The purpose of the visit was to examine the treatment and conditions of detention of foreign nationals detained under aliens legislation as well as the procedures applied to them in the context of their detention pending removal.
In the course of the visit, the delegation held consultations with Aziz YILDIRIM, Deputy Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Ahmet APAN, Deputy Director General for Migration Management of the Ministry of the Interior, and other senior officials from the Ministries of the Interior (including the National Police and the General Command of the Gendarmerie) and Foreign Affairs. Discussions were also held with Hikmet TÜLEN, President of the National Human Rights Institution, in his capacity as the Head of the National Preventive Mechanism set up under the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention against Torture (OPCAT). In addition, the delegation met representatives of the Ankara Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and members of non-governmental organisations.
At the end of the visit, the delegation presented its preliminary observations to the Turkish authorities.
The visit was carried out by the following members of the CPT:
- Julia KOZMA (Head of delegation)
- Andreana ESPOSITO
- Jari PIRJOLA
- Vytautas RAŠKAUSKAS
- Anton VAN KALMTHOUT
- Hans WOLFF
They were supported by Michael NEURAUTER (Head of Division) and Elvin ALIYEV of the CPT’s Secretariat.
The delegation visited the following places of deprivation of liberty:
- Ankara Removal Centre
- Aydın Removal Centre
- Edirne Removal Centre
- Istanbul-Kumkapı Removal Centre
- Izmir Removal Centre
- Tekirdağ Removal Centre
- Van Removal Centre
- Holding facilities in the transit zone of Istanbul Atatürk Airport.
