Refugees tortured near Iran-Turkey border

Mezopotamya News Agency published a video footage showing a group of Syrian refugees near the Iran-Turkey border being tortured by human smugglers.

 In the footage, the smugglers can be seen to crash the refugees within a large piece of rock until they can’t breathe and cut off one of the refugee’s ears. 

 Mezopotamya says the video was sent to families of the refugees’ to ask for 10 thousand dollars in blackmail. When the families sent the money the refugees were released. 

 As anti-immigrant feeling increases among the population, Turkey steps up measures against refugees, making it harder for them to cross the border. 

 A total of 1028 km. long concrete wall has been built along the Syrian and Iranian border and governors from the border areas regularly invite journalists to show special raids against smugglers.

 Turkey currently hosts around 4 million refugees, most of them coming from Syria. Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu recently said that the government succeeded in preventing six million more refugees with preventive measures.