ICERAS

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, a major
prison complex outside Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. A further 100 individuals have been deported in the previous
months. Eritrean nationals currently detained in Türkiye have alerted their family members via phone calls and
letters that the authorities are preparing to deport them as well and that it can happen any time now.
Amnesty International believes that these individuals have not had the opportunity to challenge their deportation
decisions before a court or to apply for international protection in Türkiye. 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 authorisation is a crime. The Turkish authorities must immediately halt all deportations of
Eritrean nationals to Eritrea where they would be at risk of serious human rights violations including torture. readmore