The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has taken up 20 cases brought after Turkey designated hundreds of foreign Christian residents as threats to national security and barred them from re-entering the country or obtaining residence permits.
According to a Feb. 5 Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) International press release, the Turkish government’s application of internal security codes has affected at least 160 foreign workers – including pastors, ministry workers, and missionaries – as well as their families. Of the 20 cases, ADF International is legally supporting 17. The legal nonprofit reported that Turkey’s codes effectively label the Christians as threats “to public order and security,” which is a designation usually given to terrorism suspects.
Among those barred from the country are Pam and Dave Wilson, who ministered in Turkey for nearly 40 years, two missionaries who were designated with security codes after attending a church conference, and David Byle, a Christian minister who served in the country for 19 years and is now exiled.
Lidia Rider, an ADF International legal officer, said in the release that the Christians were not informed of allegations against them before they were banned from Turkey. According to ADF International, many similar stories “show that these cases are not isolated, but point to a wider pattern of systemic discrimination.”
After several Christians filed cases over the security codes, the ECHR communicated the cases to the Turkish government, a step that ADF International said invites Turkey to submit observations as legal proceedings begin.
Rider stated in the release that worship and Christian activities do not threaten national security and said that the ECHR’s “communication of these cases is a crucial step toward accountability and redress.”
Kelsey Zorzi, ADF International’s director of global religious freedom, said in the release that the legal nonprofit welcomes the ECHR’s decision to communicate all the cases to Turkey, saying that they 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 Türkiye,” Zorzi said. “We look to the Court to uphold the fundamental principle that governments cannot strip people of their rights simply for living out their faith.”