The GDP and the International Refugee Rights Association Submit Freedom of Information Requests to Türkiye’s Presidency of Migration Management

10 October 2022
  • Authored by:

    Global Detention Project and International Refugee Rights Association

  • Type of publication:

    Transparency Initiative

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In September 2022, the Istanbul-based International Refugee Rights Association (IRRA) submitted three freedom of information (FOI) request’s to Türkiye’s Presidency of Migration Management regarding the country’s immigration detention practices. The access to information requests were issued as part of IRRA’s participation in the Global Detention Project’s “Global Immigration Detention Observatory” project, which seeks to build empirical data and information about immigration detention systems around the world to support calls for reforms in migration-related enforcement practices.

As of October 2022, the GDP and IRRA had not received a response from the Presidency of Migration Management.

The FOIs requested the following information:

Immigration Detention Data

  • The number of immigration detainees who entered detention in 2020
  • The number of immigration detainees held in 2020
  • The number of children held in immigration detention in 2020

Removal Centres (the below information was requested for each removal centre for the years 2018, 2019, and 2020)

  • The average number of people detained on a daily basis
  • The number of immigration detainees who entered and left the facility each year
  • The percentage of detainees who were released
  • The percentage of detainees who were transferred
  • The percentage of detainees who were deported
  • The number of suicide attempts
  • The average number of detainees held in the facility each year
  • The number of hours that detainees were permitted to access common areas each day
  • The number of hours that detainees were permitted to access outdoor space each day

Information regarding the treatment of Afghan refugees

  • The legal status afforded to Afghan refugees – specifically, whether authorities will only grant humanitarian residency or temporary protection status
  • The cities in which Afghan refugees will be registered
  • Whether the government will treat Afghanistan as a “safe” country to which it can deport refugees, and whether deportations will take place.

As of October 2022, the GDP and IRRA had not received a response from the Presidency of Migration Management.