Religious Freedom | Christians banned from Türkiye
Christians Banned and Facing Persecution in Türkiye
- Who: Multiple Christians previously residing in Türkiye, including Pam and Dave Wilson, Rachel and Mario Zalma*, David Byle and others, have appealed their cases to the European Court of Human Rights
- Where: ADF International is supporting over 20 additional cases in domestic courts in Türkiye.
- Advocacy Team: Lidia Rieder
Topic | Persecution
The number of Christians in Türkiye has diminished from 20 percent to 0.3 percent of the population in the last 100 years. An estimated 99% of the 83 million strong population identify as Muslim. Although Türkiye does not have a constitutionally recognized state religion, its government is increasingly marked by Islamization and nationalism, which creates challenges for religious minorities, particularly Christians. In recent years, the government has been specifically targeting foreign Christian workers despite their lawful and often decades-long residence in Türkiye. Between 2020 and 2023, the Turkish government placed entry bans on or expelled at least 160 foreign workers and their families. New entry bans are being issued all the time.
Turkish authorities are branding Christians with so-called “N-82” or “G-87” security codes, which are used to label a person as a “threat to public order and security”. These effectively function as entry bans into the country. The government is wielding these codes to prevent missionary activity in the country. Through the government’s strategic use of these codes, the files with alleged “evidence” against these Christian workers become classified, thus rendering any appeals processes non-transparent and effectively paralyzing domestic legal recourse.
The 2024 Human Rights Violation Report presented by the Protestant Church Association records 132 people who have been arbitrarily branded with the N-82-code, preventing them from entering Türkiye solely on the basis of their Christian faith. The total number of people affected is estimated by the report at 303. ADF International is supporting over 30 such cases before The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and at the national level.
On 16 January 2026, in a crucial step towards accountability, the ECtHR formally communicated 20 cases of Christians banned from Türkiye solely for living out their faith. ADF International is supporting 17 of the cases.
“It is concerning that we are witnessing systematic displays of hostility, towards foreign Christians by officials in Türkiye. These deliberate attempts to stifle the spreading of Christianity violate religious freedom. The joint communication of the cases by the European Court of Human Rights underscores the systemic defects and offers an opportunity to affirm that administrative bans cannot be used to suppress lawful religious activity."
Case Summaries: Christian Persecution in Turkey
The persecution of Christians is increasing across the world, and Türkiye is no exception. Christians are the most persecuted religious group internationally, and yet this issue receives limited attention from the international community. In Türkiye, the government is systematically targeting Christians and their families by banning their reentry into the country, despite their long-term legal residence. Türkiye also has systemically shut down Christian seminaries, forcing the Christian community in Türkiye to rely heavily on foreign pastors. The entry bans on foreign Christian workers are therefore designed to put a stranglehold on the spread of Christianity in Türkiye.
“It is shocking that a country as advanced as Türkiye is now treating foreign Christians who have committed no crimes as terrorists—simply for sharing their faith. We urge the Turkish government to cease these discriminatory practices, which show blatant contempt for religious freedom and amount to flagrant violations of the rights and norms outlined in international agreements, including the European Convention on Human Rights to which Türkiye is a party and founding member of the drafting Council,” said Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Global Religious Freedom for ADF International.
Dave and Pam Wilson
US-missionary couple Pam and David Wilson were banned from Türkiye after living there lawfully for nearly four decades.
Dave arrived in Istanbul in 1980 and took on the leadership of the Bible Correspondence Course (BCC), a ministry begun by Operation Mobilization. His ministry carried out door-to-door evangelism by passing out Gospel tracts and invitations to Bible studies. Pam moved to Ankara in 1984 with a church planting team after having felt a call from God to go to Türkiye a year prior. Dave and Pam met in 1986 and married in 1988. After getting married, they continued to minster to those in Türkiye. Throughout the years, they faced several attempts at deportation by authorities targeting them for their missionary activity. With the help of legal intervention, they were able to remain in the country legally by obtaining the necessary visas and residence permits.
In early February 2019, however, Dave and Pam left Türkiye to spend the Christmas holidays with family in the US. When they returned to Türkiye, they were told at the Istanbul airport that they had both deportation orders and entry bans imposed on them.
