Turkey “Refused” to Extradite Mohammad Mosaed to Iran

Turkish authorities announced that they will not return Mohammad Mosaed to Iran. This Iranian journalist currently remains in the city of Van pending review of his asylum request by international bodies. A prison sentence has been issued for him in Iran.

Turkish officials have stated that they will not hand over Iranian journalist Mohammad Mosaed to the Islamic Republic government.

According to Middle East Eye news agency, Mosaed was forced to contact Turkish aid authorities on Sunday evening (January 17) because he was “suffering from extreme cold exposure.”

Turkish security forces emphasized to Middle East Eye (MEE): “We will not hand him over to Iran; because severe punishment awaits him, while he is a journalist and not a criminal.”

They stated that Mohammad Mosaed is being held in an illegal immigrant deportation center pending international bodies’ review of his asylum request.

Mohammad Mosaed crossed the border into Turkey without a valid passport.

“Illegal Crossing”

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday, December 29 (January 18), called on Turkish authorities to refrain from deporting Mohammad Mosaed and handing him over to Iran.

Mohammad Mosaed contacted the Committee to Protect Journalists the previous day via a messaging application and reported that he had been detained by Turkish border police in the border city of Van after crossing from Iran.

Mosaed told the Committee to Protect Journalists that Turkish police transferred him to Ozalp Hospital for treatment and told him that he would soon be handed over to Iranian border police.

Mosaed is an investigative journalist and winner of the International Press Freedom Award in 2020. Last summer, he was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison, a two-year ban on journalistic activity, and two years of deprivation from using all communication devices on charges of “conspiracy against national security” and “propaganda against the system.”

Mosaed told the Committee to Protect Journalists that he fled after being summoned by Iranian authorities and two days before his prison sentence was to be executed.

Sharif Mansour, coordinator of the Committee to Protect Journalists for the Middle East and North Africa, said in this regard: “We believe Mohammad Mosaed is at risk of harassment and persecution if he returns to Iran.” He added that the committee has asked Turkish authorities to respect their commitments under international law and refrain from deporting Mosaed.

Mosaed has been arrested twice so far due to his investigative journalism activities. His activities include reporting on internet shutdowns during the November 2019 protests, reporting on government corruption, embezzlement, labor problems, and Iran’s poor response to the coronavirus pandemic.