According to information received by the Hana Human Rights Organization, a Kurdish asylum-seeking family in Turkey has received a negative decision from the country’s immigration authorities for the second time in recent days, following 11 years of uncertainty. This development has heightened the risk of their forced return to Iran, where they could face arrest, torture, and severe judicial sentences.
Rezgar Sheikh Jegari, a Kurdish political activist and researcher in the field of children’s rights, has been residing in Turkey as an asylum seeker since 2016, together with his wife, Soheila Ahmadi, and their two children, Baran and Aran. The family has remained in a state of uncertainty throughout this period. Following a second negative decision from Turkey’s immigration authorities in recent days, they now face a serious risk of deportation to Iran.
Due to his political activities, research, and openly expressed positions in defense of children’s rights, Rezgar Sheikh Jegari would face the risk of judicial persecution and the fabrication of security-related charges if returned to Iran.
His forced return to Iran could expose him to arrest by security agencies, physical and psychological torture aimed at extracting forced confessions, and severe judicial sentences, including lengthy prison terms and the possibility of a death sentence.
The Hana Human Rights Organization has expressed concern over the fate of this asylum-seeking family and called for an immediate halt to the deportation process and for measures to prevent their forced return to Iran.