Iranian Officials Travel to Ankara to Retrieve Iranian Prisoners in Turkey

The Consular Director of the Iranian Foreign Ministry announced that a delegation from the Ministry of Justice, led by the Deputy Minister, is traveling to Ankara to discuss the issue of Iranian prisoners in Turkey, noting that Turkey holds the highest number of Iranian prisoners. Alireza Mahmoudi, in an interview with the ISNA news agency, stated that there are also 6,000 Afghan prisoners in Iran and that "our negotiations for the release and transfer of Iranian citizens from Turkey to the country continue." The approach of Iranian and Turkish officials in this matter has raised concerns among human rights activists, refugees, and opponents of the Iranian government. Experts believe there is a fear that the two countries might use the "pretext" of returning prisoners to repatriate opponents of the Iranian regime. In recent years, there have been reports of some Iranian opposition refugees being arrested in Turkey and returned to Iran. Reporters Without Borders, in a statement in spring 2020, requested that the Turkish Immigration Authority and the United Nations ensure the safety of refugee journalists and assist them in obtaining residency in a safe country. Previously, the Kurdistan Human Rights Network reported the potential expulsion of 20 Iranian political refugees from Turkey and their return to Iran. According to this human rights organization, Shahla Chourke, the wife of Amir Kahrizi, one of the political refugees in a camp in Edirne, Turkey, reported that 20 refugees have been taken to an "unknown location," with some reports indicating they have been transferred to a camp in Agri city near the Iranian border. The Kurdistan Human Rights Network noted that no information has been obtained about the identities of 19 other political refugees so far. Earlier, Shahryar Baratinia, a former political prisoner from Yasouj, was handed over to Iran after being arrested in Istanbul in August, and his family learned of his transfer to Ward 209 of Evin Prison in Tehran after 20 days of not knowing his whereabouts. According to the Hengaw Human Rights Organization, Mr. Baratinia was transferred by Turkish police to the "Dogubayazit" camp in eastern Turkey on August 10 and was handed over to Iranian government forces at the Bazargan border two days later. Shahryar Baratinia had left Iran months prior to his expulsion due to pressures from the judicial and security institutions of the Islamic Republic.