{"id":55650,"date":"2024-07-12T16:16:39","date_gmt":"2024-07-12T15:16:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/?p=55650"},"modified":"2025-09-03T22:41:26","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T20:41:26","slug":"turkish-authorities-crack-down-on-christianity-deny-church-land-for-worship-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians","title":{"rendered":"Turkish Authorities Crack Down on Christianity; Deny Church Land for Worship Space"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"55650\" class=\"elementor elementor-55650\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<section class=\"elementor-section elementor-top-section elementor-element elementor-element-04c194c elementor-section-boxed elementor-section-height-default elementor-section-height-default\" data-id=\"04c194c\" data-element_type=\"section\" data-e-type=\"section\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-container elementor-column-gap-default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-column elementor-col-100 elementor-top-column elementor-element elementor-element-d7dfeb3\" data-id=\"d7dfeb3\" data-element_type=\"column\" data-e-type=\"column\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-wrap elementor-element-populated\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d8f532b elementor-icon-list--layout-traditional elementor-list-item-link-full_width elementor-widget elementor-widget-icon-list\" data-id=\"d8f532b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"icon-list.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"elementor-icon-list-items\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-angle-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\"><b>Authorities in T\u00fcrkiye ignore requests from the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation to use new land for a worship center; Foundation\u2019s legal challenge struck down by the Diyarbakir 4th Administrative Court. <\/b><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-angle-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\"><b>The Foundation, founded in 2019, forced to meet in space that is too small for their 100+ congregation. <\/b><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"elementor-icon-list-item\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-icon\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<i aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"fas fa-angle-right\"><\/i>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-icon-list-text\"><b>ADF International supporting appeal, efforts for religious freedom in T\u00fcrkiye.<\/b><\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-bc0da84 elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"bc0da84\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1-1024x682.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-55655\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1-1024x682.png 1024w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1-300x200.png 300w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1-768x511.png 768w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1-1536x1023.png 1536w, https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1-2048x1364.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1214d5c elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1214d5c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">DIYARBAKIR, T\u00dcRKIYE<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> (12 July 2024) In the midst of increasing government hostility against Christians in T\u00fcrkiye, the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation has been prohibited from acquiring land zoned for religious buildings for a new worship center. Authorities and government officials continually ignored and turned down their requests, claiming they lack the authority to grant them.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Church, forced to meet in a space that is too small for their 100+ congregation, presented a legal challenge in order to secure new land, but the challenge was struck down by the court. ADF International is supporting the group\u2019s appeal. <\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559685&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cWhat we are seeing in T\u00fcrkiye is a troubling display of blatant, faith-based discrimination against Christians,\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> stated Kelsey Zorzi, ADF International\u2019s Director of Advocacy for Global Religious Freedom. <\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u201cThe Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation is simply asking to use land that has already been designated for religious use, in order to build a facility large enough to safely accommodate their congregation; but authorities keep finding ways to deny their request since they are Christians. The land in question has been specifically designated for religious use, but the government is discriminating against the church because it is not associated with the state\u2019s preferred religion. The systemic and bureaucratic persecution is\u00a0not only in direct violation of the basic human right to religious freedom but also T\u00fcrkiye\u2019s international human rights obligations. The discrimination must stop.