Legal advocacy organisation ADF International has raised concern that the Turkish government is expelling large numbers of Christians from the country on alleged national security grounds.
According to ADF International, more than 200 foreign Christian workers have been expelled from Türkiye since 2020, affecting around 350 individuals in total, including many church leaders and their families.
Between December 2024 and January 2025 alone, 35 new security codes were reportedly issued against foreign Christians. These codes are used to block individuals from re-entering the country, a measure that has left several Protestant congregations without ordained ministers or leadership.
ADF International is currently involved in over 30 legal challenges to these expulsions, with cases being heard both in Turkish courts and at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR).
Lidia Rieder, legal officer at ADF International, described the expulsions as an abuse of legal powers. “Türkiye’s labelling of peaceful Christian residents as ‘security threats’ is a clear misuse of law and an attack on freedom of religion or belief,” she said. “When governments manipulate immigration systems to exclude people because of their faith, it undermines the rule of law and the principles of tolerance and peaceful coexistence.”
One of the ongoing ECHR cases, Wiest v. Türkiye, involves an American citizen who had lived in the country legally for more than 30 years. He claims he was barred from returning to Turkey without any explanation or evidence of wrongdoing.
ADF International also noted that restrictions on Christian life in Turkey extend beyond expulsions. Protestant seminaries are unable to obtain legal recognition, Bible education is banned, and church congregations often face difficulties securing buildings for worship.
While Turkey has long experienced violence from left-wing groups and Kurdish separatists, there are no known cases of terrorism involving either domestic or foreign Christians.
