Two Syrian youths 'tortured to death' by Turkish border guards

Two Syrian youths 'tortured to death' by Turkish border guards
The youths, who had tried to cross into Turkey from Syria, were reportedly beaten with sharp and heavy tools by the Turkish border guards.

2 min read
13 March, 2023
The injured youths, as well as the body of one deceased, were handed over at the Bab al-Hawa crossing [Getty]

Two Syrians were "tortured to death" by Turkish border guards on Sunday, according to reports, while other youths, including a child, were reportedly beaten.

The two youths were beaten with "sharp and heavy tools" after attempting to cross the Turkey-Syrian border, Al-Modon report

Mazen Alloush, public relations chief at the Bab Al-Hawa crossing, said in a statement that Turkish authorities had handed over a group of eight young men and one body at dawn on Sunday. The men showed signs of being beaten including fractured bones.

"We urge the Turkish government to open an immediate investigation, to find out the circumstances of the incident, especially since this has happened repeatedly in recent times," Alloush said, referring to similar cases that have happened at the Bab Al-Hawa crossing.

The statement added that another young man from the Syrian city of Harem was also killed, but his body was disposed of by the Turkish border guards, the group said.

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Idlib-based activist Moataz Khattab told Al-Modon that the young men were beaten with batons, metal rods, wooden sticks, hammers, and electrical wires.

A video sent to the news website by Khattab showed one of the victims at a hospital in Bab Al-Hawa, where he displayed signs of torture. He accused the border guards of beating him for three hours. The New Arab was unable to verify the video or reports.

There have been other reports of refugees being beaten and even killed by Turkish border guards.