To Amnesty International
As you are aware, five Iranian asylum seekers who were arrested on 5 April 2021, are still in danger of deportation to Iran. Their families, relatives and friends, and thousands of others who have been following the news of their arrest in the last two weeks, are very concerned about their condition and fate. As Iranian asylum seekers have a bitter experience of being deported to Iran, their concerns are legitimate.
The International Federation of Iranian Refugees calls on Amnesty International to put pressure on the Turkish government to stop the deportation order and release the refugees.
Amnesty International is well aware that Saeed Tamjidi and Mohammad Rajabi were two young men and protesters who fled to Turkey after the November 2019 protests in Iran. Turkish police deported them to Iran, and now both of them, along with six others, are in prison and have been sentenced to death. This bitter experience should not be repeated for Afshin Sohrabzadeh, Lily Faraji, Ismail Fattahi, Zeinab Sahafi and Mohammad Pour Akbari who are in the custody of the Turkish police.
The detained asylum seekers do not deserve to endure all this mental and physical pressure because they have not committed any crimes. They took part in a demonstration organized by Turkish organizations on March 20th to protest Turkey’s withdrawal from the Istanbul Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. Lily Faraji, Ismail Fattahi, Zeinab Sahafi and Mohammad Pour Akbari were arrested at their home on 5 April 2021, 15 days after the demonstration. Mohammad Pour Akbari did not take part in the demonstration and the Turkish police have no evidence to prove his participation in the event. Lily Faraji, Zeinab Sahafi and Ismail Fattahi were there at the protest to raise awareness about the situation in Iran, they held placards against the Islamic Republic of Iran, not against the Turkish government.
Afshin Sohrabzadeh has suffered gastrointestinal bleeding again in Moghala camp and his physical condition has deteriorated severely.
In previous letters, we explained in detail that these detained asylum seekers are well-known figures in the Islamic Republic, and that the judiciary and security services of the Islamic Republic are waiting for their extradition, while the Turkish police put the refugees under pressure to get their consent for deportation.
Protests against the deportation of these asylum seekers continue in various forms.
The International Federation of Iranian Refugees once again calls for the intervention of international organizations and institutions and advocates of asylum rights to put the Turkish government under pressure to stop the deportation of Iranian asylum seekers and release them and hand them over to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
International Federation of Iranian Refugees
۱۹ April 2021