‘Turkey illegally sending Syrians back’

Turkey has illegally returned thousands of Syrians to their war-torn homeland in recent months, highlighting dangers for migrants sent back from Europe under a deal due to take effect next week, said Amnesty International.

Turkey agreed with the EU to take back all migrants and refugees who cross illegally to Greece in exchange for financial aid, faster visa-free travel for Turks, and slightly accelerated EU membership talks.

But the legality of the deal hinges on Turkey being a safe country of asylum, which the rights group said in a report was not the case. Amnesty said it was likely that several thousand refugees had been sent back to Syria in the past seven to nine weeks, flouting Turkish, EU, and international law.