Authorities in Türkiye have ordered the deportation of a Christian refugee back to Iran, where the pregnant mother would be in serious danger after having fled her country due to arrests for participation in church, sources said.
The mother of a 2-year-old girl obtained refugee status in Türkiye from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2015, but immigration officials have denied her asylum, she said. The UNHCR in September 2018 handed over responsibility for processing asylum applications and refugee registration to the Turkish government.
“I’m in serious danger; my life and my daughter’s life are in danger,” the refugee in Mersin told aid group Philoi Global. “I cannot escape anywhere, wherever I am. I will be arrested and deported to Iran after Dec. 30, and they will kill me. Please help me, and I don’t have much time.”
The Iranian mother, whose name is withheld for security reasons, put her faith in Christ in 2010 and fled Iran in 2014 after arrests earlier that year and in 2013 for involvement in church.
After Turkish immigration officials rejected her application for asylum, the Iranian Christian, who has since remarried, filed six appeals but was never granted a hearing to present her case in court, said Jude Simion of refugee aid group Philoi Global.
“On Oct. 30, 2024, following yet another rejection, she faced arrest while pregnant and caring for a 2.5-year-old child,” Simion said. “In a grave turn of events, authorities issued a deportation order requiring her and her family to leave Türkiye by the end of November. They were warned that noncompliance could lead to further detention and potential deportation back to Iran, where the risks to her life would be significant.”
The risk of arrest in Iran is heightened by her prior role as a leader in an underground church, and Iranian police are actively seeking her and others in such ministries, he said.
“Given their engagement in Christian ministry and the act of guiding fellow believers to Christ, the family was fervently aware that returning to Iran would likely result in immediate arrest without any legal protections, placing their lives in imminent jeopardy,” Simion said.
In 2014 her Muslim husband initiated a divorce primarily due to her conversion to Christianity and her active participation in a local house church, he said.
“Her faith journey became perilous when she was arrested twice by Iranian authorities,” Simion said. “The first arrest occurred in May 2013 while she was attending university. The second arrest took place in February 2014 during a gathering at her house church, highlighting the risks faced by those practicing Christianity.”
After separating from her husband, he pursued legal actions against her and her family for their Christian activities, threatening to notify law enforcement, he said.
“Responding to her ex-husband’s allegations, police arrived at her home with an arrest warrant,” Simion said. “They confiscated Bibles, religious pamphlets and other materials related to her faith, which were seen as dangerous contraband by the authorities.”
Her neighbors were advised to report any information about her family to police, and that failing to do so might implicate them as accomplices in alleged criminal activities, he added.
Before leaving Iran, she sought legal counsel. Aware of her prior detentions by Iranian intelligence, her attorney advised her that applying for refugee status with the UNHCR in Türkiye would give her the most safety and protection, he said.
“Upon reaching Türkiye, her family was issued a residence card by the Turkish Immigration Department – however, they opted not to divulge any specifics about their escape, fearing that such disclosures could lead to their forced repatriation to Iran,” Simion said. “Instead, they communicated their plight only to the UNHCR, hoping for a favorable intervention.”
She and her new husband and their daughter were recognized as refugees by the UNHCR in 2015. The organization has advised her to resolve the matter with Turkish authorities – a nearly impossible task given the government’s hostility to refugees, particularly Christians, Kurds and other persecuted minorities, Simion said.
“This highlights a critical gap in the protection mechanism for asylum seekers in Türkiye,” he said.
Türkiye is a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention and 1967 Protocol and thus should hold resettlement to a third country as the most preferred solution for refugees arriving due to events outside of Europe. Türkiye has been undertaking legislative and institutional reforms to build an asylum system that would comply with international standards, according to the UNHCR.
As the number of people forcibly displaced worldwide due to conflict, violence and persecution hits record levels, Türkiye is one of the countries with the largest number of refugees, with about 3.2 million registered arrivals from Syria alone, according to the UNHCR. Nearly 222,000 “persons of concern” from other nationalities have also taken refuge in the country.
A pattern of deportation of refugees from Türkiye, particularly Christian converts, is a growing concern as they are vulnerable due to their faith, ethnicity and political opinions against the governments of their home countries, Simion said.
“They face life-threatening dangers if they return to their home countries,” he said. “Yet, securing permanent resettlement for them in third countries remains an uphill battle, as many Western governments turn a blind eye to the plight of persecuted Christians.”
Christian refugees in Türkiye have seen an increase in arbitrary deportation orders since 2018, when the government assumed control of all refugee affairs from the UNHCR, Simion said.
“This shift resulted in even more challenging conditions for refugees, particularly for ethnic minorities, as well as for Christian converts, who faced various pressures and inhumane treatment,” he said. “The forced repatriation of religious minorities from Türkiye reflects a broader pattern of disregard for international protection standards. These actions place lives at risk and undermine the principles of asylum and refugee protection.”
