Georgia denies visas, repatriates Iranian Christians seeking asylum
A long report by Article18, CSW, Open Doors and Middle East Concern raises the issue. The future for migrants is uncertain with abuse and violence potentially waiting for them should they return to Iran. In 2023, 20 per cent of asylum seekers in Georgia came from Iran, 90 per cent fleeing after converting to Christianity.
Tehran (AsiaNews) – Immigration authorities in Georgia systematically refuse asylum applications submitted by Iranian Christians, pursuing a policy of rejections despite well-founded fears of persecution upon their return to their country of origin.
A report based on interviews with migrants and their legal representatives made available by Article18, an advocacy NGO dedicated to religious freedom in Iran and persecuted Christians, notes that “asylum-seekers [. . .] face an uncertain future, with little hope of being recognised as refugees but having few alternative options to access international protection.”
The document, which is the result of joint work by Article18, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), Open Doors, and Middle East Concern, shows that several asylum seekers whose applications were rejected in Georgia have lived for years as refugees in neighbouring countries.
In Turkey, they have become victims of persecution and abuse by the country’s authorities, ending up in a "limbo" of harassment and fear of repatriation.
Several individuals “no longer know what to do, nor where to go,” the report reads. “They appeal to the Georgian authorities to recognise the legitimacy of their claims, and to the international community to open up new safe, legal routes for resettlement.”
In 2023, about 20 per cent of all asylum seekers in Georgia were from Iran, 90 per cent fleeing the country after converting to Christianity. However, in the past three years, Georgia’s immigration department has accepted less than 1 per cent of the almost 1,200 Iranians who have applied for asylum for various reasons, not all related to sectarian persecution.
Various factors are behind the rejections, the report suggests, including Georgia’s “burgeoning relationship with Iran” and “intolerance of expressions of Christianity other than Georgian Orthodox”.
In most cases, the requests are rejected because the authorities claim that the applicant’s faith is not genuine, but this argument fails in two cases, that of Pastor Reza Fazeli (pictured) and Amin Zangeneh Zad, whose requests were turned down even though their faith was accepted.
Consequently, the report notes “a growing sense of hopelessness among Iranian Christian asylum seekers in Georgia, who feel increasingly doubtful about their chances of being granted refugee status, and equally uncertain about other options available to them”.
Another asylum seeker who spent nearly a decade in Turkey before moving to Georgia, Sasan Rezaee, said he was "so tired" that he even contemplated returning to Iran and accepting "whatever punishment they may give me.”
“My body and my soul cannot stand this pressure much longer, but what can I do?” he said. “I can’t stay here in Georgia. I can’t stay in Turkey. I don’t want to go to Armenia, and I don’t want to go back to my country. But if they reject me here and I don’t have access to go to another part of the world, I will return to my country, because I’m tired of the asylum seeker situation. I’m so tired. I even think of suicide sometimes.”
Iliya Rahnama’s case is similar. Forced to leave Georgia earlier this year after his request was turned down, he laments the unequal treatment meted out to Iranian applicants.
“What was our mistake? Most countries talk about freedom of religion. OK, I was Muslim and in 2012 I believed in Jesus Christ. Was that a mistake? Sometimes, I am confused why Europe, the USA, and other countries can’t understand about Iranian Christians. Why do they close their eyes?” he said, desperate. “Please open your eyes. Please have mercy. Please get justice for us.”
The report concludes with some recommendations for Georgian authorities and the international community.
Advocacy groups want the Georgian government to ensure that immigration officials conduct a more thorough refugee determination process, recognise the diversity of Christian beliefs when evaluating the authenticity of a conversion, refer to the reports of the UN Special Rapporteur on Iran when assessing the situation of Christians in the Islamic Republic and determining whether asylum seekers have a well-founded fear of persecution if they return.
Lastly, the international community should urgently put pressure on Georgia regarding the situation of asylum-seeking Iranian Christians, open new safe and legal pathways for the resettlement of Iranian Christians, increase efforts to ensure that Iranian Christians fleeing their country because of religious persecution – or fear of it – are protected and resettled quickly, strengthen regional protection mechanisms to ensure the continued presence of Iranian Christians in the Middle East and the Caucasus.
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