At least 35 asylum seekers held in northwestern Turkey

At least 35 asylum seekers of various nationalities were held in northwestern Turkey on Saturday, according to a security source.

Acting on a tip-off, gendarmerie forces held Iraqi, Pakistani, Syrian, and Palestinian nationals in Kirklareli province’s Kofcaz town near the border with Bulgaria, said the source, who requested anonymity due to restrictions on speaking to the media.

After a health check at a local hospital, the asylum seekers were taken to the gendarmerie command.

They told officials that they were beaten and pushed back to Turkey by Bulgarian border troops, the source added.

After routine procedures, the migrants were transferred to a repatriation center.

*Writing by Dilan Pamuk in Ankara