The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Saturday urged Turkish authorities to release Iranian journalist Kaveh Taheri and stop efforts to deport him to Iran, saying he could face imprisonment and other forms of reprisal if returned, Turkish Minute reported.
Taheri, a freelance journalist and human rights advocate, was detained January 26 in Sakarya while traveling by bus to İstanbul for a visa appointment at the French Consulate in İstanbul, his lawyer told CPJ. He is being held at the Kocaeli Removal Center, CPJ said.
CPJ said a deportation order was issued January 28 on “national security” grounds and that no hearing date had been set, according to Taheri’s lawyer. Turkish authorities did not respond to CPJ’s requests for comment.
Taheri’s lawyer said he has previously faced deportation attempts that courts blocked and that he has been subjected to repeated administrative pressure.
Taheri is recognized as a refugee by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
Turkey’s migration authority says a foreigner can appeal a removal decision to an administrative court within 15 days of notification and that the court decides appeals within seven days.
CPJ said Taheri has reported on corruption and human rights abuses. He was reportedly arrested by Iranian intelligence in 2012 and imprisoned for nearly a year in Adel Abad Prison, where he reported torture and a forced confession.
