Turkey country assessment

Nüfüs Card/ Identity Card

6.207 The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2002 reported that
“Each district has a population registry, also known as the population office, ultimately coming under the Ministry of the Interior, where all the district's inhabitants are supposed to be registered. In practice, many people are entered in the population register for their place of birth or even their parents' place of birth. Since 28 October 2000 each citizen has had his/her own single, nationally registered, unalterable eleven-digit identity number. Population registers do not include details of addresses. Limited records of addresses are kept by neighbourhood heads.” [2a] (p19)
6.208 The Netherlands report continued “The population registry also has responsibility for issue of identity cards (in Turkish: nüfus cüzdani) often referred to in other languages too as nüfus cards. The nüfus card is the only valid domestic identity document, and everyone is required to carry it at all times. Births have to be registered to the population registry for the place of birth without delay, so that a nüfus card can be issued straight away.” [2a] (p19)
6.209 The IND fact-finding mission to Turkey of March 2001 saw at first hand fake identity cards being sold openly on the streets of Istanbul within sight of the police. [48] (p16) In comments submitted to the Advisory Panel on Country Information in September 2004 UNHCR stated that this must be an exceptional situation. [18a]
6.210 The USSD 2004 reported that:
“National identity cards list a person's religious affiliation. Some religious groups, such as Baha'is, alleged that they were not permitted to state their religion on their cards; however, there were reports that authorities have become more flexible regarding the religious affiliation that may be listed. In September [2004], an Ankara court approved the application of a family requesting permission to leave the religion portion of their children's identity cards blank until they reach 18 years of age. Conversion to another religion entails amending a person's identity card; there were reports that local officials harassed persons who converted from Islam to another religion when they sought to amend their cards. Some persons who were not Muslim maintained that listing religious affiliation on the cards exposed them to discrimination and harassment.” [5c] (Section 2c)
(See also Section 5 on The problem of falsified documents)


Treatment of Foreigners Seeking Asylum in Turkey
6.211 The USSD 2004 noted that:
“An administrative regulation provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the definition in the 1951 U.N. Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees or its 1967 Protocol; however, the Government exercised its option under the Convention of accepting obligations only with respect to refugees from Europe. The Government has established a system for providing protection to refugees. In practice, the Government provided protection against refoulement, the return of persons to a country where they feared persecution…The Government cooperated with the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and other humanitarian organizations in assisting the small number of European refugees and asylum seekers…The Government offered non-European refugees temporary asylum while they were waiting to be resettled in another country. The UNHCR conducted refugee status determination for applicants from non European countries and facilitated the resettlement of those recognized as refugees. The UNHCR reported that no recognized refugees were returned to a country where they feared persecution during the year; however, three asylum seekers whose applications remained under review by the UNHCR were deported to their country of origin.” [5c] (Section 2d)
6.212 The USSD 2004 further stated that:
“Regulations require asylum seekers to apply within 10 days of arrival and submit proof of identity in order to register for temporary asylum. An appeal can be lodged within 15 days of a decision by authorities not to receive an asylum claim; after the appeal procedure, rejected applicants are issued a deportation order that can be implemented after 15 days. According to the UNHCR, the Government demonstrated greater flexibility than in past years in applying these regulations; however, asylum seekers arriving in the country after transiting through one or more other countries continued to face difficulties in lodging an application. As a result, some of the refugees and asylum seekers registered with the UNHCR were unable to register with the Government or otherwise legalize their status in the country.” [5c] (Section 2d)
6.213 The European Commission 2004 reported that
“In the area of asylum, work has started on drawing up a National Action Plan to implement the asylum strategy adopted in 2003.The Ministry of Interior issued an internal directive on the handling of asylum applications, which is meant to serve as a bridge between the current asylum regulation and the new asylum law that Turkey aims to adopt in 2005. The new directive reflects in general a positive, protection-oriented approach and incorporates the minimum standards of the new acquis on asylum procedures. It also introduces an ‘accelerated procedure’ for several categories of asylum applicants, as well as lifting the ten day time limit for applications. However, lack of clarity on the steps to be followed under the ‘accelerated procedure’ raises concerns.” [71c] (p139)
6.214 The EC report 2004 continued “In general, Turkey faced a slight decrease in arrivals of asylum seekers. However, there was a significant increase in applicants for asylum from Africa, mainly from Somalia, Sudan, Eritrea and Ethiopia. There is still a large caseload from previous years, mainly Iranians (70%). Although there are very few new applicants from Iraq, many applications submitted in previous years have not yet been finalised.” [71c] (p139)
6.215 The EC report 2004 further reported that
“Turkey applies the principle of non-refoulement to aliens at its borders. Applications for asylum are handled in co-operation with UNHCR. However, there are reports that aliens who are apprehended away from the border are not always permitted to submit an application for asylum, as they are considered to have acted in bad faith; the UNHCR encounters difficulty in gaining access to such persons while in detention.” [71c] (p139)
6.216 The EC report 2004 continued
“Although UNHCR continues to bear the principal responsibility for meeting the material needs of non-European refugees and applicants for asylum, the Turkish authorities continued to provide direct aid in the form of cash, food, clothing, health services and heating material. Non-European asylum applicants receive medical assistance from UNHCR while they are waiting for their application to be decided; if they are granted the status of temporary asylum seeker, they are then entitled to use state health care facilities. The children of applicants for asylum have the right to attend Turkish primary schools.” [71c] (p139)
6.217 The EC report 2004 further stated that
“Turkey continued with the training activities on asylum issues in co-operation with UNHCR. During 2003 and the first half of 2004, UNHCR organised several seminars for Turkish officials. In addition, 527 police officers were trained in international and national law on asylum and migration, and international best practice. Training was provided in October 2003 for Ministry of Justice personnel, including judges and prosecutors, on International Refugee Law.” [71c] (p140)

6b. Human Rights: Specific Groups