Jul 7, 2022

This past spring, USCIRF staff traveled to Turkey and met with religious and nonbelief communities across the country. Numerous issues continue to negatively impact their freedom of religion or belief, including an inability to train clergy, mandatory religion classes, the threat of blasphemy charges, and other forms of discrimination. USCIRF has monitored and reported on Turkey since the late 2000s, recommending it for placement on the Special Watch List (previously known as Tier 2) every year since 2014 and most recently again in USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report.

Senior Policy Analyst Keely Bakken, who was part of that USCIRF delegation to Turkey, joins us today to discuss some of the findings of that trip as well as USCIRF’s recent policy recommendations.

Read USCIRF’s 2022 Annual Report Chapter on Turkey

Listen to USCIRF’s Spotlight Podcast Episode Sivas Massacre and Turkey’s Persecution of the Alevi Community

Listen to USCIRF’s Spotlight Podcast Episode 50 Years and Counting: The Continued Closure of Halki Seminary in Turkey

Additional Name(s): Haideh Ram, هایده رام

Gender: Female

Current Location: Adilabad Prison, Shiraz

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Bahá`í

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Sentence: 10 Years' Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: June/17/2022

Current Status: Not Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Online Activity Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Spreading Propaganda & False or Misleading Ideas, Information, or Materials

Hayedeh Ram

Extra Bio Info:

Hayedeh Ram is imprisoned for her religious belief and activity.

In February 2017, intelligence agents of Bushehr province arrested Ram and several other Baha’is.

On an unspecified date, Ram was released on bail.

In May 2021, the Dashtestan Revolutionary Court reportedly sentenced Ram to 12 years and six months in prison for “assisting in propaganda activities against the regime by spreading the beliefs of the Baha’i sect, producing and publishing vulgar images in social media, and acting against national security by publishing the Baha’i sect’s ideas.” Ram would have been expected to serve 10 years in prison as the sentences ran concurrently.

In August 2021, Branch 4 of Bushehr Province Court of Appeals sentenced Ram to 10 years and 9 months in prison for “assisting in propaganda against The Regime through spreading the beliefs of the Baha’i sect, producing and publishing vulgar images in cyberspace and social networks, and acting against the National Security through publishing and propagating the ideology of the Baha’i sect." Ram is expected to serve 10 years in prison as the sentences run concurrently.

On June 17, 2022, Ram was taken into custody to begin serving her sentence at  Adilabad Prison, Shiraz.

Publicly Available Information:

Additional Name(s): Fardin Nadafian Qamsari, فردین ندافیان قمصری

Gender: Male

Current Location: Evin Prison, Tehran

Perpetrator: Iran

Religion or Belief: Bahá`í

Reports of Torture: No

Reports of Medical Neglect: No

Appeal: Rejected

Sentence: 1 Year's Imprisonment

Date of Detainment: June/18/2022

Date of Release: February//2023

Current Status: Released

Religious Leader: No

Most Recent Type of Abuse: Imprisonment

Reason for Persecution: Religious Activity Religious Belief

Nature of Charges: Unknown

Fardin Naddafian

Extra Bio Info:

Fardin Naddafian was imprisoned for his religious belief and activity.

In 2019, Branch 28 of the Tehran Revolution Court reportedly sentenced Naddafian to one year in prison on unspecified charges.

On an unspecified date, an appeals court upheld the verdict.

On June 18, 2022, Naddafian was taken into custody to begin serving his sentence in Evin Prison.

In February 2023, Naddafian was released.

Publicly Available Information:
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