Political Activists and Christian Citizens in Turkey Face Threat of Deportation to Iran

As the Turkish government has expanded its security cooperation with Tehran, the process of detention and deportation of Iranian refugees, from political activists to Christian citizens, has become more alarming than ever.

According to reports received from reliable sources, Turkey’s immigration police, in a controversial move, detained Soran Aram, a Kurdish human rights activist and political refugee, in Ankara and transferred him to a deportation camp. This action took place despite his possession of valid UN refugee documents and a legal residence permit.

Soran Aram, who was forced to leave Iran more than twelve years ago due to pressure and threats from the Islamic Republic’s security forces, confirmed in a video posted on social media that his asylum case has been accepted by the United Nations and has even been approved by the Canadian government through a sponsorship visa.

Soran stated in this video message: “I urge human rights activists to contact international organizations and the Canadian embassy to accelerate the process of transferring me and my family.”

Despite this legal status, Turkish immigration police detained him and placed him at risk of deportation; an action that, according to international standards, constitutes a clear violation of the principle of “non-refoulement” of refugees to danger.

In June 2025, the Urmia Intelligence Office again summoned this human rights activist’s family and pressured them to return their son to Iran. According to informed sources whose identities are protected for security reasons, security officials told Aram’s family that if he returns to Iran, he will be safe, and they sought the family’s cooperation in convincing him.

The news agency “KurdPA” also previously reported on security pressures and judicial threats against Soran Aram’s family and wrote that the Mahabad Intelligence Office had threatened them that failure to cooperate would result in severe sentences.

Beyond political activists, multiple reports from Christian and human rights organizations indicate that many Iranian Christian citizens are being held in detention in Turkish camps and face serious deportation risks.

According to several human rights organizations, including “Article 18” and “Open Doors,” Turkish immigration police have repeatedly detained and deported Christian citizens in recent months who had fled Iran due to religious pressure and persecution.

This process has coincided with security agreements between Ankara and Tehran. Activists believe that the Turkish government, in an effort to preserve its political and economic relations with the Islamic Republic, often refrains from granting asylum to Iranians, particularly Christians.

Experts warn that returning Christian citizens or political activists to Iran could expose them to arrest, interrogation, and even torture; a matter that is in complete contradiction with Turkey’s international commitments in the field of asylum.

The detention of Soran Aram and the threat of his deportation is only one example of an alarming process affecting dozens of Iranian refugees in Turkey. At the same time, Iranian Christians face a similar threat; a danger that the international community and human rights organizations have repeatedly warned about.

If this process continues, Turkey will effectively be moving in line with Tehran’s repressive policies, an action that not only contradicts humanitarian principles and international commitments, but also puts the lives of hundreds of Iranian refugees at risk of being returned to the country from which they fled.