Turkish police beat us with iron rods before we lost limbs to frostbite, Afghans say
Warning: This article contains images and descriptions of violence that some readers may find distressing. A dozen young Afghans who tried to reach Europe in
Warning: This article contains images and descriptions of violence that some readers may find distressing. A dozen young Afghans who tried to reach Europe in January have told the BBC they were among a group of 50 migrants beaten and stripped by Turkish border guards before being stranded in the snow.
They say they were forced from the eastern Turkish city of Van towards the Iranian border, where temperatures were sub-zero. The group added that at least 20 people froze to death. Eleven of the 12 men and boys who spoke to the BBC - including a 13-year-old - eventually lost limbs to frostbite.
The group, all aged 25 or under, was eventually returned to Afghanistan. One of the migrants, Shahsawar, says he regained consciousness in a Kabul hospital to discover both his hands and legs had been amputated. "I raised my hands - they felt light. Both had been cut off," he tells the BBC.
"My throat closed up and I couldn't speak." When approached for comment, Turkish authorities did not specifically address the migrants' allegations. But the foreign ministry said border forces followed national and international laws and provided detained undocumented migrants with all necessary assistance, including food, water and medical care.
The BriefWire