Seventeen Turkish asylum seekers who have crossed the Evros River from Turkey to Greece, including five children and four women, are in danger of freezing to death and calling on international community for help.
17 asylum seekers, including four children, are in danger of freezing near Alexandroupoli. They are surrounded by water channels, their food is scarce, clothes are wet. They need a rescue team, cannot move anywhere. pic.twitter.com/vFWqLdIxuU
— Cevheri Güven (@cevheriguven) December 1, 2021
One of the asylum seekers who had to flee to Greece due to politically-motivated cases against them, Hasan Bal, told Turkish Minute that the weather was freezing cold and the condition of those in the group, especially the children, was awful.
Bal also said that some migrants fell into the water and got wet while crossing the river and therefore were more affected by the cold, and that they were about to run out of food.
Stating that there were teachers, engineers and public servants in their group, Bal continued to say that all of them were facing politically-motivated cases launched against them in Turkey, except for the children.
“These cases were launched due to [our] links to the Gülen movement. For example, my sentences have been upheld [by higher courts]. We’re facing such penalties as seven years or 15 years [in prison]. We request political asylum in Greece. Children in our group may lose their lives if help doesn’t arrive at once,” he said.
Indicating that they had all the evidence regarding the political cases against them, Bal also asked human rights organizations and rescue teams to come to their help as soon as possible.
Saying that he had heard about pushbacks from Greece recently, Bal expressed that if they also face a similar situation, they would be kept behind bars in Turkey for long years, and that they, therefore, expect courtesy from the Greek people and government.
Yalçın Toker, the English teacher in the group, also explained their current situation in a video he recorded, calling on Greek authorities to provide them urgent humanitarian help.
“The weather is terribly cold. We need urgent humanitarian help. We don’t have enough water, or sustenance. Two of our group members have fallen into the river, and they’re shaking now. We would be grateful if you could help us, please,” Toker said.