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><strong><em>Pastor Ahmet Gu\u0308vener of the Diyarbakiar Protestant Church Foundation on the case:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-92ed945 elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"92ed945\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/youtu.be\\\/XkEW_H1VJKE?si=JV3Oz7gsa6STMrdy&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-container brlbs-cmpnt-content-blocker brlbs-cmpnt-with-individual-styles\" data-borlabs-cookie-content-blocker-id=\"youtube-content-blocker\" data-borlabs-cookie-content=\"PHNjcmlwdD4KKGZ1bmN0aW9uKCkgewogICAgbGV0IGQgPSBudWxsOwoKICAgIC8vIGlmIHdlIGFyZSBpbiBhIGxvb3AsIHdlIG5lZWQgdG8gc2VsZWN0IHRoZSBjb3JyZWN0IHZpZGVvIGVsZW1lbnQsIHNpbmNlIFdpZGdldCBJRCBvY2N1cnMgbXVsdGlwbGUgdGltZXMgb24gcGFnZQogICAgY29uc3QgZWxlbXNJbkxvb3AgPSBkb2N1bWVudC5xdWVyeVNlbGVjdG9yQWxsKCc6aXMoZGl2W2RhdGEtZWxlbWVudG9yLXR5cGU9Imxvb3AtaXRlbSJdLGRpdltkYXRhLWVsZW1lbnRvci10eXBlPSJqZXQtbGlzdGluZy1pdGVtcyJdLGRpdltkYXRhLXdpZGdldF90eXBlXj0icHJlbWl1bS1hZGRvbi10YWJzLiJdKSBkaXYuZWxlbWVudG9yLWVsZW1lbnQtOTJlZDk0NScpOwogICAgaWYgKGVsZW1zSW5Mb29wLmxlbmd0aCA9PT0gMSkgewogICAgICAgIGQgPSBlbGVtc0luTG9vcFswXTsKICAgIH0gZWxzZSBpZiAoZWxlbXNJbkxvb3AubGVuZ3RoID4gMSkgewogICAgICAgIGlmICh0eXBlb2YgZG9jdW1lbnQuY3VycmVudFNjcmlwdCA9PT0gJ3VuZGVmaW5lZCcgfHwgZG9jdW1lbnQuY3VycmVudFNjcmlwdCA9PSBudWxsKSB7CiAgICAgICAgICAgIHJldHVybjsKICAgICAgICB9CiAgICAgICAgY29uc3QgdG1wVmlkZW9XaWRnZXQgPSBkb2N1bWVudC5jdXJyZW50U2NyaXB0LmNsb3Nlc3QoJ1tkYXRhLXdpZGdldF90eXBlPSJicmxic192aWRlby5kZWZhdWx0Il0nKTsKICAgICAgICBpZiAodG1wVmlkZW9XaWRnZXQpIHsKICAgICAgICAgICAgZCA9IHRtcFZpZGVvV2lkZ2V0OwogICAgICAgIH0KICAgIH0KCiAgICBpZiAoZCA9PSBudWxsKSB7CiAgICAgICAgZCA9IGRvY3VtZW50LnF1ZXJ5U2VsZWN0b3IoJ2Rpdi5lbGVtZW50b3ItZWxlbWVudC05MmVkOTQ1Jyk7CiAgICB9CgogICAgaWYgKGQgPT0gbnVsbCkgewogICAgICAgIHJldHVybjsKICAgIH0KICAgIGQuZGF0YXNldC53aWRnZXRfdHlwZSA9IGQuZGF0YXNldC53aWRnZXRfdHlwZS5yZXBsYWNlKCdicmxic18nLCAnJyk7CiAgICBkLmRhdGFzZXQuYnJsYnNVbmJsb2NrZWQgPSAndHJ1ZSc7CgogICAgY29uc3QgaW50ZXJ2YWwgPSBzZXRJbnRlcnZhbCgoKSA9PiB7CiAgICAgICAgaWYgKHR5cGVvZiBlbGVtZW50b3JGcm9udGVuZCAhPT0gJ3VuZGVmaW5lZCcgJiYgdHlwZW9mIGVsZW1lbnRvckZyb250ZW5kLmhvb2tzICE9PSAndW5kZWZpbmVkJykgewogICAgICAgICAgICBjbGVhckludGVydmFsKGludGVydmFsKTsKICAgICAgICAgICAgZWxlbWVudG9yRnJvbnRlbmQuaG9va3MuZG9BY3Rpb24oJ2Zyb250ZW5kL2VsZW1lbnRfcmVhZHkvdmlkZW8uZGVmYXVsdCcsIGpRdWVyeShkKSwgalF1ZXJ5KQogICAgICAgIH0KICAgIH0sIDMwKQp9KSgpOwo8L3NjcmlwdD4=\"><div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-preset-c brlbs-cmpnt-cb-youtube\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-thumbnail\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/borlabs-cookie\/1\/yt_XkEW_H1VJKE_hqdefault.jpg')\"><\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-main\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-play-button\"><\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-content\"> <p class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-description\">Sie sehen gerade einen Platzhalterinhalt von <strong>YouTube<\/strong>. Um auf den eigentlichen Inhalt zuzugreifen, klicken Sie auf die Schaltfl\u00e4che unten. Bitte beachten Sie, dass dabei Daten an Drittanbieter weitergegeben werden.<\/p> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-provider-toggle\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-show-provider-information role=\"button\">Mehr Informationen<\/a> <\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-buttons\"> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-unblock role=\"button\">Inhalt entsperren<\/a> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-accept-service role=\"button\" style=\"display: inherit\">Erforderlichen Service akzeptieren und Inhalte entsperren<\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-efddcaf elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"efddcaf\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Diyarbakir Protestant Church<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation was founded in 2019 in Diyarbakir, a major city in the Southeast, by Protestant Turks and Kurds. The foundation serves over 100 Protestant Christians in Diyarbakir. One of its primary purposes is to host a Protestant church in Diyarbakir, but due to local zoning codes, it lacks proper meeting space to accommodate its parishioners.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">As is frequently the case in Turkey, the applicants were met with a bureaucratic maze in which state institutions passed their applications back and forth, claiming to lack the authority to grant the land usage request. Under Turkish law, urban planning documents dictate where churches may be built, and thus, the applicants must receive approval to use a\u00a0location designated for religious purposes to build a church. The court has told the church leaders that they can simply purchase undesignated land and apply for a religious use designation, however such a request has never been granted in T\u00fcrkiye.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Orhan Kemal Cengiz, the lead attorney on the case in T\u00fcrkiye and ADF International allied attorney, said \u201c<\/span><i><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Having a legally recognized worship place in T\u00fcrkiye has always been a major issue. This problem, in my opinion, causes serious infringements of one of the most fundamental human rights, namely, freedom of religion. Unfortunately, Christians face numerous legal and practical barriers when they wish to establish a legally recognized worship place in T\u00fcrkiye.