20/06/2025 | Writer: Kaos GL
The commission’s co-spokespersons, Özgül Saki and Murad Mıhçı, issued a statement for World Refugee Day on 20 June.
Illustration: Pınar Ergün
The co-spokespersons of the DEM Party’s Commission on Migrants and Refugees, Özgül Saki and Murad Mıhçı, issued a statement on the occasion of June 20, World Refugee Day.
The statement also addressed the multiple forms of discrimination faced by LGBTI+ migrants. Saki and Mıhçı stated, “Migrant women, due to intersecting forms of discrimination, are rendered more vulnerable to sexist, racist, and male violence; LGBTI+ migrants face all dimensions of discrimination.”
The full statement is as follows:
“June 20 was declared World Refugee Day to draw attention to the dire humanitarian conditions faced by millions of people displaced due to wars, political oppression, exploitative policies, and ecological destruction. Unfortunately, new wars, ongoing repression, and deepening inequalities continue to displace millions, forcing countless migrants and refugees to struggle for survival under harsh conditions. In Turkey, over 5 million migrants are trapped in a precarious, statusless, exclusionary, and discriminatory system. Migrant labor is systematically exploited; informal and low-wage employment, workplace fatalities, union busting, and wage theft are widespread. Racism, hate speech, and lynching campaigns are escalating by the day.”
“Threat and pressure have become core elements of unlawful practices”
“Maltreatment in Removal Centers, arbitrary deportations, and the use of 'restriction codes' have turned threat and pressure into core components of unlawful state practices. Migrant women, facing intersecting forms of discrimination, are left more vulnerable to sexist, racist, and male violence; LGBTI+ migrants are subjected to every aspect of discrimination. Migrant children are denied access to education and are increasingly targeted by child labor and exploitation.Turkey’s geographical limitation on the 1951 Geneva Convention and the Readmission Agreement signed with the EU result in the deprivation of migrants’ fundamental rights. This approach turns Turkey into Europe's border guard, while trapping migrants in a position of insecurity, lack of status, and exposure to repression.
In addition to these structural problems, deepening crises in the Middle East signal new and large-scale waves of migration. Israel’s increasing military interventions in Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria, as well as the attacks between Iran and Israel—targeting civilian areas, hospitals, and essential infrastructure—are clear violations of international law. These attacks have already caused partial displacement and, as safe living spaces disappear, are triggering massive forced displacements. Furthermore, Turkey’s policies in Syria and its ongoing commercial relations with Israel must also be considered as factors exacerbating regional war and intensifying the humanitarian crisis.”
“We call on everyone to stand in solidarity with migrants”
Saki and Mıhçı concluded their statement with the following demands:“Migrants are not ‘temporary guests’; they are social subjects with equal rights. The Readmission Agreement must be annulled, the geographical limitation on the Geneva Convention must be lifted, and Europe’s negotiations over migrants must come to an end. All migrants must be granted legal status and access to fundamental rights, and the exploitation of migrant labor must be ended. Removal Centers should be closed, arbitrary restriction codes abolished, and deportations must stop. Preparations for new waves of migration must be based on human rights and social peace. We call on everyone to stand in solidarity with migrants and to struggle together for an equal and free life in a world without borders, classes, or exploitation.”
Tags: human rights, life
