Rezgar Sheikh Jagari, a Kurdish political activist and children’s rights advocate, who has been living in Turkey with his wife and two children for about 10 years, has faced a negative response from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees after years of waiting for the determination of his asylum case and is now at serious risk of deportation to Iran.
According to Kolbarnews, following the rejection of this family’s asylum application, concerns regarding the possibility of their forced return to Iran have increased.
Sources close to the family have warned that if Rezgar Sheikh Jagari is deported to Iran, there is a possibility of arrest, torture, and the issuance of heavy judicial sentences against him, including even a death sentence.
Rezgar Sheikh Jagari has been active in political activities and the defense of children’s rights over recent years. Accordingly, the forced return of him and his family to Iran could expose them to direct threats against their lives, security pressures, and irreparable consequences.
In this regard, human rights institutions, international organizations, and all freedom-loving people have been called upon to take action to prevent the deportation of this family and stop their return to conditions that threaten their lives and safety.
According to the principle of “Non-Refoulement” in international refugee law, no asylum seeker or refugee should be returned to a country where they face the risk of political persecution, torture, inhumane treatment, arbitrary detention, or threats to their life. Furthermore, based on the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the United Nations Convention Against Torture, governments and responsible institutions are obliged to seriously examine potential threats against individuals’ lives and safety before any expulsion or deportation and to refrain from the forced return of individuals at risk.