\u201d<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The Foundation has submitted numerous petitions to different authorities with no resolution. In 2023, the Foundation brought a legal challenge to pursue using a designated worship plot to build a church that would meet the congregation&#8217;s capacity needs. In 2024, the Court ruled against the church. ADF International and the Foundation are planning to appeal the Court\u2019s decision.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2f3304 elementor-widget elementor-widget-video\" data-id=\"a2f3304\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;youtube_url&quot;:&quot;https:\\\/\\\/youtu.be\\\/x3Tni-JrtQw?si=QyHGHFjnRAGNDb3I&quot;,&quot;video_type&quot;:&quot;youtube&quot;,&quot;controls&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"video.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-wrapper elementor-open-inline\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-video\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-container brlbs-cmpnt-content-blocker brlbs-cmpnt-with-individual-styles\" data-borlabs-cookie-content-blocker-id=\"youtube-content-blocker\" data-borlabs-cookie-content=\"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\"><div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-preset-c brlbs-cmpnt-cb-youtube\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-thumbnail\" style=\"background-image: url('https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/borlabs-cookie\/1\/yt_x3Tni-JrtQw_hqdefault.jpg')\"><\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-main\"> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-play-button\"><\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-content\"> <p class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-description\">Sie sehen gerade einen Platzhalterinhalt von <strong>YouTube<\/strong>. Um auf den eigentlichen Inhalt zuzugreifen, klicken Sie auf die Schaltfl\u00e4che unten. Bitte beachten Sie, dass dabei Daten an Drittanbieter weitergegeben werden.<\/p> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-provider-toggle\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-show-provider-information role=\"button\">Mehr Informationen<\/a> <\/div> <div class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-buttons\"> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-unblock role=\"button\">Inhalt entsperren<\/a> <a class=\"brlbs-cmpnt-cb-btn\" href=\"#\" data-borlabs-cookie-accept-service role=\"button\" style=\"display: inherit\">Erforderlichen Service akzeptieren und Inhalte entsperren<\/a> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div><\/div><\/div>\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-143f396 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"143f396\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p><b><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Faith-based discrimination in T\u00fcrkiye<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">T\u00fcrkiye has a population of roughly 83,000,000 with an estimated 99% of the population identifying as Muslim. There are approximately 170,000 Christians in T\u00fcrkiye. Although T\u00fcrkiye 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.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">It is estimated that around 185 foreign Protestant ministers living in T\u00fcrkiye have been deported or effectively banned from reentering the country since 2018. Expatriate Christian ministers are usually deported or banned from entering T\u00fcrkiye by a decision of the Ministry of Interior in collaboration with the Turkish Intelligence. The ministers in question are usually issued a certain code which leads to the termination or the non-renewal of their residence permits. Other codes prohibit foreign clergy from entering the country without prior permission. The code designation is usually the result of Turkish Intelligence claiming that the Christian minister in question is a threat to national security. The files of the Turkish Intelligence are not made available to the attorneys challenging the deportation decisions, making it difficult to effectively defend their clients in the national courts and resulting in domestic court losses across the board.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">T\u00fcrkiye has also shut down the Protestant seminaries, forcing the country\u2019s Christians to rely more heavily on foreign missionaries with seminary training from outside of T\u00fcrkiye. The entry bans on foreign missionaries, therefore, are creating a stranglehold on trained church leaders in the country.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">ADF International has supported the legal challenges of numerous foreign Christians who have received N-82 code cases, including\u202f<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/david_byle\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">David Byle<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">. David was forced to leave <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Vg66By7kH60\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">T\u00fcrkiye<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> in 2018 after he and his family of 7 had called it home for more than 19 years. The authorities alleged Byle was a threat to public order and security despite him successfully challenging previous charges brought against him. After leaving the country, the authorities imposed a permanent re-entry ban on David, something he only discovered upon trying to return home to his family. Exiled from T\u00fcrkiye, the Byles now reside in Germany.