The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) on Thursday urged the State Department to put Turkey on its special watch list, citing continued targeting of foreign-born Protestants and broader ongoing restrictions on religious freedoms in the country.
The USCIRF said in a statement that Turkish authorities continue to label foreign-born Protestants as national security threats, a designation that has resulted in entry bans, residency denials and deportations, creating what it described as a climate of fear within the country’s small Protestant community.
“Everyone, regardless of residency status, has the right to freedom of religion or belief under international law,” said USCIRF Chair Vicky Hartzler. “The US administration should maintain the momentum President Trump made in his September meeting with President Erdoğan and push for tangible improvements to Turkey’s religious freedom record, including an end to its repressive tactics against Christians.”
The commission also welcomed a European Parliament resolution calling for the removal of security codes that bar foreign journalists and Christian missionaries from entering Turkey, as well as the European Court of Human Rights’ (ECtHR) decision to review applications by affected individuals.
The USCIRF urged the US government to press Turkey to lift restrictions affecting access to houses of worship, remove obstacles facing foreign-born clergy and allow religious institutions to operate freely, including the long-closed Halki Theological Seminary in İstanbul.
The commission also pointed to Turkey’s broader record on religious freedom, citing obstacles to the registration of Alevi, Protestant and Jehovah’s Witness places of worship and the government’s continued refusal to grant legal personality and full institutional autonomy to religious communities.
In its 2025 annual report, the USCIRF recommended putting Turkey on the State Department’s Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating severe violations of religious freedom.
A total of 12 countries were recommended for placement on the State Department’s Special Watch List based on their governments’ perpetration or toleration of serious violations: Algeria, Azerbaijan, Egypt, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Turkey and Uzbekistan.
The USCIRF is an independent, bipartisan federal government entity established by the US Congress to monitor, analyze and report on threats to religious freedom abroad. It makes foreign policy recommendations to the president, secretary of state and congress to deter religious persecution and promote freedom of religion and belief.
