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 | An Open Call To The Grand National Assembly Of Turkey and The Constitutional Court Of The Republic Of Turkey
09.06.2010
On 7 May 2010, the Grand National Assembly of Turkey passed a bill on Turkey’s constitutional amendments offering partial relief for the entrenched military influence over civilians that was reinforced by the army-led 1980 coup d’état. Following the Supreme Board of Elections interpretation/decision, these amendments shall be put to a public referendum on 12 September 2010.
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| Refugee Voices Spring 2010 Issue is Out!
"The hardest thing for me is when I hear about a refugee's situation and I can’t do more to help. You see your limitations." In this issue of Refugee Voices, we talk with a group of refugee community interpreters about their experiences helping refugees convey their stories and salute their hard work and devotion. The issue also profiles an Afghan artist who shares the life he left behind, a group of Iranian refugees in Van who discuss their daily challenges, and young Sudanese refugees who describe their troubled home and share their dreams for a better future.
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| hCa Welcomes MOI Circular on Residence Permit Fees for Refugees / May 2010
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly welcomes the circular recently issued by the Ministry of Interior reiterating the right of local authorities to exempt indigent asylum seekers and refugees from paying residence permit fees.
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| Turkey Coordination For Refugee Rights launched today*
Joint Press Statement, 15 March 2010, Ankara
Seven leading human rights organizations from Turkey have launched the Turkey Coordination For Refugee Rights (Turkiye Mülteci Haklari Koordinasyonu) as a new framework for cooperation and joint advocacy efforts to promote and uphold the legal protection of individuals escaping war and persecution and seeking asylum in Turkey.
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| Residence Fees Charged to Asylum Seekers: Fee or Extortion?
25.10.2009
A refugee who receives a temporary residence permit in Turkey must pay the same fee as a manager of a foreign company working in Turkey. Turkey should abolish residence fees for asylum seekers and refugees who are given temporary residence in Turkey while their asylum applications are being examined or while they are waiting to be resettled in a third country.
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| Unsafe Haven: The Security Challenges Facing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Turkey - July 09
“All refugees have problems in Turkey. However, I believe that some problems are very unique to our situation. Many LGBT refugees have no one to turn to. Refugees who fled their countries because of their political activism often can turn to their political parties for support. Refugees who fled for religious reasons can turn to their religious communities. Some refugees can turn to their families in their home country for support. Many of us left everything behind. We have been cut off from our communities, our families in our countries and have no one to turn to.”
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| Refugee Voices - World Refugee Day Special Issue - June 2009
To celebrate World Refugee Day 2009, HCA has published a new issue of Refugee Voices, featuring the experiences and expression of refugee youth living in Istanbul.
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| Refugee Voices Spring Issue is Out! / April 2009
Refugee Voices is a journal dedicated to the views and voices of refugees living in Turkey and published with the support of the Refugee Advocacy and Support Program of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Turkey. The latest issue includes an interview with Mahad, a Somali man who now lives in the US after being recognized as a refugee by the UNHCR in Turkey; the story of Enzo, a Congolese musician, who fled his country because of his political views; and an article describing the dangers that refugees experience while crossing borders.
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| Benefits of legal aid during UNHCR procedures / 09 March 2009
In November 2008, UNHCR's Division of International Protection Services invited HCA to make a presentation on "the benefits of legal aid during the UNHCR refugee status determination procedure." The presentation took place during a training in Istanbul for UNHCR staff from Turkey, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan and a range of Central Asian countries. Attached is HCA's summary of the benefits of legal aid to refugees, UNHCR staff and the status determination procedure as a whole.
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| On Jan 19, at 3pm, at the same spot... / 16.01.2009
Its been two years
since we were parted
from our beloved friend,
our treasure, truth sayer, dearest Hrant.
We have spent this whole long year
mourning for the colours of our lives
that were lost with Hrants departure.
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| JOINT PRESS STATEMENT / October 23, 2008
Van General Directorate Of Security Illegally Deported 22 Uzbek Refugees To Iran -
This recent deportation of refugees in Van, a city in Turkey’s east, raises a number of concerns. As discussed below, it is the second illegal deportation of a group of Uzbek refugees to Iran in a period of one month.
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| Roma in Turkey: We Are Here!
The book titled “We Are Here! Discriminatory Exclusion and Struggle for Rights of Roman in Turkey” was compiled as an outcome of the project “Promoting Roma Rights in Turkey” by the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), the Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly (hCa) and Edirne Roma Association (EDROM). It draws on field research undertaken by the project partners and reflects upon the experiences gained during the project, the partners’ expertise in Roma rights advocacy, the promotion of civil society values and the grassroots mobilisation of Romani communities.
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| World Refugee Survey 2008 has been published
The US Committee on Refugees and Immigrants has just published its internationally well-respected survey on conditions that refugees face in countries around the world. HCA was the research partner for the Turkey Profile for USCRI's 2008 Wold Refugee Survey.
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| “Refugee Voices”: June 20th, World Refugee Day / 20.06.2008
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) declared the 20th of June to be World Refugee Day in the year 2000. The 20th of June has been celebrated since then as a day that draws attention to the plight of refugees and that celebrates the courage of people who are forced to leave their countries and homes to find safety from persecution. This special edition of Refugee Voices focuses on World Refugee Day, portraying the lives and challenges faced by refugees in Turkey.
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| International Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Co-chair Arzu Abdullayeva starts starvation action in Azerbaijan
In Azerbaijan, public figures join the starvation action started by Eynulla Fatullayev, the editor in chief of the newspapers "Gundalik Azerbaijan" and "Realniy Azerbaijan" who was sentenced for 8 and half years of imprisonment for defamation. Below, you will find information provided by our friends from hCa in Azerbaijan.
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