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">The missionary couple\u202f<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/experts-condemn-growing-intolerance-against-christians-in-turkiye-at-largest-human-rights-conference-in-europe\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Pam and David Wilson<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\">\u202fhave a similar story of expulsion after living in T\u00fcrkiye for nearly four decades. In their case, however, they were assigned a G87 code. The code labels them as a \u201cthreat to security\u201d and is normally reserved for terrorists.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p><p><span data-contrast=\"auto\">Recently, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/turkiye-christian-expulsion\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">the highest court in T\u00fcrkiye issued a decision<\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"auto\"> supporting the government on cases banning 9 foreign Christian workers from the country under \u201cN-82\u201d codes designating them \u201crisks to national security\u201d.\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-f0deaf0 elementor-widget-divider--view-line elementor-widget elementor-widget-divider\" data-id=\"f0deaf0\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"divider.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-divider\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-divider-separator\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c9484a7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"c9484a7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Images for free use in print or online with credit to ADF International in relation to this story only.\u00a0<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0469414 elementor-widget elementor-widget-gallery\" data-id=\"0469414\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-settings=\"{&quot;aspect_ratio&quot;:&quot;1:1&quot;,&quot;lazyload&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;gallery_layout&quot;:&quot;grid&quot;,&quot;columns&quot;:4,&quot;columns_tablet&quot;:2,&quot;columns_mobile&quot;:1,&quot;gap&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;gap_tablet&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;gap_mobile&quot;:{&quot;unit&quot;:&quot;px&quot;,&quot;size&quot;:10,&quot;sizes&quot;:[]},&quot;link_to&quot;:&quot;file&quot;,&quot;overlay_background&quot;:&quot;yes&quot;,&quot;content_hover_animation&quot;:&quot;fade-in&quot;}\" data-widget_type=\"gallery.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery__container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Kelsey-Zorzi.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"0469414\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Kelsey-Zorzi\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NDgzMjIsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDVcL0tlbHNleS1ab3J6aS5qcGciLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiIwNDY5NDE0In0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Kelsey-Zorzi.jpg\" data-width=\"400\" data-height=\"400\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Orhan-Cengiz.jpg\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"0469414\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Orhan Cengiz\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NTE5NDMsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDZcL09yaGFuLUNlbmdpei5qcGciLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiIwNDY5NDE0In0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/Orhan-Cengiz.jpg\" data-width=\"304\" data-height=\"307\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"e-gallery-item elementor-gallery-item elementor-animated-content\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1.png\" data-elementor-open-lightbox=\"yes\" data-elementor-lightbox-slideshow=\"0469414\" data-elementor-lightbox-title=\"Diyarbakir (1)\" data-e-action-hash=\"#elementor-action%3Aaction%3Dlightbox%26settings%3DeyJpZCI6NTU2NTEsInVybCI6Imh0dHBzOlwvXC9hZGZpbnRlcm5hdGlvbmFsLm9yZ1wvd3AtY29udGVudFwvdXBsb2Fkc1wvMjAyNFwvMDdcL0RpeWFyYmFraXItMS5wbmciLCJzbGlkZXNob3ciOiIwNDY5NDE0In0%3D\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-gallery-image elementor-gallery-item__image\" data-thumbnail=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1-1024x682.png\" data-width=\"1024\" data-height=\"682\" aria-label=\"\" role=\"img\" ><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-gallery-item__overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Authorities in T\u00fcrkiye ignored several requests from the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation to use new land for a worship center; Foundation then brought legal challenge, which was struck down by court. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":55651,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"give_campaign_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[29,91,343,221,80,27,33,522],"class_list":["post-55650","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-christian-persecution","tag-david-byle","tag-freedom-of-religion","tag-kelsey-zorzi","tag-persecution","tag-religious-freedom","tag-turkey","tag-turkiye"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.3 (Yoast SEO v27.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Turkish authorities crack down on Christianity; deny church land for worship space<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Authorities in T\u00fcrkiye ignored several requests from the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation to use new land for a worship center; Foundation then brought legal challenge, which was struck down by court.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/news\/diyarbakir-christians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"de_DE\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Turkish Authorities Crack Down on Christianity; Deny Church Land for Worship Space\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Authorities in T\u00fcrkiye ignored several requests from the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation to use new land for a worship center; Foundation then brought legal challenge, which was struck down by court.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ADF International\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-12T15:16:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-03T20:41:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1-1024x682.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"682\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Philipp Bues\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"Authorities in T\u00fcrkiye ignored several requests from the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation to use new land for a worship center; Foundation then brought legal challenge, which was struck down by court.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@adfintl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@adfintl\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Verfasst von\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Philipp Bues\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Gesch\u00e4tzte Lesezeit\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 Minuten\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Philipp Bues\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141\"},\"headline\":\"Turkish Authorities Crack Down on Christianity; Deny Church Land for Worship Space\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-12T15:16:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-03T20:41:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians\"},\"wordCount\":1069,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Diyarbakir-1.png\",\"keywords\":[\"christian persecution\",\"David Byle\",\"freedom of religion\",\"Kelsey Zorzi\",\"Persecution\",\"Religious freedom\",\"turkey\",\"T\u00fcrkiye\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"de-DE\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians\",\"name\":\"Turkish authorities crack down on Christianity; deny church land for worship space\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Diyarbakir-1.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2024-07-12T15:16:39+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-03T20:41:26+00:00\",\"description\":\"Authorities in T\u00fcrkiye ignored several requests from the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation to use new land for a worship center; Foundation then brought legal challenge, which was struck down by court.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"de-DE\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de-DE\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Diyarbakir-1.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/07\\\/Diyarbakir-1.png\",\"width\":2904,\"height\":1934,\"caption\":\"Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/news\\\/diyarbakir-christians#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Turkish Authorities Crack Down on Christianity; Deny Church Land for Worship Space\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/\",\"name\":\"ADF International\",\"description\":\"Protecting Fundamental Freedoms. Promoting Inherent Dignity.\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"de-DE\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Alliance Defending Freedom International\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de-DE\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/08\\\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png\",\"width\":175,\"height\":106,\"caption\":\"Alliance Defending Freedom International\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/facebook.com\\\/adfinternational\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/adfintl\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/company\\\/adfinternational\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/adfinternational\\\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141\",\"name\":\"Philipp Bues\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"de-DE\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2025\\\/02\\\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Philipp Bues\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/adfinternational.org\\\/de\\\/author\\\/pbuesadfinternational-org\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Turkish authorities crack down on Christianity; deny church land for worship space","description":"Authorities in T\u00fcrkiye ignored several requests from the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation to use new land for a worship center; Foundation then brought legal challenge, which was struck down by court.