Kurdish asylum seeker Bahar Yalçınkaya deported from Switzerland, jailed in Turkey with infant

Bahar Yalçınkaya, a Kurdish asylum seeker, had lived for nearly two years at the Rückkehrzentrum Oberhalden return centre in Zurich with her two children, a five‑year‑old daughter and a 15‑month‑old son born in Switzerland. Swiss authorities forcibly removed her from the centre, handcuffing her in front of the children and sending the family to Turkey.

Upon arrival in Turkey, Yalçınkaya was placed in police custody for a day before a court ordered her pre‑trial detention. She was transferred to the Bakırköy Women’s Prison in Istanbul, where she remains detained together with her infant. Her Swiss lawyer, Murat Özten, had warned that she faced a high risk of imprisonment in Turkey due to ongoing investigations for alleged Kurdish‑political propaganda. The case has prompted criticism of Switzerland’s forced‑return practices and raised questions about compliance with international refugee‑protection obligations.