Emergency Visa Request by Shilan Mirzaei, Human Rights Activist

Shilan Mirzaei, a human rights activist and detainee in Turkey, has requested an emergency visa.

Shilan Mirzaei, a human rights activist and political activist residing in Turkey, was arrested due to her activities against the Islamic Republic and her defense of the Iranian people. She has been transferred to a deportation camp and is currently in a critical situation. Turkey has banned her entry into the country for five years.

After spending 36 days in the camp and being prohibited from publicizing her situation, she reported her status yesterday, Thursday, November 30, by releasing an audio file on Instagram. In this audio file, she announced that she received a decision from the immigration police based on Article 9 of the International Protection Law for Foreigners, Law No. 6458. According to her, the immigration administration and the provincial government decided to enforce a five-year ban on her presence in Turkey as a result of their assessments.

In the decision delivered to Ms. Mirzaei, a five-year ban on presence in Turkey was specified, but if she poses a serious threat to public security, this decision could be extended to a ten-year ban.

Ms. Mirzaei stated in this audio file: “In continuation of this decision, it has been written that due to the fundamental principle that led to the execution of this decision, procedures to cancel my residence have been initiated, and I have been given 60 days from the date of notification of this decision to file my objection through a lawyer in court. However, the decision explicitly states that even appealing to the court against this decision will not halt my ban from entry and presence in Turkey.

When an ordinary refugee’s request to the immigration police is rejected, they have the chance to be protected and supported by the court, because the court may protect the refugee again. If this protection and support is not provided by the court and the person returns to the country of origin, then they will have a ban on entry to Turkey.

As stated in the decision issued for me, while I am still in Turkish territory and a five-year ban on my presence in Turkey has been issued, despite the sixty-day period given in the decision for my objection, it is clearly a deadline for my departure from Turkey.”

Shilan Mirzaei, referring to a supplementary decision delivered to her, announced that with this supplementary decision, the court’s hands are completely tied in supporting her. The only thing she understood from the issued decisions is that they want to return her to Iran, while nothing in the decision mentions returning Ms. Mirzaei to Iran, but their actions indicate this.

She continued: “They have been prohibiting me from publicizing my case in the media for 36 days, and I still do not have the right to publicize my situation. But today with this audio file, I want you to be my voice, because today they want to, since I am a refugee in Turkey and not an asylum seeker, and my case is in the country section of the United Nations, and legally they do not have the right to detain me, today they have invalidated my Kimlik to legalize this detention.

During the days I am in the deportation camp prison, I have repeatedly contacted the United Nations to follow up and transfer my case to a third country, but they refused to transfer my case to a third country. Even UN advisors answered my questions about following up on my case with ‘we don’t know, we cannot answer.’ They told me I do not qualify for transfer to a third country. Shame on the United Nations, whose duty is to protect freedom-loving people and supports freedom of expression, but here I am in Turkey under the shadow of the United Nations, being deprived of freedom of expression and imprisoned, and decisions are being issued against me because I defended my people and defended human rights violations in Iran, even though my accusations do not have the documents they claim exist.

I need an emergency visa to leave Turkey. For more than 36 days, I have been deprived of visiting my children. I have two young sons, aged 5 and 7. My 7-year-old son has been in shock since my arrest and does not go to school, and my 5-year-old son was present at the time of my arrest and has lost his speech due to shock. We are in a very difficult situation.”

While emphasizing that she only has 60 days to escape the criminal regime of the Islamic Republic, she requested support and action from all human rights activists, Iranians outside the country, and Iranian opposition for an emergency visa and immediate departure from Turkey.

It should be noted that not only the situation of human rights activists and political activists, but also many Christians present in Turkey as refugees are in an uncertain situation, with most of them living in camps facing the danger of deportation.