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/news\/diyarbakir-christians","og_locale":"de_DE","og_type":"article","og_title":"Turkish Authorities Crack Down on Christianity; Deny Church Land for Worship Space","og_description":"Authorities in T\u00fcrkiye ignored several requests from the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation to use new land for a worship center; Foundation then brought legal challenge, which was struck down by court.","og_url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians","og_site_name":"ADF International","article_publisher":"https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational","article_published_time":"2024-07-12T15:16:39+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-03T20:41:26+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1024,"height":682,"url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1-1024x682.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Philipp Bues","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_description":"Authorities in T\u00fcrkiye ignored several requests from the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation to use new land for a worship center; Foundation then brought legal challenge, which was struck down by court.","twitter_creator":"@adfintl","twitter_site":"@adfintl","twitter_misc":{"Verfasst von":"Philipp Bues","Gesch\u00e4tzte Lesezeit":"5 Minuten"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians"},"author":{"name":"Philipp Bues","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/#\/schema\/person\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141"},"headline":"Turkish Authorities Crack Down on Christianity; Deny Church Land for Worship Space","datePublished":"2024-07-12T15:16:39+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-03T20:41:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians"},"wordCount":1069,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1.png","keywords":["christian persecution","David Byle","freedom of religion","Kelsey Zorzi","Persecution","Religious freedom","turkey","T\u00fcrkiye"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"de-DE"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians","name":"Turkish authorities crack down on Christianity; deny church land for worship space","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1.png","datePublished":"2024-07-12T15:16:39+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-03T20:41:26+00:00","description":"Authorities in T\u00fcrkiye ignored several requests from the Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation to use new land for a worship center; Foundation then brought legal challenge, which was struck down by court.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"de-DE","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de-DE","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Diyarbakir-1.png","width":2904,"height":1934,"caption":"Diyarbakir Protestant Church Foundation"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/news\/diyarbakir-christians#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Turkish Authorities Crack Down on Christianity; Deny Church Land for Worship Space"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/#website","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/","name":"ADF International","description":"Protecting Fundamental Freedoms. Promoting Inherent Dignity.","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"de-DE"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/#organization","name":"Alliance Defending Freedom International","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de-DE","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/08\/ADF_Intl_R_RGB_175px.png","width":175,"height":106,"caption":"Alliance Defending Freedom International"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/facebook.com\/adfinternational","https:\/\/x.com\/adfintl","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/company\/adfinternational","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/adfinternational\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/#\/schema\/person\/6b776fc8535453c6aad8a6f9d78e6141","name":"Philipp Bues","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"de-DE","@id":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Philipp-Bues-Headshot-150x150.jpg","caption":"Philipp Bues"},"url":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/author\/pbuesadfinternational-org"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55650","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=55650"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/55650\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/55651"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=55650"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=55650"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/adfinternational.org\/de\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=55650"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}