Refugees who were released from a detention center in Ankara, Turkey still face deportation [AI report], despite the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) [official website] approving an application to indefinitely prevent their deportation back to Syria, Amnesty International (AI) [advocacy website] reported Friday. The three refugees were detained in Turkey in September after allegedly participating in demonstrations and attempting to cross into Greece. According to AI, the refugees were repeatedly prohibited visits from attorneys and family members while detained. Upon their release, a judge issued a deportation order for refugees. AI says deporting any refugees to Syria would violate the international law principle of non-refoulement which prohibits sending anyone to a country where they could be at risk of serious human rights violations.

The rights of migrant populations has emerged as one of the most significant humanitarian issue around the world, as millions seek asylum from conflict nations. Last week UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon addressed [JURIST report] the UN General Assembly and cautioned the international community to avoid discrimination against Muslims, especially refugees and migrants entering Europe, as a result of the recent terrorist attacks in Paris a week earlier. Earlier this month AI analyzed [JURIST report] the EU’s approach to the refugee crisis and recommends changes to ensure international law is followed and human rights are appropriately valued. In October Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] called on [JURIST report] the EU and Western Balkans states to focus on remedying what it characterized as deplorable conditions for asylum-seekers in Europe. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights gave the opening statement [JURIST report] at the 30th session of the Human Rights Council in September in which he addressed, among other pressing human rights issues, the migrant crisis. Germany announced [JURIST report] that month that it was invoking temporary border controls at the nation’s southern border with Austria, after thousands of immigrants entered the country.