UN special rapporteurs have urged Turkey not to deport an Iranian human rights defender and his family, warning that he could be executed if returned to Iran, where he has reportedly been sentenced to death.
In a letter dated August 20 and made public on Monday, the rapporteurs detailed the case of Morteza Amiri, his wife, Shahrbanou Beykramian, and their two children, and called for an individualized assessment of the risks Amiri would face in Iran.
The rapporteurs questioned whether Turkish authorities had adequately considered the reported death sentence, evidence of past torture and the additional risks linked to Amiri’s work documenting executions and other human rights violations in Iran.
The letter was signed by Morris Tidball-Binz, the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; Ganna Yudkivska, vice-chair on communications of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention; Mariângela Batista Galvão Simão, the special rapporteur on the right to health; Andrea Bolaños Vargas, the special rapporteur on human rights defenders; Mai Sato, the special rapporteur on human rights in Iran; Gehad Madi, the special rapporteur on the human rights of migrants; and Pau Pérez Sales, the special rapporteur on torture.
Amiri, a member of Iran’s Baluch minority who has worked with the Norway-based Iran Human Rights (IHRNGO) since 2025, was reportedly sentenced to death in absentia on espionage charges.
According to the UN communication, Iranian intelligence officers detained Amiri in July 2014 and allegedly forced him to sign a confession under torture. After his release, he fled to Turkey with his family and applied for international protection.
Turkish authorities rejected Amiri’s initial application for international protection in August 2020. His appeals were unsuccessful and authorities issued a deportation order for him and his family in March 2022. but it was not implemented.
Amiri submitted another application in April 2023. A December 2023 medical report reportedly documented physical and psychological findings consistent with his account of torture and ill-treatment.
In August 2025, however, Turkish migration authorities declared his new application inadmissible, saying it relied on substantially the same grounds as his earlier request. Amiri challenged the decision, but an administrative court in Denizli rejected his challenge on January 15, 2026, finding that the additional evidence did not warrant a fresh examination of his application.
On February 18, Turkish police detained Amiri, his wife and their two children in Denizli. The family was released the following day subject to weekly reporting requirements, but authorities issued new deportation orders for Amiri and his wife.
The couple reportedly did not receive copies of the deportation orders, raising concerns about their ability to challenge them. Amiri nevertheless appealed with the assistance of his lawyer, but the challenge was rejected, exhausting his available domestic legal remedies. The family’s identity documents were reportedly confiscated, and their residence and work permits were terminated.
The UN rapporteurs also raised concerns about the family’s treatment during detention, including reports that Beykramian, who was awaiting urgent surgery for cancer treatment, and the couple’s younger son were not given immediate access to necessary medication. They also cited reports that police officers intimidated the children.
The experts warned that deporting Amiri to Iran would violate Turkey’s obligations under the principle of non-refoulement, which prohibits returning people to countries where they face a real risk of execution, torture or other irreparable harm.
They asked the Turkish government to explain the asylum and deportation decisions, clarify the status of judicial proceedings and provide information about measures taken to protect the family, including access to medical care and safeguards for the children.
Although a party to the 1951 Refugee Convention, Turkey retains a geographic limitation that restricts refugee status to people fleeing persecution in European countries. Asylum seekers from outside Europe, including Iranians, may qualify for conditional refugee status or other forms of international protection, but human rights groups have reported problems with the implementation of these safeguards.
Turkey has previously deported Iranian asylum seekers who subsequently faced death sentences. There have also been instances in which Iranian dissidents disappeared in Turkey and later resurfaced in Iranian custody.
