is provided, even without new legislation, officials and some legal experts argue.

Migration commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos will be in Ankara on Monday for the start of the migration deal.

A meeting of the “joint resettlement committee” — composed of several EU countries including Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic — is meeting in Ankara Friday to discuss migration. France is not taking part in the meeting but has increased its relocation pledges, an official said.

This article was updated after a vote in the Greek parliament.