Asylum seekers in Germany: Turkey overcomes Afghanistan

Living in fear and uncertainty every day and waiting every second for the police to come back to the door, get you out of bed, take you to the station and torture you... We didn't take it anymore. After Father died, we left the country and left”. Former English teacher B.K. He speaks calmly about his past experiences. He relates how he and his wife left Turkey on the morning of November 1st and set off in the dangerous Aegean waters. They arrived in Germany seven weeks later. Since then, the couple have lived in a refugee shelter near Aachhen.

The couple recently applied for asylum. Actually, they're waiting for the decision. Both were sentenced in Turkey for membership in “organisation Gylen”. The US-based Islamic preacher's movement Fethullah Gylen is considered a terrorist organisation in the country. The Turkish government charges him with standing behind the 2016 coup effort.

Turkey passes Afghanistan

Like the C. couple, more than 23 thousand Turkish citizens applied for asylum in Germany by the end of July 2023. According to the Federal Bureau for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), this is an increase of 203 percent compared to the same period last year. In the 2023 Country Origin Index, Turkey ranks third after Afghanistan and Syria. If we only look at July, Turkey ranks second after Syria, with 3.71 applications.

This is not a surprising development for Turkish experts. Many had predicted this possibility after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's re-election in the post.

At least half of those who did not vote for Erdogan are disappointed, says Düdar Kelloglu, a lawyer and board member of the Lower Saxony Refugees Council. That half had hoped for a change of government and improved the political and economic situation. Kelloglu notes that a deep depression is currently spreading among the opposition in the country. “There has been no such pessimistic atmosphere following the 1980 military coup”, he says in an interview for DW. According to him, the political situation is still very tense. The persecution of dissidents goes on and on.

Particularly after the coup attempt in 2016, the Turkish government has hit even more critics. Thousands of opposition members have been in prison for years, and several thousand have lost their jobs under suspicion of terrorism. Anyone applying for a job, whether in public service or in large parts of the private sector, needs good contacts with the ruling party or with religious foundations and nearby brotherhoods. Many opposition members are frustrated and are leaving their country.

No freedom of speech but inflation and unemployment

In addition, according to Dr. Yasar Aydin, migration researcher at the Science and Policy Foundation (SWP), Turkey is currently threatened with an economic crisis that will make the situation even more difficult. All of this means that future prospects, especially for well - educated people, are getting worse from day to day. Many in Turkey no longer see a good future for themselves and are fleeing to Germany.

The economic situation in Turkey has deteriorated rapidly, especially over the past two years. Mostly due to Turkish President Erdogan's low interest rate policy, the lira is constantly losing value and inflation is growing very much. Recently, according to official figures, inflation was about 48 percent, while at the end of the year, the Central Bank also expects 58 percent inflation. Much of the population has been impoverished.

After the May elections, Erdogan promised improvements. With the appointment of economy representatives at the Ministry of Finance and the Central Bank, the president has launched a departure from his policy of low interest rates. Since then, taxes and interest rates have increased significantly several times, causing inflation to increase even more.

Local elections will be held in Turkey in the spring of 2024. Erdogan wants to first take control of inflation and regain cities like Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir and Antalya from the opposition, which make up a large part of the country's economic output.

Frame triple

But not many people believe the economic and political situation will improve. Particularly, well-trained people and members of the opposition are leaving their homeland. With three million people of Turkish origin, family and well-known, as well as established networks and structures, Germany has become an attractive destination for many from Turkey who also emigrated to Germany via illegal routes.

In 2021, 7067 Turkish citizens sought protection in Germany. Just a year later, the number of asylum applications had tripled, reaching 23.938. While in the current year, the figure of 23,000 was already exceeded in late July.

Migration researcher Yasar Aydin assumes that the number of people seeking protection will increase in the coming years or remain at this high level. “Political developments and future economic difficulties show that migration from Turkey will continue”, he predicts.

The level of asylum recognition is shrinking

While the number of Turks seeking protection has increased significantly, the level of recognition of asylum for such ones has steadily declined in recent years. This year it's down to 15 percent. In 2022 it was 27.8 percent.

Why is the level of protection so low? Do the BAMF believe the human rights situation and rule of law have improved in Turkey? BAMF stresses that any asylum procedure should be looked into personally, but social and current developments in the countries of applicant origin are involved in the general issue. These assessments play a part in the decision whether one will gain asylum or not.

The situation in Turkey has not improved, but BAMF has changed the status system in Turkey. According to him, people have received protection earlier if they are politically persecuted or threatened with imprisonment. But recently only the requirements for protecting people who have been sentenced to prison by a court have been recognized. For those who are wanted by the police or are in some judicial process, requests are being denied.

According to Kelloglu, this is justified in the fact that the persecuted could be acquitted of the highest authorities in Turkey. According to Kelloglu, some courts in Germany even feel that a long prison sentence is not expected in Turkey due to violations of the rules in opinion. Therefore, the level of defense through the asylum is down”, the lawyer says.

Turkish English teacher B.K., who has applied for asylum with his wife in June, is sure that his request will be approved. “We hope for a positive decision,” he says. Otherwise he doesn't know where to go. The family stopped contacting them when they were sentenced because they were afraid of depression. So we have only this hope and nothing else from nobody.” / DW