For almost four decades, Turkey has been the first destination for Iranian dissidents and opponents seeking political asylum to avoid prosecution by the security forces of the regime. In the past several years, especially after political support has been given by the Iranian regime to the ruling government of Turkey led by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan after a failed coup d'etat in 2016, the Turkish government has not only reduced the level of protection of Iranian dissidents, leading to their assassination, but has even arrested and deported them to Iran under the excuse of illegal entry to the country.
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On Friday, July 28, 2023, Turkish Police arrested another Iranian dissident, named Mohamad Lahmi, a former airline pilot and former Shiite cleric who had fled from Iran while on prison leave in 2022. Lahmi, who had been imprisoned in Number 325 Ward of Evin prison over what is called "spreading propaganda against the regime" and also "espionage on behalf of hostile governments" was involved in Iran's airline industry before his arrest.
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A business dispute with some of the most powerful businessmen with close ties to the Revolutionary Guards resulted in his prosecution and arrest under false charges such as espionage for hostile governments.
While living in Turkey, Lahmi continued criticizing the Iranian regime on social media including his Instagram account. As a former Shiite cleric, he published his speeches containing criticism towards the regime on his Instagram account, which he believed could have been one of the causes for being summoned to a Turkish police headquarters in Istanbul when he contacted several Iranian opposition journalists including author and requested their help to prevent his possible deportation to Iran in case of his arrest by the Turkish Police.
Lahmi is an example of many Iranian opposition activists and critics of the Iranian regime who have been arrested by the Turkish security forces among them several have been deported to Iran. One of the high-profile cases happened to two Iranian protesters, Mohammad Rajabi, 25, and Saeed Tamjidi, 27, who got arrested and deported to Iran in December 2019. After Turkish police handed them over to Iranian police, they were reportedly transferred to Evin. After spending several months in detention, they, along with another protester, received a death sentence. The sentences were rejected in the appeal courts but they were imprisoned for several years.
Within the past several years, human rights violations in Turkey have been at their peak as the Turkish government has imprisoned hundreds of journalists and opposition activists. Iranian dissidents and opposition activists in Turkey have also been a victim of these violations among them tens of them have been arrested and handed over to Iran's Islamic regime. Lahmi is one of them whose deportation order has been issued in Istanbul on August 2, 2023. He is currently awaiting deportation to Iran while in detention in Istanbul.
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