The Challenge of Iranian Christian Refugees in Georgia
Christian organizations published reports on the challenges faced by Iranian Christian refugees in Georgia.
Christian organizations "Article 18", "Open Doors", "MAC", and "World Christian Solidarity" published reports on the situation of Iranian Christians who have declared asylum in Georgia but whose applications have been rejected by the government.
The reports, based on interviews with a group of asylum seekers and their lawyers, show that Georgian authorities, which handle immigration cases, consistently reject asylum applications, regardless of the fact that the refugees will face persecution by the government if they return to Iran.
The report published by the organizations states: “With little hope of being recognized as refugees but few alternatives to access international protection, asylum seekers face an uncertain future. Some of those whose asylum applications in Georgia have been rejected have already lived as refugees in neighboring countries such as Turkey for years. They have stated that they no longer know what to do or where to go.”
In a published report, Christian organizations noted that nearly one-fifth of all asylum seekers in Georgia are Iranian, and announced that about 90 percent of asylum applications are based on Christian beliefs and fear of repression by the government and its agents in Iran.
The organizations also noted in their reports that there were various reasons for rejecting these requests, including “the growing relations between the Georgian government and the Islamic Republic” and “intolerance towards Christian beliefs other than Georgian Orthodoxy.” As a result, hundreds of Iranian Christians are currently seeking asylum in Georgia, with little hope of being allowed to stay in the country for long.
In most cases, it has also been stated that one of the reasons for rejecting their applications is due to their unrealistic faith. However, according to an interview conducted with "Reza Fazeli" and "Amin Zangenezad", their asylum applications were rejected, given that their Christian faith was accepted by the Georgian authorities.
Reza Fazeli, a Christian citizen, said in his interview with Christian organizations: "Thank God, I was the first person whose Christian faith was approved by the Georgian authorities, but then they told me that you will not have any problems in your country and you can return."
The reports state that the words in the rejection letters for Reza Fazeli and Amin Zangenezad were quite similar. Another rejected asylum seeker, Hadi Pourmohammadi, said: “It’s as if there is one letter for all Iranian Christians, they just changed my name and put my friend’s name in it.”
The report by the four Christian organizations also concluded with recommendations to Georgian authorities regarding the situation of Iranian refugees, especially Christians. They called on the Georgian government to recognize the diversity of Christian beliefs when assessing the validity of a religious conversion. They also called on the international community to provide new safe and legal pathways for resettlement for refugees.
