On Saturday 17 February 2024, Refugee Rights Turkey organized a specialization seminar titled "Administrative Detention and Alternatives to Administrative Detention: National and International Regulations and Appeal Procedures". Over thirty-five lawyers from ten different institutions in Istanbul attended the seminar.

The event started with the registration and opening speeches. In the first session titled "Administrative Detention Measures: International Standards, National Legislation & Appeal Procedures", the concept of "administrative detention", international standards pertaining to the issue and the appeal procedures under the Law on Foreigners and International Protection" were discussed and our Administrative Detention Hotline (+90 507 218 62 85) was shared with the participants. Observations from the field, good practices, and difficulties encountered were expressed by the participants.

In the second session titled"Alternatives to Administrative Detention: International Standards & National Legislation", there were discussions on the applicable international standards with a special focus on ECtHR jurisprudence pertaining the issue, advantages and disadvantages of specific alternatives and the national ATD framework.Observations on the  strengths and weaknesses of the domestic legislation as well as good practices and difficulties encountered at the implementation level were shared  .

The third session titled "Administrative Detention and Access to Alternatives to Administrative Detention of Vulnerable Groups” was held in the afternoon. Special guarantees for vulnerable groups concerning their administrative detention and access to alternatives were elaborated in detail in the light of the caselaw of the Court.

In the closing session, three different case studies were conducted and participants' answers and follow-up questions were discussed.

The Refugee Rights Turkey has been carrying out various capacity-building activities for many years to ensure that administrative detention becomes an exceptional measure in migration management practices in Turkey as stipulated by international standards and national legislation and that alternatives to administrative detention can be used more systematically and effectively, especially with regard to vulnerable groups, in cases where the relevant administrative processes can be carried out without depriving individuals,  of their liberty, and to raise awareness on the issue. As a continuation of such activities, we organized this seminar and brought lawyers from various institutions, civil society practitioners, and academics together.

This seminar was organized by Refugee Rights Turkey within the framework of a project implemented with the generous contributions of the Peace and Human Rights Division of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of Switzerland and of the Dutch Council For Refugees. The views expressed and any content generated within the scope of the Workshop do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of Switzerland and of the Dutch Council for Refugees.