Turkey: Harsh Sentences for Soldiers Who Tortured Syrian Refugees to Death
June 28, 202593 ViewsRead Time: 2 minutes
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In an incident that shocked the Turkish and international public opinion, the Supreme Court in Hatay province, Turkey, issued two life sentences to four soldiers from the 'Gendarmerie' forces after convicting them of torturing Syrian refugees to death inside a border outpost in Reyhanlı district in March 2023.
According to investigations, nine Syrian refugees were arrested while trying to cross into Turkey illegally and were taken to a detention center, where they were subjected to severe torture including beating with sticks and wires, forced to drink diesel, in addition to horrific physical and psychological insults.
These violations resulted in the deaths of Abdel Razzaq Al-Qastal and Abdel Sattar Al-Hajjar under torture, where one of the bodies was buried in a scrap yard inside the outpost, while the other was thrown in front of a deportation center to cover up the crime.
The investigation involved 22 soldiers, including the center's commanders, and some elements confessed that the torture was carried out under direct orders from officers, with threats to those who refused to comply.
The court held full responsibility to Lieutenant Jahangir Shan, First Lieutenant Mohammed Mankash, Sergeants Mohammed Surojou and Marsel Jilan, sentencing them to life imprisonment for each victim, in addition to 7 and a half years for each of them on charges of injuring other refugees.
On the other hand, 11 soldiers were acquitted of the murder charge, while others received varying sentences for covering up the crime or indirectly participating in it.
This case has sparked widespread anger inside and outside Turkey, with observers considering the verdict as one of the harshest judicial rulings in the country against security personnel involved in violations against refugees, indicating a potential shift in the accountability approach within security institutions.
It is worth mentioning that the number of Syrian refugees in Turkey has decreased to 2.7 million, according to previous statements by Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya, who confirmed that more than 250,000 have returned to Syria since the fall of Assad until June of this year.
