The current situation of the Alawite refugees from Syria rescued off the coast of Muğla on 15th October 2025

Legal review with recommendations for UN agencies and European institutions

>   For the French version of the article, please click here.

>   For the German version of the article, please click here.

>   For the Turkish version of the article, please click here.

The Institute for the Documentation of Human Rights Violations against Religious Minorities in the Levant (IDHRV-ARMIL)  –  internationally renowned for its meticulous investigation of systematic violence and crimes against religious, ethnic and other minorities, particularly in Syria  –  presented a new, explosive report at the beginning of November 2025.

The focus is on a group of 17 Alawite refugees from Syria and five minor children who were rescued from distress at sea by Turkish authorities off the coast of Muğla Province on 15th October 2025.

After their rescue, all 22 individuals were initially housed in the Ula Return Centre in the municipality of Ula (Muğla). Just one week later, on 22nd October 2025, they were transferred to the Harran Refugee Camp, a so-called temporary accommodation centre on the Syrian border.

The report makes it clear:

From the initial contact on the coast to the accommodation in state facilities and the subsequent transfer, a number of national and international legal norms were violated. The documented violations range from breaches of minimum human rights standards to violations of international refugee protection and are listed in detail in the report.

The study was conducted under the direction of

Dr. phil. | Associate Professor KREINATH

Founder and Director of the IDHRV-ARMIL

in collaboration with

Aytekin AKTAŞ

Lawyer in İzmir

Member of the Migration and Asylum Commission, İzmir Branch of the Progressive Lawyers’ Association (ÇHD)

as well as

Salim TAŞ

ICBC-Corps Ambassador, Divisional Commander-in-Charge, Coordinator for Crisis Regions in the Middle East, and representative to the UN (New York, Geneve, Vienna)

Dr. phil. | Associate Professor Jens KREINATH Photo rights: Alevi-Portal.net

The report has now been officially submitted to the following international bodies:

• The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR),
• the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR),
• the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children in Armed Conflict (OSRSG-CAAC),
• the Commission of Inquiry (COI),
• the International, Impartial and Independent Mechanism (IIIM)
• as well as the respective bodies within the European Union (EU).

The full report currently forms the basis for further diplomatic steps and serves to prepare for possible legal proceedings.

Download the report as a PDF file:

• English language (original version)
• German language
• Turkish language

Author of this article:  Hüseyin Barış Öztürk

Article published on Alevi-Portal on 17th November 2025

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