Turkey accused of targeting Christians for deportation

The Turkish government denied using national security measures to unlawfully deport Christian missionaries and journalists from the country. The country’s government rejected a vote from the European Parliament condemning Turkey’s practice, Alliance Defending Freedom, or ADF, said in a news release Tuesday. The Turkish Foreign Ministry instead dismissed the vote as baseless in a statement on Friday. It said the European Parliament had lodged unfounded allegations that were merely an attempt to interfere in the country’s internal affairs.

What did the European Parliament’s vote find? In a 502-2 vote, the European Parliament passed a resolution that said Turkey carried out the deportation or denied re-entry of foreign Christian pastors, missionaries, and their family members. The Turkish government used security codes such as “N-82” and “G-87” to label around 300 Christian residents as threats to national security, the resolution said. Additionally, the country deported a handful of journalists over their political coverage. All residents were deported without evidence, a trial, or any means of appeal, the resolution said. The European Parliament said it had taken up this issue to address and protect international freedom of religion and beliefs.

The European Court of Human Rights formally took up the cases of 20 Christians who were banned from reentry to Turkey earlier this month. These 20 missionaries came to Turkey from several countries across Europe, including the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Germany. About a dozen were originally from the United States.

How does Turkey’s actions affect the missionaries’ rights? Turkey’s recent rejection of the European Parliament’s resolution shows a lack of respect for human rights, said Kelsey Zorzi, the director of global religious freedom at Alliance Defending Freedom International. Turkey has weaponized national security to target peaceful faith communities, according to Zorzi. ADF added that those targeted by Turkey have no criminal records or any evidence of unlawful conduct. Turkey’s bans have separated families from their communities and left local churches without stable leadership, ADF said.

Dig deeper: Read my report on a Finnish lawmaker who warned Congress that European censorship could harm American free speech.