Syrian Asylum Seekers in Türkiye in Light of Internal and International Law: Lessons from Today for the Future

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Istanbul University, Turkey

2 international law department, faculty of law university of qom

Abstract

International refugee law has its origins in the aftermath of World War II as well as the refugee crises of the interwar years that preceded it. In the context of the Syrian conflict, more than 3.6 million Syrian asylum seekers are under temporary protection in Türkiye. As this country is the number one host country for Syrian asylum seekers in the world. One of the current discussions about the fate of Syrian asylum seekers in Türkiye is their status after the end of temporary protection. In this context, the regulations on the end of temporary protection in Turkish legislation will be discussed in light of global standards on international protection. The aim of this study is to discuss Article 11 of the Turkish Temporary Protection Regulation in comparison with the UNHCR Guidelines on Temporary Protection or Residence Arrangements and International Humanitarian Law. In this context, the conditions for the termination of temporary protection, the legal and policy basis for a decision to return asylum seekers, the conditions for acquiring Turkish citizenship, and the compliance of Turkish legislation with global standards are discussed. This study will stand for a decision to terminate based on the voluntariness of asylum seekers in accordance with UNHCR guidelines.

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