Turkey Faces Scrutiny Over Deportations of Peaceful Christians Under National Security Pretext
The article reports on allegations that Turkey is deporting peaceful Christians under the guise of national security, prompting international condemnation. Human rights advocates, including legal expert Lidia Rieder, warn that these actions target religious minorities and undermine freedom of religion. The Turkish government disputes these claims, calling them part of a disinformation campaign.
Turkey has come under international scrutiny after allegations emerged that the country is systematically deporting hundreds of peaceful Christians under the pretense of national security. Legal experts, including Lidia Rieder of the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), have accused Turkey of using administrative and immigration systems to exclude individuals based solely on their faith, which they claim is an attack on religious freedom and a violation of human rights.
In a recent address to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Rieder highlighted the growing trend of state-sanctioned discrimination against Christians, citing the deportation of over 350 foreign Christian workers and their families since 2020. The Turkish Ministry of Interior is reportedly assigning individuals targeted for expulsion ‘security codes’ that bar them from re-entering the country, a move that has drawn widespread condemnation from international organizations and watchdogs.
Rieder pointed to the ongoing case of Kenneth Wiest, a U.S. citizen who was expelled in 2,019 despite having no record of wrongdoing, as a landmark example of Turkey’s alleged discriminatory policies. The United States-based ADF has called for greater oversight and accountability, emphasizing that Turkey’s actions risk undermining the very principles of tolerance and coexistence that the OSCE was established to protect. The Turkish government has denied the allegations, asserting that such decisions are based on legitimate administrative grounds and not faith-based discrimination.