Turkey deported 33 Iranian asylum seekers to Iran, including Iranian Kurdish asylum seeker Adel Bahrami who had been registered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Kurdish asylum seeker Adel Bahrami’s friend in Turkey confirmed to the Kurdistan Human rights Network (KHRN) that Bahrami had gone to the office of the UNHCR in Ankara on 28 August when he first arrived in Turkey.

“The UNHCR transferred him to the city of Amasia in North of Turkey after registering his asylum application,” he added.

According to the source, Bahrami had not received any ID cards for months after registering for asylum and staying in the city of Amasia, so he decided to leave Turkey “illegally.” He was detained on 14 December in Antalya and held in prison until 24 December. His case was also referred to court and the court ruled deportation in both instances.

In a telephone conversation with his friend on 19 December, he said that the Turkish police were going to move him to an unknown location and he had reported to Agri again on the Turkish-Iranian border on 23 December.

“Adel Bahrami was deported to Iran via Bazargan Border, along with 32 other asylum seekers. In a telephone conversation, which I personally had with the UNHCR officer in Ankara, they also confirmed his deportation,” the source added.

Letter of Appeal from Adel Bahrami to the UNHCR in Turkey: