Banned from territory in Turkey, a Christian lodges a complaint before the European Court of Human Rights
"Everyone has the right to freely choose, live and share their faith. Unfortunately, the Turkish authorities continue to undermine religious freedom by deliberately trying to stifle the spread of Christianity."
A Christian banned from entering Turkey lodges a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). For ADF International, a faith-based legal defense organization that represents this Christian, it is about "discriminatory treatment of Christians by Turkey".
“Everyone has the right to choose, live and freely share their faith. Unfortunately, the Turkish authorities continue to undermine religious freedom by deliberately trying to stifle the spread of Christianity,” explains Lidia Rieder, legal officer for ADF International.
“We are filing the case of Rachel Zalma (name changed for security reasons, editor’s note) before the ECHR to challenge Turkey’s discriminatory treatment of Christians. Many others face the same de facto ban as Rachel and her husband "They have seen their lives turned upside down simply because of their faith. We hope the Court holds Turkey accountable so Christians can live their lives again without the threat of deportation or unchallenged entry bans hanging over them." ".
Rachel Zalma moved with her husband to Turkey in 2009. Together they lived there for more than 11 years before being considered a "threat to public order and security", which amounts to a inadmissibility.
The couple tried unsuccessfully to challenge this situation in the Constitutional Court of Turkey and now live in the United Kingdom.
MC
