Christian Family at Risk of Deportation from Turkey to Iran
A Christian family along with their two children are at risk of deportation from Turkey to Iran.
A Christian family named “Mohsen Mokhtari” and his wife “Azita Ramezani” along with their two children “Yona,” 16 years old, and “Yoel,” 7 years old, are living in critical conditions. They were arrested on October 21 of this year in the city of “Denizli” and transferred to a migrant camp in the city of “Agri,” and are now at risk of deportation to Iran.
This Christian family faced repeated threats and interrogation from the Islamic Republic government due to their activities in a house church in Iran and their peaceful activism and beliefs. They were eventually forced to leave Iran for Turkey in 2014. Upon entering Turkey, Mr. Mokhtari’s family submitted their asylum application to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees office in Ankara.
When Mohsen Mokhtari and his family entered Turkey, their daughter Yona was only 6 years old. In 2016, after an interview, they received approval from the United Nations in Turkey, and their case was referred to the resettlement department. Their detention comes despite the fact that two years after entering Turkey, they had received United Nations approval, but immigration police have now arrested them.
Their precarious situation led to tragedy when “Pouran Hoshmand,” Mohsen Mokhtari’s mother, traveled to Turkey to visit him. Upon learning of their situation, she suffered a heart attack and died, as returning this family to Iran would result in their imprisonment. Unfortunately, Mr. Mokhtari’s mother could not bear such an outcome.
According to reports on the situation of asylum seekers in Turkey who have remained in a state of uncertainty for years awaiting approval or resettlement, all refugee cases have been referred to Turkish immigration police for several years now, and the United Nations no longer reviews refugee cases. This has caused even those who received UN approval in previous years to be re-interviewed by Turkish immigration police, and in many cases their files have been rejected. Many of them have been transferred to deportation camps or have chosen to leave Turkey through smuggling rather than face deportation to Iran, and despite the significant dangers, have left Turkey.
It should be noted that human rights activists have repeatedly warned about the situation of asylum seekers in Turkey, particularly political and ideological activists, and the dangers threatening their lives, as well as warning against their deportation to Iran.
