Iran/Turkey: Illegal exit to Turkey including possible routes, availability of smugglers and border security, and approximate costs (1998-1999)
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 23 August 1999 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZZZ32430.E |
| Reference | 5 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Iran/Turkey: Illegal exit to Turkey including possible routes, availability of smugglers and border security, and approximate costs (1998-1999), 23 August 1999, ZZZ32430.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad8274.html [accessed 25 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
No information on the possible routes for persons illegally exiting Iran into Turkey, on the availability of smugglers, nor on the costs to cross the border between Iran and Turkey, could be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.
However, the following information may be of interest. A 21 May 1999 report from the Turkish Anatolia news agency states that 300 illegal immigrants, including persons fleeing Afghanistan via Iran, were captured the day before in the northwestern province of Bolu. They had travelled by truck for seven days and had paid US$2,000 per person for passage to Europe.
A 22 May 1999 report from AFP states that the Anatolia news agency reported that "nine persons from Iran and Iraq were killed by Turkish forces as they tried to illegally enter Turkey from Iran." The incident occurred in the western (sic) Turkish province of Van, between Saray and Baskale (ibid.). The report states that "Turkey is on a route used by immigrants from the Middle East and Asia seeking to reach Europe." It also reports that Iranian authorities stated that in early May 7 other Iranians were killed at the border, but that Turkish authorities denied this allegation.
A 3 January 1998 report from the Turkish Hurriyet on the transport by ship of illegal migrants from Istanbul to Italy, said that the group included persons from Iran. The report states that the migrants "paid $4,000 to $5,000 per person to Mustafa Kaplan and Adurrahman Durmus, through a middleman using the alias 'Ayhan' in a travel agency in Fatih [Istanbul]." The report claimed that the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) was involved in the smuggling of illegal migrants, in "collaboration with the mafia."
A 16 January 1998 report from Middle East International stated that Turkey had become "a major smuggling centre" and that its traffic included illegal immigrants trying to get to Europe (11). It stated that Iranians were among those trying to leave Istanbul and that the reporter
posing as a Russian hoping to get to Europe was offered various deals by boat for $1,500 or by air for 3,000DM, with a false passport and the help of airport security personnel by smugglers who were doing their daily round in the crowded and smelly hotel rooms. The local police are happy to look the other way since they get their share of a business that seems to benefit many people, from the various intermediaries in the smuggling network to the customs officials.
The UNHCR stated in February 1998 that "almost one million Iranians, sought sanctuary [in Turkey] following the fall of the Shah of Iran and during the Iran-Iraq war. Smaller numbers have continued to arrive in the last decade."
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.
Agence France Presse (AFP). 22 May 1999. "Nine Killed by Turkish Troops Along Border With Iran." (NEXIS)
Anatolia news agency [Ankara, in English]. 21 May 1999. "Turkey: 300 Illegal Immigrants Captured." (BBC 22 May 1999/NEXIS)
Hurriyet [Istanbul, in Turkish]. 3 January 1998. "Turkey: PKK Said Raising Money From Refugees." (FBIS-WEU-98-014 14 Jan. 1998/WNC)
Middle East International [London]. 16 January 1998. Nicole Pope. No. 566. "Turkey: Human Traffic."
United Nations Hugh Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). February 1998. "Turkey."
Additional Sources Consulted
International Organization for Migration. Website.
Middle East International [London]. January 1998 - July 1999.
Resource Centre. Iran country file. November 1997 - July 1999.
Resource Centre. Turkey country file. February 1998 - July 1999.
Electronic sources: IRB Databases, LEXIS/NEXIS, Internet, REFWORLD, World News Connection (WNC).
