According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, sixteen Syrian refugees, including three children, have been killed by Turkish border guards while trying to reach safety in Turkey.
The UNHCR has highlighted continued serious gaps in procedural and reception conditions in Turkey and Greece, and pointed out that across Greece, which has been compelled to host a disproportionate number of refugees due to the closure of borders in the Balkan route and the failure of the EU relocation scheme, numerous aspects of the reception system for people seeking international protection are still either not working or absent.
Amnesty International's researchers in southern Turkey have gathered testimonies from Syrians reporting that family members, including unaccompanied children, have been expelled from the country in contravention of international law.
The EU's deal with Turkey has been deemed illegal by Peter Sutherland, the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on International Migration and Development, as deporting migrants and refugees without first considering their asylum applications would break international law.
In the light of these circumstances, on what grounds does the Commission believe that sending back migrants to Turkey would not breach the non-refoulement principle that is binding for the European Union?