(Eqtsad) Entering Turkey is considered one of the biggest difficulties which many Syrians face as the border closure has cut off their means of reaching safety, and separated families between those in Syria and those in camps, provinces of cities in Turkey.
Syrians face a situation where there is no legal means of entering Turkey, by presenting family reunification applications, or illegally as border crossers are paying with their lives or the fall victim to armed gangs which steal all their life savings. The majority of Syrians crossing the border have sold their possessions and livelihoods to have pay for their passage to safety.
The activist Yaqout al-Sahili, spoke to Zaman al-Wasl about the appearance of gangs and the repeated occurrence of cases of stealing those crossing to Turkey, especially in the border area close to Kharbet al-Jouz and Ayn al-Bayda between Idlib’s western countryside and Latakia’s countryside.
The activist mentioned that people are being smuggled to Turkey over many earthen roads which begin in the Syrian side of the border in villages such as Kharbet al-Jouz and Ayn al-Bayda. The routes end in one of the Turkish villages for the people smuggled to then board cars which take them to their destination in Turkey. The price of being smuggled to the Turkish side varies between 200-350 US Dollars (based on the smuggler), the length of the road, and the difficulties anticipated.
After people pay the checkpoints and the smugglers they face other danger, the most severe being the Turkish Jandermerie shooting live ammunition at border crossers, the landmines dispersed in the border region, and recently the appearance of armed and masked gangs on the Turkish side of the border.
It cannot be anticipated where or when these groups of the thieves will appear to steal people’s money and possessions at gun point. Many Syrians have been robbed by these gangs. Most recently one woman was robbed of 600 US Dollars by these gangs.
Abu Imad, a Syrian national living in Turkey, mentioned to Eqtsad that one of his family members was beaten, harassed, and robbed by one such gang after he and other people crossed into Turkey.
According to Yaqout al-Sahili, the worst part is that the border crossers cannot defend themselves or inform the Turkish authorities that they were robbed by these gangs because they are crossing the border illegally and the issue may turn against them.
Al-Sahili added that all the Syrian factions know about the smuggling happening from the Syrian side of the border, and the issue is not hidden from anyone. People smuggling continues and cannot be stopped as long as Syrians face two options dying by Russian warplane bombardment or taking refuge in Turkey.
Kharbet al-Jouz crossing between Idlib and Latakia is an unofficial border crossing point started by the Turkish government after the start of the Syrian revolution to facilitate the crossing of humanitarian and medical cases, as well as aid products which organizations distribute to internally displaced persons in camps in Syria.
Turkey does not allow individuals to pass through it except with officially stamped and ratified documents which are very difficult to obtain. In addition, only persons under temporary protection and holding kimliks can obtain this right of passage.
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