Syrian Activists in Istanbul Face Difficulties, Disillusionment

As an activist living inside Syria, I imagined Syrians living in Istanbul sleeping in fancy hotels and living comfortably. Activists inside Syria have even come up with a name for this kind of activist — the ‘hotel opposition’. They are said to receive unconditional material and political support from certain international parties involved with the Syrian revolution.

But when I went to Istanbul and met with a number of activists there my impression of them changed, and I learned the extent of the suffering experienced by some who were forced to flee to Turkey.

Yelmaz Saeed, 24, works in the ranks of the Kurdish Youth Movement in Turkey. I met him at his modest home, located in an impoverished neighbourhood of Istanbul. The movement had rented this two-room apartment to receive refugees and activists who do not have access to housing.

Most Syrians cross the border illegally, only to find themselves strangers in this big city, Yelmaz explained. The house is currently home to four young men, but they sometimes take in up to ten. The house seems a bastion of stability for suffering Syrian exiles, each with their own story of escape.

The young men, all of them Syrian Kurds, welcomed me into the living room where a giant Kurdish flag hung on one wall–red, white and green with a sun in the middle.

“Of course the majority of those who come here are Kurds, but the door of this house is open to any refugee or young revolutionary who needs shelter in Istanbul, regardless of race or religion,” said Yelmaz.

Yelmaz himself was forced to leave Syria at the end of July 2011. He now represents the Kurdish Youth Movement in Turkey and participates in political activities, including seminars, demonstrations and conferences.

He has faced harassment from authorities only once, when he was held in Ataturk Airport for 16 hours without a clear justification. Yilmaz was returning from Cairo where he had attended a meeting of the opposition with representatives from the Friends of the Syrian People coalition.

“The Turkish authorities held me, but did not abuse me or file any charges,” he said. “I was released following an intervention by members of the Executive Office of the Syrian National Council.”

I wanted to learn more about the daily lives of activists living in a new country where they do not speak the language, so I talked to Suleiman Bilal, 25, who still has a wife and daughter in Syria.

“There are multiple difficulties, first and foremost the language,” said Sulaiman, who now works with the Kurdish Yekiti Party.

“The Turkish people are fanatic about their language and refuse to speak any other,” he continued. “This is why activists often try to learn Turkish, in order to find work in translation.”

Suleiman went on to complain of the lack of employment opportunities for Syrians in Turkey. In Syria, he had been in his fourth year studying informational technology and accounting, but in Turkey he has been forced to work in a convenience store.

Although he earns a monthly salary of $600, this is not enough to cover basic expenses in a city like Istanbul, which is very expensive for Syrians.

“Fortunately I live in this house,” he said. “Rents are high and you need a Turkish sponsor to rent a house. It’s also hard for us to get residencies. Until now, Syrians have had to leave Turkey every three months, but fortunately the Turkish government has now decided to give one-year residencies, but it costs between $350 and $400.”

I was struck by the high expectations of activists coming from Syria regarding the Syrian opposition forces in Istanbul, and the disappointment when these expectations were not met.

I met Luay Obaid in Istanbul through friends. Luay is from Aleppo, 27, and married with a child. In Syria he worked as an activist and journalist but was forced to leave with his family when the armed conflict intensified in Aleppo. He is currently staying with a relative in Istanbul.

Luay is unemployed and living off of his savings from when he was working as a journalist for one of the Syrian media outlets, which he declined to name. In light of his dire financial straits, he is considering returning to Aleppo.

Luay believes that opposition parties present in Istanbul are not fulfilling their duties towards young activists who have been forced to leave their country, and only provide assistance according to their own agenda.

“I was expecting the opposition in Istanbul to assist me in finding housing or work, to help me and my family since we have been forced into exile,” he said. “It is important for people coming out of the fog of war to try, although it’s difficult, to build a new life. But here they discover an appalling reality: The opposition exists in its own universe of favouritism, connections and relationships.”

“If someone tried to ask for assistance as a political independent, he will not receive any help,” Luay continued. “Here you discover the true reasons for the delayed victory of the Syrian revolution, and it is dishonesty towards others. No one tries, and no one cares what happens to us. The most important discovery I have realized is that this opposition feeds on the sacrifices of the young people at home.”

The Istanbul-based member of the Syrian National Council Mohammad Sarmini commented on this accusation by email.

“It is our duty to [care for] our fellow activists, but the Syrian National Council has lacked the necessary means to support activists and who have moved to Istanbul with their families,” Sarmini wrote. “Nonetheless, we have been able to give limited allowances to cover the living and accommodation expenses of some activists.”