The European Court of Human Rights has formally taken up 20 cases challenging Turkey’s designation of foreign Christians as national security threats, with a legal advocacy group warning that “peaceful worship and participation in church life are not threats to national security.”
The cases — largely supported by Alliance Defending Freedom International — were “communicated” to the Turkish government on Feb. 5, a procedural step signaling that the court considers them sufficiently related to be examined together and inviting Ankara to submit its observations as proceedings move forward.
According to ADF International, the applications stem from Turkey’s use of internal security codes — including “N-82” and “G-87” — to label peaceful foreign Christian residents as threats to “public order and security.”
The designations effectively block them from reentering or remaining in the country despite years or decades of lawful residence.
Since 2019, Turkish authorities have issued such codes to hundreds of foreign Christians, affecting at least 160 workers and their families, estimated to total several hundred individuals.
Many served as pastors, teachers, ministry workers, and missionaries.
“Peaceful worship and participation in church life are not threats to national security. Yet foreign Christians in Türkiye — pastors, teachers, ministry workers, and missionaries — have been labelled security risks and expelled based on undisclosed files,” said Dr. Lidia Rider, legal officer for ADF International.
“Deprived of access to the allegations, they had no meaningful opportunity to defend themselves in courts. The Court’s communication of these cases is a crucial step toward accountability and redress,” said Dr. Rider.
The classification at issue typically applies to terrorism suspects.
Those targeted in these cases, however, reportedly have no criminal records and no evidence of unlawful conduct — sharing only the common thread of openly practicing and expressing their Christian faith.
A 2024 Human Rights Violation Report by the Protestant Church Association records 132 individuals arbitrarily branded with entry ban codes on the basis of their Christian faith.
The report states that 303 Christians in total have been affected.
ADF International argues the pattern raises serious concerns under the European Convention on Human Rights, including protections for religious freedom, family life, and safeguards against discrimination.
Among the applicants are longtime residents Dave and Pam Wilson, who ministered in Turkey for nearly four decades before being denied reentry in 2019 after returning from a holiday trip to the United States.
David Byle, a Christian minister who served 19 years in Turkey, was likewise forced to leave and now resides in Germany.
Another couple — identified under pseudonyms Rachel and Mario Zalma — were flagged with the N-82 code after years supporting a church community in Istanbul.
“These are not isolated mistakes or one-off decisions,” said Kelsey Zorzi, director of global religious freedom for ADF International. “By examining these cases together, the Court is acknowledging that they may reveal a pattern of discrimination against Christians in Türkiye. We look to the Court to uphold the fundamental principle that governments cannot strip people of their rights simply for living out their faith.”
Turkey, a Muslim-majority nation of 86 million people, is home to roughly 100,000 Christians — a fraction of its historic Christian population.
While Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew I has said the country is not “a hostile environment” for Christians, critics have pointed to government actions in recent years — including the 2020 reconversion of the Hagia Sophia basilica into a mosque — as emblematic of mounting pressure on the country’s Christian minority.
The Strasbourg-based court’s review now places Turkey’s internal security designation system under formal European scrutiny, with the outcome likely to determine whether labeling peaceful Christian residents as national security threats complies with Europe’s human rights standards.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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