In the face of an escalating Schengen Visa Crisis, representatives of Turkey based non-profits call for a united stand
BARIŞ ALTINTAŞ
Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) are urging for a united front against the ongoing Schengen Visa crisis that seems to disproportionately impact Turkey. This embargo, which appears to have been informally imposed by the European Union and Schengen nations, was highlighted by T24 Editor-in-Chief Doğan Akın in June, who called on Turkey’s journalists and media establishments to stand against the apparent visa bias against Turkish citizens.
Adding to these sentiments in July, Mustafa Kuleli, Vice President of the European Journalists Federation (EFJ), expressed, "We urge the Schengen countries to put an end to the de facto visa embargo imposed on journalists. We call upon a number of diplomatic missions to rectify their prejudiced and discriminatory attitudes towards journalists from Turkey, as these biases obstruct reporters from fulfilling their professional responsibilities effectively."
This issue is widespread, with around 906,000 Schengen visa applications originating from Turkey in 2019, and a rejection rate of 9.7%. This rate, however, rose to 15% in 2022, according to the Schengen Visa Info website. And it isn't just journalists feeling the impact; civil society organizations are grappling with this problem as well.
Murat Çelikkan, Co-Director of the Truth Justice Memory Center, cited instances where visas were denied to board members and employees of his organization, which is dedicated to advocating for justice regarding past severe human rights violations. Despite efforts to address the issue with Germany's representatives in Turkey, the situation remains unchanged.
Similarly, Enes Özkan, a founder of Daktilo 1984, an online platform making academic information accessible, had his visa application rejected despite having complete documentation for an event he was invited to in March. This event was also expected to host EU Turkey Rapporteur Nacho Sanchez Amor.
In Ankara, the Freedom Research Association, a liberal think-tank, has managed to secure visas for its employees, but İsrafil Özkan, its Co-Director, describes the process as grueling, costly, and controlled by "mafia-like" companies.
According to Gürkan Özturan, Media Freedom Emergency Response Coordinator at the European Center for Press and Media Freedom (ECPMF), the problem extends beyond the issue of authority. Despite his repeated mention of the visa problem in meetings with EU representatives, there has been reluctance in taking action.
What options are available to CSO representatives who find this situation unacceptable? Özturan suggests that he has significantly limited his individual participation in events in the countries in question, and instead, chooses to organize meetings in countries that do not require a visa for wider participation.
The consensus seems to be to take a united stand. Murat Çelikkan believes in the efficacy of collective action and proposes selecting a few events to collectively take a stand as a strong message. However, others like Enes Özkan doubt the impact of such a move, given the complicated relationship between the EU and Turkey.
Moreover, Çelikkan argues that it's high time for CSOs to make two separate calls to the EU and the Council of Europe. He points to the failure to implement European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decisions related to detained businessman and rights defender Osman Kavala, and former Co-Presidents of the Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş.
Given the recent indications of a change in the Turkish government's attitude towards the West, Çelikkan suggests that it's the right time for CSOs to urge the EU to restart the membership process for Turkey, thereby broadening the conversation to include democracy and human rights.
The consensus among all CSO representatives is that keeping the issue in the public eye is crucial. Nevertheless, there is a perceived lack of understanding and action, as noted by İsrafil Özkan's reference to a remark which he said was made by Nacho Sanchez Amor where he stated that there were no problems in visa processes." He counters, "How can he not know?"
On the other hand, Enes Özkan, who does not see much potential for resolution within the civil society domain, says, "All they need to do is not to implement 'emergency visa, rescue operation'; it is enough not to humiliate and degrade us more."
