Turkey Detains 30 Afghan Asylum Seekers in Aydin

Turkey’s coast guard said 30 Afghan asylum seekers, including 12 children, were detained in the city of Aydin while trying to leave the country illegally.

Turkish media reported on Wednesday, 25 September, citing the country’s Coast Guard Command, that the group was detained by coast guard forces after being identified in the area.

According to the report, coast guard units were dispatched to the scene after receiving information about a number of asylum seekers preparing to flee, and detained them.

Turkey’s coast guard said the asylum seekers were transferred to a detention centre for undocumented migrants after legal procedures were completed.

The detention and deportation of undocumented asylum seekers in Turkey continues. According to published figures, authorities detained 25,314 Afghan asylum seekers across Turkey in the first eight months of this year.

Aydin is one of western Turkey’s cities near the Aegean coast, a route that in recent years has been among the crossings used by asylum seekers to reach Europe.