The European Union is funding a vast network of migrant removal centres in Turkey where Syrians and Afghans are forced to sign “voluntary return forms” and deported to dangerous conditions in war-torn Syria and Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

A new investigation by @LHreports Reports and eight media outlets found evidence of widespread and systematic beatings, lack of access to lawyers, overcrowding and unsanitary conditions in removal centres funded by the EU – and when diplomats raised red flags they were ignored.

As the EU shifts more resources to restricting migration to the bloc through deals with neighbours like Turkey, this investigation found:

The EU has spent at least €213 million euros on removal centres in Turkey since 2007. This is part of approximately €1 billion euros spent by the EU on border and migration management in Turkey.
We spoke to 37 former detainees who have been held in 22 different EU-funded removal centres: 25 described being forced or pressured to sign voluntary return forms, or having forms signed on their behalf without their consent and 30 of them reported being beaten or witnessing other detainees being beaten.
Syrian officials at two border crossings between Turkey and Syria confirmed that Syrians are being forcefully deported – but Turkish officials asked them not to record these numbers because “they were trying to hide the truth about deportation.”
We documented two reported deaths following deportation from Turkey: one former Afghan army officer killed by the Taliban after being deported in August 2023 (according to two relatives) and a Syrian man arrested at a regime checkpoint killed while in detention in June 2024 (according to two sources from the man’s hometown)
Several European diplomats told us they raised concerns about the EU funding abuses and deportations to senior officials but were ignored. These issues were “systematically erased” from the EU’s annual reports on Turkey, according to a former EU official. “Everybody knows. People are closing their eyes,” he said.

The investigation was conducted in collaboration with El País, Der Spiegel, Politico, Etilaat Roz, SIRAJ, NRC, L’Espresso and Le Monde. Journalists obtained hundreds of pages of internal EU documents through freedom of information (FOI) requests, spoke to more than 100 sources including 37 former detainees, and analysed visual evidence of forced returns and conditions inside removal centres. The EU has paid Turkey at least €213m to set up & operate approx. 30 removal centres, creating one of the world’s largest migrant detention systems, according to internal EU documents obtained via FOI

On this 1st Oct 2021,we started to organise ourselves with the aim of giving a voice to ourselves,to denounce the ill-treatment that we received in Libya for so many years

Therefore,we named ourselves @RefugeesinLibya

At the end of this thread is an important announcement

1/22 During the first week of October, we suffered enormous pains, hunger and thirst and endured all sorts of humiliation when the @UNHCRLibya closed their doors in the face of the most needy people.

But we resisted and continued to be our own voices despite the difficulties.

2/22

8th Nov 2021

RACISM TOWARDS BLACK AFRICANS IN LIBYA BY BOTH THE GOVERNMENT AND UNHCR LIBYA.

Today's incident which got one of our brothers stabbed and wounded by the security guards, came slightly after scrutiny of the mess that we have been living in and the RACISM 1/19 that we are subjected to. In recent years refugees have seen and complained against the trajectory of Syrian refugees indulged and pampered by the UNHCR staff.
Syrian Nationals or Arabs precisely do not take or wait in line when they come to the UNHCR office 2/19