The Turkish government is facing a legal challenge for banning the entry of American Christians who have lived in the country for 34 years.
The banning of Turkiye church helper Kenneth Arthur Wiest is part of a broader government campaign to “systematically target” foreign Christians under the pretext of national security, legal aid group Defenders International Freedom (ADFI) said.
ADFI filed a legal challenge with the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) on behalf of Mr. Wisto, who lived in Turkiye with his wife and three adult children since 1985 until the government banned it in 2019.
The Turkiye government based its 2019 ban on information from national intelligence agencies. Wiest has been fighting for his ouster since 2021, according to a report from advocacy group Middle East Forum.
Speech at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
“The Turkiye government’s labeling of peaceful Christian residents as a ‘security threat’ is a clear abuse of the law and an attack on freedom of religion and belief,” Rieder said.
Manipulating government administrative and immigration systems to exclude people solely because of their faith undermines both the rule of law and the principles of tolerance and peaceful coexistence that the OSCE was founded to protect, she said.
Since 2020, the Turkiye government has expelled more than 200 foreign Christian workers and their families, affecting 350 people, including some who had lived in the country for decades, ADFI said.
The Home Office assigned these people “security codes” such as N-82 or G-87, effectively banning them from re-entering the country and classifying them as national security threats. In December and January 2024 alone, at least 35 new canons were issued against foreign Christians, removing pastoral leadership from Protestant churches and disrupting the lives of believers.
ADFI is supporting 30 cases at the European Court of Human Rights against foreign Christians banned by Turkiye. ADFI’s press statement said that while Turkiye’s constitution enshrines freedom of religion and conscience, “government practices tell a different story.”
“Entry bans and deportations increasingly serve as a means of silencing foreign Christian workers, while theological training remains severely restricted. The historic Halki seminary remains closed and Protestant seminaries continue to lack legal status,” ADFI said.
The group added that Turkiye’s government bans Bible education, even though it freely allows Islamic theology classes under state supervision.
ADFI noted that church properties have also been subject to undue restrictions, with believers such as the Protestant community in Bursa being forced out of their long-standing places of worship. The group said these actions revealed a “pattern of systematic discrimination against Christians” in clear violation of the European Convention on Human Rights and Türkiye’s own constitutional guarantees.
According to ADFI, the upcoming legal battle between Wiest and Turkier is likely to set an important precedent for the protection of religious freedom in Europe.
“Authorities have prohibited Mr. Wiest, a U.S. citizen who has legally resided in Turkiye for more than 30 years, from returning home unless there is evidence of wrongdoing,” ADFI said.
Rieder said his case represents a growing number of Christians being punished by the government for peacefully practicing their faith.
“There can be no religious freedom if believers are threatened with expulsion for practicing their faith,” she said. “The OSCE and its member states have committed to promoting tolerance and non-discrimination. We must uphold these commitments not only in words but also in deeds.”
