This is a horrific development. The personal data and passport info of over 3.3 million Syrian refugees in #Türkiye have been leaked on #Telegram. Turkish authorities claim that a 14-old boy was behind the leak. But that begs the question of who actually provided this boy with such massive private database that was supposed to be controlled by the Turkish Ministry of Interior.
Every Syrian refugee can now be targeted by hate-mongers. In fact, ultra-nationalist groups are already sharing the list with some of them using the message “DEPORT OR KILL.” For years now, Syrian refugees have been the target of racist hate speech for years now. Both opposition groups and the ruling party are complicit in this. Illegal deportation of refugees, separating families and seeding chaos, have been taking place for months. The encampments in Northeast #Syria that have been receiving these refugees are poorly serviced and have been hard hit by the earthquake in 2023. The flow of humanitarian aid has been very sporadic and slow, as Turkish authorities seek to normalize relations with the Assad regime, ignoring international resolutions, sanctions and the concerns of Syrian refugees.
And now, we have mob violence targeting the refugees, destroying property and creating a climate of fear. Few have been killed. With chaos being sown, Türkiye will reap the whirlwind, and Syrians will be the cannon fodder, again.