After the first panel, ‘Borders and Refugees: A Syrian Case,’ received significant public attention and was deemed a success, we organized the second panel on 20 April 2013 at the Union of Türkiye Bar Associations (UTBA) Teoman Evren Conference Hall in Ankara.

The panel brought together politicians and legal experts to discuss refugee rights and asylum policies. Speakers included key figures from political parties represented in the Türkiye Grand National Assembly: Osman Faruk Loğoğlu (CHP Deputy Chairman and MP for Adana), Mahmut Tanal (CHP, Istanbul MP), Dr. Celal Dinçer (CHP, Istanbul MP), Mehmet Şandır (MHP Deputy Parliamentary Group Chairman and MP for Mersin, via teleconference), Hasan Hüseyin Türkoğlu (MHP, Osmaniye MP), and Hasip Kaplan (BDP, Şırnak MP).

The panel also benefited from contributions by leading members of the legal community. Speakers included Assoc. Prof. Dr. Can Ünver of Hacettepe University Migration Research Center (representing the Ankara Bar Association), Attorney Taner Kılıç (Izmir Bar Association and President of Mülteci-Der), Oktay Durukan (Director, Refugee Project at Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly), as well as Attorneys Elif Sevüktekin and Nil Merve Çelikbaş (Executive Board Members of the Istanbul Bar Association Foreign Relations Center), who shared their expertise in the field of refugee law.

The panel engaged in an in-depth examination of Türkiye’s refugee policies, the rights of asylum seekers under international law, the humanitarian struggles of Syrian refugees, and possible solutions. With active contributions from the participants, it was a productive session that served as an important step toward clarifying the legal and societal dimensions of the issue.
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