The number of signatories on a joint petition launched by All Out and the Guardians of Equality Movement, GEM, has exceeded 14,000 signatures. The petition calls on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the Turkish Ministry of Interior, the European Court of Human Rights, and the European Commission to intervene in the case of the deportation of LGBTQIA+ Syrians to Syria.
The petition, accompanied by a report documenting the suffering of LGBTQIA+Syrians facing deportation, titled ‘Go to Syria and Die There,’ called for finding ways to intervene, provide protection, and stop the violations against LGBTQIA+ Syrians in Turkey.
In a report published in April 2024, the Guardians of Equality Movement documented the testimonies of 11 LGBTQIA+ Syrian individuals who had been deported by Turkey after being forced to sign ‘voluntary return’ papers. Most of them experienced incidents of physical and verbal assault.
The founder and executive director of the Guardians of Equality Movement stated that the thousands of signatures on the petition have had a ‘significant impact’ on advocacy and lobbying efforts aimed at stopping the violations and torture faced by LGBTQIA+ Syrian refugees, as well as the deportation risks that could lead to death. He also confirmed that GEM will continue working on the issue of deporting LGBTQIA+ Syrians to Syria through advocacy and pressure on relevant governmental and non-governmental bodies, as well as through response efforts to provide assistance.
Meanwhile, Turkish authorities continue random forced deportations, with the Turkish Ministry of Interior revealing that the number of ‘voluntary’ Syrian returnees has increased by an average of 11,000 people per month this year.
