ICC Note: David Byle, an American evangelical living in Istanbul, Turkey has been held by authorities for 30 days without charge ahead of deportation. Byle’s application for residency in the country was denied preceding his being detained under charges of being a danger to the state. Byle’s wife, Ulrike, is sure the only reason for his misfortunes are his involvement in evangelical work. On top of the deportation order, the government has filed a “no re-entry order” which forbids the evangelist from returning to Turkey once deported.

04/14/2016 Turkey (Morning Star News) – Turkish authorities have detained a U.S. evangelist and ordered him held for 30 days without charge ahead of deportation, sources said.

Declaring David Byle “a danger to public order,” authorities in Turkey took him into custody on April 6 after asking him to report to the immigration office in Istanbul regarding his application for a residency permit.

Byle, 46, was told his application had been denied; he was immediately taken into custody and then transferred to the Fatih police station in Istanbul. Police held him for two days before transferring him on Friday (April 8) to a holding center for foreigners awaiting deportation, the sources said.

Byle’s wife, Ulrike, said he was told when he arrived at the immigration center that there was no deportation order against him. Normally the center would have no authority to imprison someone without a deportation order, but because Byle was taken there under police custody, immigration officials had the authority to hold him for 48 hours.

The next day, Byle’s attorney informed him that the immigration department had filed a deportation order against him upon direct recommendation from the Ministry of the Interior, which had claimed in a report to the department that Byle was a “danger to public order” and a flight risk. There was no indication of what the “danger to public order” accusation was based on, Byle’s wife said.

Byle was also informed that the government had filed a “no-reentry order” forbidding him from coming back into the country once deported. It is unclear when the order was filed or the length of time the order is valid. Finally, and of particular concern to Byle and his family, authorities claimed that because of the alleged potential danger he posed to Turkey, the government had the “right to supervise” him for 30 days – meaning they could hold him for a month without filing charges against him.

…