When sharing the gospel is treated as a security threat

For nearly two decades, U.S.-Canadian evangelist David Byle called Turkey home. He raised his family there. He built relationships and served his community there. And like Christians throughout history, he peacefully shared the hope of the gospel there.

Then, in 2019, on his way back from a trip to the United States, he was informed at the Istanbul airport that Turkey had banned him from the country he had called home for years. The Turkish government labeled him a threat to national security. No explanation provided. No evidence of any wrongdoing. But he has not been allowed to enter the country since.

David’s story is not an isolated case.

Since 2019, Turkish authorities have used national security codes—typically reserved for terrorist activity—to brand missionaries from other countries as risks to “public order and security.” Many of these missionaries are long-term Turkish residents simply living out and sharing their Christian faith.

But these codes have been used to bar at least 160 missionaries from entering Turkey. According to the Protestant Church Association’s 2024 Human Rights Violation Report, the estimated number impacted, including their family members, is over 300. Some have been separated from spouses and children. Others were forced to leave behind congregations that relied on their spiritual leadership.

Turkey’s actions are an egregious violation of the fundamental rights to freedom of religion and freedom of speech. Missionary activity—sharing of one’s faith in public—is protected under international and human rights law, including the European Convention on Human Rights, to which Turkey is a party. It is also lawful under Turkish national law. Yet government officials are using immigration and security laws as a pretext to suppress religious expression.

This misuse of security codes to punish people of faith sends a chilling message: share the gospel, and lose your home, your ministry, and your community—and for those you’re witnessing to, potentially eternity.

But at last, there is hope for justice.

In January, the European Court of Human Rights formally took up 20 cases challenging these unlawful bans. ADF International is supporting nearly all of them before Europe’s highest human rights court. By reviewing the cases together, the court has the opportunity to hold the Turkish government accountable and end this systematic religious discrimination.

To be clear, every nation has a legitimate interest in protecting its security, but it cannot be used as a blanket excuse to violate human rights. When a government labels peaceful Christians as threats solely because they share their faith, it undermines not only religious freedom but the rule of law itself.

Christians remain among the most persecuted religious groups worldwide. In some places, persecution comes with violence or prison bars. In others, it comes with exclusion or paperwork. But whether brutal or bureaucratic, the persecution is real—and the quiet ostracism of people because of their faith should concern all who value freedom.

And it should matter deeply to Americans, not only because 12 of the 20 cases before the European Court of Human Rights involve U.S. citizens, but because religious freedom is not merely a Western ideal. It is a universal human right rooted in the God-given dignity of every person. Censorship anywhere is a threat to freedom everywhere.

Thankfully, the cases now before the court represent an opportunity for accountability. International courts play a vital role in protecting those whose rights are denied at home. We hope that this court will affirm what international law already makes clear: No one should be silenced, punished, or exiled for peacefully sharing their faith.

Scripture calls us to “remember those who are in prison, as though in prison with them” (Hebrews 13:3). The Christians banned from Turkey are not behind bars, but many are living a form of exile—cut off from their families and the communities they served and loved.

We are called to stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can pray for those expelled, for the churches and believers affected, and for the judges deciding these cases to have wisdom and courage.

We can urge our leaders to prioritize international religious freedom in diplomatic engagement. And we can recommit ourselves to defending the freedom to proclaim the gospel everywhere.

Because sharing the good news of Christ is not a security threat. It is a fundamental human right and a calling the Church must never abandon.