Mehran Shamloui, 37, was trying to reach Europe, but was stopped by Turkish authorities who sent him back to his country of origin, he had been sentenced recently to 10 years in prison for religious activities. Meanwhile, Iran continues its policy of expelling hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants.

Tehran (AsiaNews) – An Iranian Christian, who fled to Turkey after being sentenced to 10 years in prison along with two fellow Christians for joining a house church, ended up in prison again after Turkish authorities deported him to his country of origin for illegal immigration.

According to Article18, a non-profit NGO dedicated to religious freedom in Iran, 37-year-old Mehran Shamloui had left the Islamic Republic in early 2025 after he and there other two Christians were sentenced to more than 40 years in prison for religious activities.

Once in Turkey, he did not apply for refugee status and tried instead to cross the border into Europe. As a result, he was arrested and repatriated over the weekend on a plane to Mashhad, where he was taken into police custody.

Sources told Article 18 that Mehran Shamloui decided not to apply for refugee status in Turkey after “so many other Iranian Christians spend years awaiting resettlement only to see their applications rejected.” Ultimately, he was unable to avoid arrest and repatriation.

While Iran is still mourning the victims of its “12-Day War" with Israel, Shamloui is expected to be transferred to a prison in Tehran shortly, where he will have to serve the sentence handed down last March.

The 37-year-old and the other two Christians, Abbas Soori and Narges Nasri, who was pregnant at the time of the sentence, were arrested in the fall of 2024 during raids by security police on their homes in Tehran.

During their operation, police seized personal effects, including Bibles, crosses and musical instruments. Mehran Shamloui is a musician and the equipment that security agents confiscated was valued at around US$ 5,500.

After their arrest, the three Christians were taken first to Ward 209 of Evin Prison, which is under the control of the Ministry of Intelligence, where they were subjected to long and intense questioning before they were released on bail for more US$ 20,000 each.

Their trial was held on 15 February at Branch 26 of the Revolutionary Court of Tehran. The defendants were charged with “membership in opposition groups,” “propaganda against the system,” and “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law through foreign relations” under Articles 499, 500, and 500 bis of the Criminal Code.

Narges Nasri, who turns 38 this month, received the most severe sentence – 10 years for “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law,” five for belonging to an “opposition group” (house church), and an additional year for “propaganda against the state.”

She was also found guilty of posting messages on social media against the compulsory wearing of the veil (hijab) and in support of the “Women, Life, Freedom” movement that emerged in the wake of Mahsa Amini’s death.

Abbas Soori, 48, received a total of 15 years in prison – 10 years for “propaganda activities” and five for belonging to an “opposition group”, while Mehran Shamloui was supposed to serve eight years for the first charge and two years and eight months for the second.

All three were stripped of their social rights, such as health, work or education.

Their appeals were rejected in April, "in view of the scope of their activities and their harmful effects" but by that time, the three had already fled the country.

The attempt of one of them to reach Europe through Turkey ended with repatriation and prison.

The issue of migrants and refugees in Iran is topical not only for those – Christians, political dissidents or other minorities – trying to flee the Islamic Republic among, but also for foreign migrants, especially Afghans, that Iran is trying to deport.

The United Nations and other international organisations note that hundreds of thousands of Afghan migrants have left the country or been expelled, after Iranian authorities gave four million undocumented Afghan migrants until 6 July to return to their home country.

Iran says it hosts over six million Afghans, many of whom live without any legal status, while migrants complain of persecution and discrimination by the clerical regime.

The war with Israel accelerates the expulsions, with Afghans (and Iran’s ethnic and religious minorities) accused – without much evidence – of working and spying for the Jewish state.

What is more, there is no shortage of cases of regular migrants, with regular permits, stopped and deported after heavy-handed questioning and mistreatment.

The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) said last month that at least 1.2 million Afghans have been forcibly repatriated from Iran and Pakistan, threatening to destabilise the already fragile internal situation in a country ruled once more by the Taliban.

 

turkey, iran, afghanistan, pakistan, refugees, christians, persecution, repatriation, taliban