ERITREANS AT IMMINENT RISK OF FORCED RETURN

Hundreds of Eritrean nationals are at imminent risk of forcible return to Eritrea where they would face a real risk of torture, arbitrary detention, and other serious human rights violations. Reports indicate that around 300 Eritreans recently detained in Türkiye without adequate access to communication or legal support have been deported to Eritrea. The authorities must immediately halt any plans to forcibly return Eritrean nationals from Türkiye and grant them access to asylum procedures, in line with international law.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE UNTIL: December 1, 2024

take action:

• Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
• Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 78.24. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.

contact information:

sample letter:

Dear Mr. Atilla Toros,

I write to express my concern about the authorities’ imminent plans to forcibly return Eritrean nationals who are detained at Aydın Removal Centre. A civil society representative told Amnesty International that around 180 Eritreans were deported from Türkiye in the past weeks. Most of them are now detained at Adi Abeto prison.

 According to information obtained by Amnesty International, people in the group of detained Eritrean nationals were also held in inadequate conditions, due to a lack of access to water, adequate food, poor sanitation, and very limited access to legal assistance and phones, making it hard to communicate with family and loved ones. Amnesty International has documented in the past that people returned to Eritrea have been detained incommunicado and tortured upon return because leaving the country without authorization is a crime.

I urge you not to forcibly return people to Eritrea, where they would face a real risk of serious human rights violations. I also urge you to respect Türkiye’s international obligations under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, the UN Convention Against Torture, to uphold the principle of non-refoulement, which is binding on all states. Pending their release, ensure that Eritreans detained in Türkiye are given access to fair and effective asylum procedures, and are held in conditions meeting international standards on the detention of migrants and asylum-seekers.  

Yours sincerely,

[YOUR NAME]

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