Sajjad, Ali and Mansour shortly before their arrest
In a disturbing act of religious persecution, members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, a peaceful religious community, have been targeted by local authorities in Isparta, Turkey. This morning, three individuals — Sajjad Jafari, Ali Lakzaeian, and Mansour Dehghan (pictured) — were detained by police in connection with their peaceful missionary activities, which are fully protected under international law.
At approximately 9:30am, police officers arrived at the home of Mansour Dehghan and forcibly entered after repeatedly knocking on the door. The authorities detained him and transported him to the local security department. The officers claimed they were questioning him due to the activities of Sajjad and Ali, who had visited the house and allegedly put up posters promoting their faith.
The members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light have a fundamental right to freely manifest their religion and beliefs, as guaranteed under Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which includes the freedom to share and promote their faith through peaceful activities such as distributing literature and putting up posters. These rights are not dependent on obtaining permission from local authorities. However, the police in Isparta have unjustly targeted these individuals for peacefully expressing their religious beliefs.
During the interrogation, authorities revealed they had been monitoring the group’s activities for weeks, further illustrating the targeted nature of the harassment. In a further attempt to intimidate, the authorities pressured the individuals to sign documents without legal counsel. When a lawyer was called, the authorities revised the documents, exposing their attempts to manipulate the situation.
Although the detained members were initially released, they were later transferred to a detention center where they are subjected to further interrogation. Sajjad and Ali, who had planned to leave Isparta, were unable to depart and were also taken into custody. The detainees are awaiting transfer to a removal camp, where they will be held until a decision is made regarding their deportation. If deported, these members face the risk of lengthy prison sentences, and possible execution by the Iranian regime, who had declared members of the faith heretic and issued prison sentences against them.
This incident is part of a larger pattern of harassment faced by members of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in Turkey. These three members were previously part of 104 members who were arbitrarily detained in 2023 for five months in Turkey. Their eventual release came only after significant international pressure, including intervention by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, calling upon Turkey not to deport members of the faith.
The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light condemns these actions as a clear violation of the right to freedom of religion and belief, which includes the right to engage in peaceful missionary work and share religious messages. The Turkish authorities’ actions contradict both international law and Turkey’s obligations under human rights treaties.
The Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light calls on the international community to stand in solidarity with those being unjustly targeted for their religious beliefs and demands that Turkish authorities end the harassment of its members, halt the planned deportation, and uphold the right to religious freedom as a fundamental human right.
Hadil El Khouly, human rights outreach coordinator of the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light, discusses the wave of religious persecution and human rights abuses endured by members of our faith globally.
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