Two weeks later, one of their team members received the same entry ban. It became clear that Dave and Pam’s ban was more than an isolated incident. Soon thereafter, Dave, Pam, and two of their team members learned that an additional code, called G-87—a designation generally only assigned to terrorists—had been issued for all of them.
On 13 July 2021, ADF International filed an ECtHR application against Türkiye on behalf of the Wilsons. Their case was taken up by Europe’s highest court in January 2026.
Rachel and Mario Zalma*
In 2009, British couple Rachel and Mario Zalma* (*pseudonyms) moved to Istanbul to support a new Christian church community. They invested significant time in learning the language, history, and customs of the local people. Desiring to bless their neighbourhood, their church offered free English classes and a parent-child playgroup. Donations from their annual Christmas fair went to local charities.
In 2018, the Zalmas heard word of other Christians barred from entering Türkiye after returning from trips to their home countries. Turkish authorities had begun branding Christians with the N-82 security code, a security designation intended to label a person as a “threat to public order and security”.
Then in 2019, sometime after the Zalmas attended the Family Conference of the Association of Turkish Protestant Churches, these stories became a reality for them too. Before leaving for a trip to the UK, Mario was stopped by the police and informed that he also had been labeled with the N-82 code. “It was terrible not knowing what would happen to him. I heard the officers whispering that we were probably terrorists. I was devastated to experience such mistrust, even though we only wanted to do good for the people there,” Rachel remembers. The police let Mario stay in Türkiye to challenge the order in court.
But in June 2020, Rachel also received the code. Before the police had a chance to deport them, the Zalmas decided to return to England themselves and take legal action to challenge the code designation. As a result of documents produced during the Zalmas’ court proceedings, it has come to light that the Zalma’s case is not isolated. Other Christians in attendance at the 2019 Family Conference of the Association of Turkish Protestant Churches have been met with the same fate.
With the support of ADF International, Rachel and Mario have now brought their case before the European Court of Human Rights. Their case was among those communicated by the Court in January 2026.
David Byle
David Byle, a Christian minister living in Türkiye, was forced to leave the country he had called home for 19 years simply because he shared his faith. He and his wife had raised their five children in Türkiye and had become close-knit members of the community.
You are currently viewing a placeholder content from YouTube. To access the actual content, click the button below. Please note that doing so will share data with third-party providers.
More InformationDavid faced an unjust deportation decision in 2016 and challenged the legality of the move in court. Though he had been granted an injunction that allowed him to stay until the decision in the case was delivered, David was unexpectedly taken into custody and interrogated by the police. He thereafter left the country and learned that the authorities imposed an N-82 code on him, effectively banning him from ever reentering the country. The Byles now reside in Germany. In a letter dated 5 May 2022, the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) declined to hear David’s case. An ADF International allied lawyer is now seeking to initiate a new case in Türkiye to challenge his entry ban as his visa application was rejected again in 2022 and five years have passed since the imposition of the code.
European Court of Human Rights takes up cases of banned Christians
Unfortunately, there are a growing number of similar cases.
Over several years, ADFI has raised awareness of these human rights violations through, among other activities, workshops with local lawyers, academic publications and expert submissions highlighting systemic violations of freedom of religion or belief and related rights.
ADF International has supported a number of applicants and counsel in these cases over several years.
In January 2026, in an important step towards accountability, the ECtHR agreed to hear 20 cases of Christians banned from Türkiye solely for living out their faith, 17 of which are supported by ADF International.
The ECtHR has jointly communicated these cases to the Turkish Government, indicating that the Court considers the applications sufficiently related to be examined together and has invited Türkiye to submit its observations as the proceedings move forward.
“We welcome the Court’s decision to jointly communicate these cases. These are not isolated mistakes or one-off decisions,” said Kelsey Zorzi, Director of Global Religious Freedom for ADF International. “By examining these cases together, the Court is acknowledging that they may reveal a pattern of discrimination against Christians in Türkiye. We look to the Court to uphold the fundamental principle that governments cannot strip people of their rights simply for living out their faith.”
*pseudonyms
Updates
Support Religious Freedom
Your gift can support fundamental freedoms for the courageous people like them across the world. Thank you for your generosity.
Stay Informed
Get involved! Sign up to receive updates:
"*" indicates required fields
In Turkey, Christians are being persecuted just for preaching