7/18/2025 Iran — Mehran Shamloui, an Iranian Christian convert, was deported from Turkey to Iran on July 3 after he attempted to escape imprisonment in Iran for his faith. Iranian authorities detained Shamloui after he landed at Iran’s Mashhad International Airport.

According to the Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA), a source close to Shamloui’s family confirmed his arrest.

“He was arrested upon entering Iran at Mashhad Airport and taken to a local security facility,” the source said. “As he is facing a prison sentence, the on-duty judge has ordered his transfer to Tehran on Monday.”

Shamloui, along with two other Christians, was initially arrested by Iranian authorities in November 2024 for participating in a house church. Shamloui was released after posting bail in December 2024.

However, in March 2025, Shamloui was sentenced to 10 years and 8 months in prison for “propaganda activities contrary to Islamic law [and] membership in groups opposing the state.”

An appeal was filed but rejected by the Tehran Appeals Court in April.

Shamloui fled Iran and attempted to make it to Europe, but was stopped in Turkey due to a lack of proper documentation. Turkey has reportedly been deporting Christians due to their faith for several years. In a Mission Network News report, Todd Nettleton from The Voice of the Martyrs, stated that the deportations are a tactic that Turkish authorities often use against Christians.

“This is now a strategy that’s being used by the Turkish government to decrease the Christian influence and decrease Christian ministry in Turkey,” Nettleton said.

The Turkish government has been increasingly deporting Christians, at times applying what are known as “N-82” codes against them. These codes label individuals as “risks to national security” and have been used to block people from entering or staying in Turkey.

Additionally, Article 9 of the Alien Act in Turkey grants Turkish officials the right to refuse entry to anyone deemed a threat to the nation’s security.

According to a November 2024 report from the European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ), Article 9 has been used to target Christians as well.

“These expulsions systematically target Christians, perceived as ‘threats’ because of their faith and missionary activities,” the ECLJ stated. “However, no equivalent measures have been taken against foreign Muslim missionaries.”