A Canadian-American pastor, who has stayed in Turkey for 19 years has been told to leave the country because he shared his faith with citizens of the country.
The pastor, David Byle, and Alliance Defending Freedom International (ADF), are fighting against religious persecution. The faith-based legal advocacy group has filed an application with the European Council of Human Rights (ECHR) – the highest human rights court.
While sharing his unpleasant experience, the pastor said: “Whenever we spoke in public, people were excited to listen and learn.
“For a long time, we were successfully able to fight the government attempts to stop our ministry, because we were only making use of our right to religious freedom, protected by the Turkish constitution.
“The government did not want us in Turkey, but plenty of people do. God called us there, He wants the Turkish people to hear about Him and to know that He is doing wonderful things.”
Byle began as a street evangelist that shared the gospel in Istanbul. Later, the political scene of Turkey started to shift and persecution worsened. This made the police become suspicious of Christianity.
He went through a deportation decision that was unjust in 2016 but he challenged the decision in court and he was permitted to stay in the country till his case was concluded. Byle was later arrested in October 2018 and was directed to leave within 15 days. Authorities in Turkey accused Byle of being a threat to public order and security and issued him a permanent re-entry ban.
While reacting to Byle’s ordeal, Lidia Rieder, ADF International’s Legal Officer said: “Nobody should be discriminated against because of their faith. Open displays of hostility towards David and other foreign Christians that we now witness in Turkey are a deliberate attempt to stifle the spreading of Christianity, and represent an attack on religious freedom.”
“Though David’s missionary work is legal under the European Convention and national laws of turkey, the authorities still decided to deport and ban him from Turkey. It is a serious violation to use immigration laws as an instrument to interfere with the fundamental human right of an individual to manifest his religious beliefs.”
The decision of Byle and ADF to escalate this case to the ECHR provides hope for other prohibited Christians living in Turkey and it is hoped to set a new standard.
Deputy Director of ADF International, Robert Clarke said: “Everyone has the right to choose their religion and to express it publicly and privately. Being forced to suddenly leave the country you have called home for two decades simply because of what you believe is the stuff of nightmares.”
“By ratifying the European Convention on Human Rights, Turkey has agreed to protect the right to religious freedom. We are hopeful that the Court will take the opportunity to hear the case of David Byle and hold Turkey to account.”
According to Open Doors’ 2021 ranking, Turkey ranks 25th on World Watch List of countries where Christians suffer most persecution.
