Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister's fantasy account of support, food and shelter being grand is belied by circumstances which have been highlighted by media outlets that are not the most radical, such asDer Spiegel. They have reported stories about Syrians being brought to Turkey from Greece and taken directly to detention centres. We know that these centres are largely off limits to journalists, aid organisations and lawyers. One MEP who managed to visit one reported that detainees are only permitted to leave their cells for a few minutes every day.

The Turkish regime is brutally undemocratic and vicious. Its treatment of the Kurdish population is reprehensible, not to mind its treatment of refugees. That is an established fact and many of the international organisations which deal with refugees are saying so. The Minister has not done enough to highlight this matter in dealings with his European counterparts.

See this speech in context