The two victims were reported to have been beaten with iron bars and forced to swallow petrol, which led to their deaths. Various human rights organizations have documented the widespread violence and brutality at the Turkish-Syrian border.
Four Turkish border guards were sentenced to life imprisonment for torturing two Syrian migrants to death in March 2023, news agency Agence France Presse (AFP) reported on Friday, June 27.
A Turkish court handed out the verdict and in May also sentenced seven other officers for up to seven and a half years in prison for "intentional injuries" and "destroying and hiding evidence".
According to the case presented by prosecutors, the border guards had arrested a group of Syrians in Hatay Province, which included eight who had tried to enter Turkey irregularly.
Two Syrians, identified as Abdurrezzak Kastal and Abdulsettar Elhaccar, died from injuries related to being beaten with iron bars and forced to swallow petrol.
The others were reportedly returned to Syria and hospitalized.
Border violence
Millions of Syrians have fled to their northern neighbor, Turkey, since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011. In response, Turkey built a border wall and bolstered its border patrol and surveillance in a bid to manage the exodus.
Various human rights watchdogs have documented the various acts of violence and brutality at the Turkish–Syrian border.
Along with the arrest and torture of Syrians in March 2023, Human Rights Watch (HRW) documented other incidents that included the shooting and killing of a 59-year-old Syrian man who was plowing his land in an area adjacent to the border.
"Turkish border guards are indiscriminately shooting at Syrian civilians on the border with Syria, as well as torturing and using excessive force against asylum seekers and migrants trying to cross," HRW said in a 2023 report, calling for the Turkish government to investigate and hold border guards accountable.
Additionally, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) accused Turkish border forces of ongoing violence and abuse against Syrian civilians.
SOHR has alleged that Turkish border guards (Jandarma) carry out violent pushbacks, often opening fire and subjecting detained Syrians to brutal beatings and torture. Despite official claims of humanitarian efforts and safe zones, SOHR says many Syrians risk dangerous crossings from areas stretching between western Idlib to northeastern Syria in search of safety.
The Observatory also accused the Turkish Jandarma of profiting from smuggling operations coordinated through them by human traffickers. SOHR alleged that large sums of money exchange hands to facilitate unauthorized border crossings.
Read AlsoAs Turkey, Syria thaw ties, unrest may derail reconciliation
No safe zones in Turkey
These practices, according to SOHR, contradict Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s public pledges to house Syrian refugees in newly constructed settlements within Turkish-controlled areas of northern Syria. Instead, SOHR suggests the forced returns and mistreatment of refugees are part of a wider campaign to alter the ethnic and demographic landscape of the region.
Following the fall of the Bashar Al-Assad regime in December 2024, an estimated 275,000 Syrians have returned home.
Authorities estimate that nearly 2.7 million Syrians still live in Turkey.
Read AlsoMore and more Syrians leave Turkey to return home amid uncertainty