Every second a Turkish asylum seeker heads to Germany


Date posted: January 15, 2019

About 50 percent of all people leaving Turkey because they feel politically persecuted seek shelter in Germany. In 2018, there were more than 10,000 asylum applications from Turks in Germany. About two-fifths of applicants were issued some form of protection.

Roughly every second a Turkish citizen applying asylum abroad seeks shelter in Germany, the German DPA news agency reported, citing the German Interior Ministry. This was revealed in the response to a parliamentary query submitted by Sevim Dagdelen, a federal parliamentarian from the Left party (Die Linke). 

“Turkey is not a safe country of origin. Things are getting worse and worse for dissidenting Turkish citizens,” Dagdelen commented.

Erdogan’s clampdown on dissidents

Since a coup attempt in 2016, the Turkish government has been clamping down on dissident voices and opposition media outlets, imprisoning thousands of people alleged to have links to the Hizmet Movement. Turkey accuses the leader of the Hizmet Movement, exiled cleric Fethullah Gülen, of masterminding the failed putsch.

Many followers of Gülen – as well as other opposition voices – have since sought safety overseas.

“The federal German government is acting unscrupulously if it supports Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s regime with economic aid and weapon deliveries, while at the same time, every second person who flees from Erdogan is seeking protection in Germany,” Dagdelen said.

More than 10,000 applications in 2018

The number of Turks seeking asylum in Germany has grown drastically since 2016. Between 2013 and 2015, only about 1,800 Turks sought asylum in Germany each year. That number rose to 5,742 in 2016, according to the German Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF). In 2017, there were 8,483 applications.

Between January and November 2018, 10,075 people from Turkey filed asylum claims in Germany. Roughly two-fifths of all applicants were granted some form of protection. 

About a quarter of all Turkish asylum seekers (2,650 cases) were recognized as refugees, according to BAMF data, while more than 600 were given full asylum. About 50 were given subsidiary protection and another 50 were allowed to remain in Germany with a temporary ban on deportation. 

Roughly 4,000 were rejected outright and another 1,000 cases closed for other reasons (such as voluntary return or death). About 1,500 of the applications have not yet been processed.

Source: Info Migrants , January 11, 2019

Tags: | | | | |


Related News

Client fearfully waiting his turn to be tortured at Ankara police station: lawyer

An Ankara lawyer who wants to remain anonymous has said his/her client, detained over his links to the Gülen movement, was waiting his turn in fears to be tortured at a detention facility in Turkey’s capital.

Twitter user apologizes for Gülen ‘traitor’ insult, blames politicians

Nuray A., who called Turkish Islamic scholar Fethullah Gülen a “traitor” in a Twitter post, told a court on Tuesday that she only used the expression after first hearing politicians use the word against Gülen, and apologized for imitating them.

Turkish ambassador draws ire as she implies Gülen-affiliated schools in Macedonia raise terrorists

Turkish Ambassador to Macedonia Tülin Betül Kara, has drawn ire following she made remarks last week that shocked the country about schools linked to the faith-based Gülen movement operating there, implying that they were raising students to be terrorists.

Fethullah Gülen’s message to his sympathizers in the aftermath of the coup attempt

I hope that those who set their hearts on a cause will not loosen their hands about working on the world solidarity and universal human values, and they will continue on their way. I hope they do not get shaken by such storms, with Allah’s permission and help. Just like all the things happened until today had passed and became history, these latest incidents will pass and become history, with Allah’s permission.

Turkish coup was Erdogan ‘gift’

Erdogan became quite successful in his two very basic goals right after the coup. First and foremost, for putting all the blame squarely on the Hizmet movement, led by Gulen, and then carrying on a huge cover-up to hide other segments of the coup plotters. The problem is, while he has been quite successful in Turkey – he was not able to convince many in Europe and in the US.

How Erdogan is covering up the corruption scandal

In a blunt violation of Turkish laws and ethical norms, authorities removed nearly 100 police chiefs, who were either involved in the graft raids or pose a possible risk to the government. Two additional prosecutors were appointed to supervise the case, a move mostly interpreted by experts as an attempt to control the judicial process. The government has launched an unprecedented witch-hunt in public institutions and continues to purge any bureaucrat it believes could be cooperative with prosecutors in the graft investigation. Four ministers whose names were linked to these investigations refused to step down despite calls from the opposition.

Latest News

Turkish inmate jailed over alleged Gülen links dies of heart attack in prison

Message of Condemnation and Condolences for Mass Shooting at Bondi Beach, Sydney

Media executive Hidayet Karaca marks 11th year in prison over alleged links to Gülen movement

ECtHR faults Turkey for convictions of 2,420 applicants over Gülen links in follow-up to 2023 judgment

New Book Exposes Erdoğan’s “Civil Death Project” Targeting the Hizmet Movement

European Human Rights Treaty Faces Legal And Political Tests

ECtHR rejects Turkey’s appeal, clearing path for retrials in Gülen-linked cases

Erdoğan’s Civil Death Project’ : The ‘politicide’ spanning more than a decade

Fethullah Gülen’s Vision and the Purpose of Hizmet

In Case You Missed It

Turkish president approves closure of schools run by Erdogan rival

Black Sunday: The day Turkey detained its prominent journalists

As Turkey Gears Up to Vote, Its ‘Traitors’ Speak Out

Islam: Peace or Terror | Fethullah Gulen’s Response

Gülen’s message on ISIL in UK-based Guardian newspaper

Turkish delegation visits Crimea Simferopol International School

Main opposition CHP’s visit to Gülen organization a ‘unifying action’

Copyright 2026 Hizmet News