ISTANBUL, Turkey, July 8, 2002 — Police authorities in central Turkey renewed the expired residence permits of the stranded Erfani family today, showing them a document from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) headquarters in Ankara authorizing the surprise visa extension.
Iranian Christian Mahmoud Erfani told Compass by telephone from Nevsehir that he had been summoned three days ago by the local police, who informed him they had received official UNHCR authorization from Ankara to extend the Erfanis' residence visas, which had expired on March 28, for another six months.
The Turkish officers told Erfani, who cannot read Turkish or English, that the document indicated he had been granted formal U.N. refugee status, pending further procedures to immigrate abroad. No further interviews or application procedures would be required by the UNHCR, he was assured.
"It's a miracle!" Erfani said, admitting he had feared the police would give him a deportation order when he reported on July 5. But so far, he has received no direct confirmation from either the UNHCR or the Canadian Embassy regarding any change in the status of his case. Erfani said he plans to telephone the UNHCR this Thursday, the one day each week when incoming calls are accepted from U.N.-registered refugees.
The convert Christian family had been granted temporary residency in Turkey three years ago, after applying for refugee status with the UNHCR on the basis of the persisting religious persecution they had faced in Iran. Both Erfani and his wife converted from Islam to become baptized Christians 21 years ago in their home city of Mashhad.
But without any documents to substantiate their case, the UNHCR rejected the family's application and two subsequent appeals. This past April, the Canadian Embassy in Ankara also denied them immigration status, leaving them liable for deportation back to Iran by the Turkish authorities.
"I think the appeal I took to the Canadian Embassy two weeks ago has made an impact," a relieved Erfani said. On June 18, Erfani submitted a written appeal to the Canadian Embassy's denial of his application, based on "new and relevant information" regarding his case.
Prepared with assistance from the Colorado-based Iranian Christians International (ICI), the appeal documented specific government persecution of Erfani's relatives in Mashhad since the family fled Iran. Both his brother and brother-in-law were repeatedly detained and interrogated by Ministry of Information (MOI) agents.
He also produced a Turkish court document proving that his family had been threatened and harassed in recent months by an Iranian Muslim who moved into his neighborhood in Nevsehir. Identified as Mohammed Amin Ebrahimzadeh, the Iranian had expressed great interest when he learned that the Erfani family were Christians, asking for a Bible and Christian literature and posing many questions about their faith, worship and baptism.
In early April, Erfani invited Ebrahimzadeh to attend the small house church that met in his home for worship. Ebrahimzadeh observed their prayers, hymns and Bible study. But a few days later, he came to Erfani's home at midnight, pounding on the door and waking up the entire family.
When Erfani opened the door, the man grabbed his collar. "He began insulting my Christian faith and made offensive remarks about Jesus Christ," Erfani said. "At the end of his tirade, he gave us an ultimatum: My family could either leave our apartment and neighborhood, or expect the worst."
"As a Muslim, [Ebrahimzadeh] was angry at my family for abandoning Islam and embracing Christianity," Erfani stated.
Shaken by the threat, Erfani reported it to the police, who asked him to produce witnesses. Six of Erfani's neighbors went on his behalf to testify to the police, who then detained Ebrahimzadeh. In an April 15 verdict signed by the Nevsehir state prosecutor, Ebrahimzadeh was found guilty of slander under Article 344 of the Turkish penal code.
"This episode is exactly the sort of treatment my family and I can expect if we are forced to return to Iran," Erfani said in his June 18 appeal, "only the persecution could be much more serious."
In a separate exhibit attached to the appeal, Erfani detailed his recollection of the specific questions, answers and comments given during his interview in the Canadian Embassy two months earlier. A Turkish Muslim immigration officer conducted the one-hour interview on April 18.
Noting that "any Muslim must harbor a strong dislike for my family and me due to our conversion from Islam," Erfani requested that his appeal and any further interview on his case be processed through "non-Muslim officers" of Canadian immigration.
A Canadian Embassy official declined to comment on the Erfani case today, citing privacy regulations on all immigration matters.
The UNHCR's apparent reversal of the Erfanis' rejected refugee status is expected to pave the way for Canadian authorities to admit them to the application process for immigration to Canada, where a Toronto church has pledged sponsorship for the family.
His wife, Atefeh, who has suffered from advancing multiple sclerosis for the past eight years, is now in a wheelchair. Their daughters Arezoo, 19, Atoussa, 15, and Armineh, 9, have not been able to attend school for the past three years while living in Nevsehir.
Source: Barbara G. Baker, Compass News
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