World Leaders Must Press Turkey to Allow in Syrians: HRW
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Human Rights Watch urged participants at an international summit to be held in Istanbul next week to press Turkey to reopen its border to Syrian asylum-seekers.
HRW senior refugee researcher Gerry Simpson said Friday, "it has been a year since Turkey shut down its border to the world's most war-ravaged people, and it is well past time for the world's leaders to speak up."
The World Humanitarian Summit starts Monday in Turkey to discuss the future of humanitarian aid, the Associated Press reported.
Turkey, host to 2.7 million Syrian refugees, has tightened restrictions along the Syrian border in the past year, only allowing in critically wounded refugees.
Turkish border guards have pushed back and fired at Syrians trying to reach Turkey in recent months, according to HRW reports. Ankara denies any wrongdoing.
