Turkish actions barring foreign Christians from the country are being considered by the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Since 2020, over 200 foreign Christian workers have been expelled from the country, in total impacting around 350 people. Many Protestant congregations are left without spiritual leadership, as many of those targeted are ordained ministers, some of whom have spent decades in the country.
Foreign Christians are usually barred from entering or re-entering the country on “national security” grounds.
The ECHR has “communicated” 20 such cases with the Turkish authorities and asked the country to submit its observations as the cases proceed.
Dr Lidia Rider, legal officer for ADF International, which is supporting those affected, said, “Peaceful worship and participation in church life are not threats to national security. Yet foreign Christians in Turkey — pastors, teachers, ministry workers, and missionaries — have been labelled security risks and expelled based on undisclosed files.
“Deprived of access to the allegations, they had no meaningful opportunity to defend themselves in courts. The Court’s communication of these cases is a crucial step toward accountability and redress.”
As a Muslim-majority nation, Turkey has a mixed record on its treatment of its Christian minority.
On the one hand Turkish authorities have acted to prevent ISIS atrocities targeting Christians, with over 100 arrests taking preventing planned attacks last Christmas.
On the other hand, a report published last year by the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) states that Christians in Turkey continue to face legal, administrative and social obstacles.
The Turkish state has enacted “policies aimed at creating an ethnically and religiously homogeneous Turkish Sunni Muslim nation”. There have been at least 12 documented physical attacks on churches since 2020, some involving firearms or explosives.
Christianity and Christian converts are often portrayed negatively in textbooks and media and “hate speech” against Christians is “widespread” in the media and public discourse.
The report also details the confiscation or transfer of ownership of more than 1,000 church properties since 2002, and the continued denial of legal personality to many Christian associations, preventing them from owning property in their own name or opening churches.
Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Global Religious Freedom for ADF International, welcomed the action taken by the ECHR.
She said, “These are not isolated mistakes or one-off decisions. By examining these cases together, the Court is acknowledging that they may reveal a pattern of discrimination against Christians in Turkey.
“We look to the Court to uphold the fundamental principle that governments cannot strip people of their rights simply for living out their faith.”
