Turkey earthquake

News and Press Release in English on Türkiye and 1 other country about Protection and Human Rights and Earthquake; published on 22 Mar 2023 by HRW.

Some Syrians whose houses were not damaged and did not move out said they are now threatened with evictions because Turkish landlords are seeking to use the apartments for their own relatives displaced by the earthquakes. Permission to travel outside provinces where they are registered is based on two circulars issued by the Presidency of Migration Management, on February 7 and February 13. One man said his relatives who travelled from the earthquake zone could not rent houses in a closed Istanbul neighborhood. This policy applies to locations where the refugee population is believed to make up more than 20 percent of the overall population. Most said they decided to leave after spending days outdoors in the midst of aftershocks and cold weather with little access to food or shelter. The interviewees said they found out about the 60-day permit through Syrian media outlets, WhatsApp groups, and social media platforms. Those in the second group are not allowed to move to the many neighborhoods in Turkey officially closed for new registrations of refugees. Those Human Rights Watch spoke to said it was difficult to focus on seeking a permit and dealing with bureaucratic arrangements when they had lost family members, suffered serious injuries including amputation of limbs, had been made homeless, and felt traumatized. Under ordinary circumstances Turkey imposes travel restrictions on refugees, prohibiting them from traveling out of the provinces in which they are registered with local authorities, unless they secure a permit. Government officials also [estimate](https://www.haberturk.com/bakan-kurum-279-bin-binanin-acil-yikilacak-agir-hasarli-yikik-veya-orta-hasarli-3572807) that a quarter of a million buildings have been damaged, and about two million people have left the earthquake region. [estimated](https://www.icisleri.gov.tr/bakanimiz-sn-suleyman-soylu-malatya-afet-koordinasyon-merkezinde-aciklamalarda-bulundu) that 48,448 people including 6,660 foreigners, the majority of whom were Syrian refugees, died in the February 6 earthquakes in Turkey. They should be able to plan to rebuild their lives outside the region without additional, arbitrary barriers not faced by other earthquake victims.