Following a failed coup to overthrow Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the government issued a three month state of emergency followed by an extensive purge of public service employees, educators, and security personnel. Among those, thousands of teachers, deans, and ministry of education officials were affected.
The crackdown that extended into virtually every sector of government has fractured relations between Turkey and the West. Throughout the last week, tense exchanges between the European Union and Turkey have deteriorated into a war of words over the policies adopted by President Erdogan following the failed coup. Germany, who currently has received one of the largest Syrian refugee population in Europe, has especially remained critical of the President’s decisions leading to debate over EU-Turkey relations. The battleground policy at the forefront of this dispute is the largely-debated EU-Turkey deal, a deal between the two parties that seeks to slow refugee migrations into the EU.
For more info on the impact of the failed coup on Syrian refugees, read this recent report: What the Failed Coup Might Mean for Syrian Refugees in Turkey
Today, President Erdogan addressed over a million gathered in Istanbul today including members of his political party, The Justice and Development Party (AKP) and the two major opposition parties, the Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP). During his address, Erdogan’s pledged his support to reintroduce the death penalty for participants of the failed coup. This move was harshly criticized members of the EU. The German Foreign Minister stated this week that Turkey’s reintroduction of the death penalty would mean the end of their hopes for membership in the European Union.
While over a million cheered in the streets of Istanbul, many Turks around the world question the intentions of President Erdogan. This is reflected in a recent Tagesspiegel report that stated that 1767 Turkish citizens requested asylum during 2015 in Germany. In the first six months of 2016, 1719 Turks requested asylum in Germany matching the number from the previous year. This number is expected to double in 2016. As Germany prepares for the coming wave of Turkish asylum seekers, the United States, a nation with a considerable presence of Turks through the country, could also face a large scale wave of Turkish asylum seekers. The political uncertainty of Turkey’s immediate future has undoubtedly forced many Turks living around to consider asylum as a second option. Erdogan’s nation-wide crackdown will likely target numerous Turks living and studying abroad. While the initial number of Turks requesting asylum abroad following the coup has not been published, the United States might see one of the largest waves of asylum seekers in decades.