Turkish Police Arrest Two in Human Trafficking Case as Asylum Entries Rise

Turkish police in Edirne arrested two individuals linked to human trafficking and referred them to judicial authorities.

Official statistics show that 394,000 asylum seekers entered Turkey in 2025, a 25 percent increase from prior periods. Asylum seekers from Turkmenistan comprised 23.4 percent of the total, followed by those from Azerbaijan at 8.3 percent, Uzbekistan at 6.9 percent, Egypt at 6.1 percent, and Afghanistan at 5.8 percent.

Separately, 16,436 Afghan asylum seekers were detained in the first five months of the year for lacking residence permits. Turkish authorities have accelerated detention and deportation of asylum seekers without legal documents, with Afghans forming the majority of such cases.

The nationality breakdown illustrates regional patterns in asylum flows to Turkey. Enforcement actions have focused on individuals without proper authorization to reside in the country. These measures reflect efforts to manage migration and apply immigration rules.