Iranian Dissident Arrested in Turkey And Facing Deportation

Former political prisoner Abdulreza Dehghan, who has been living in Denizli, Turkey, is in a precarious situation following his apprehension by the city's security police on the morning of August 30, IranWire reports. 

Dehghan is currently under detention at the Denizli City Security Police building. 

There are indications that he might soon be transferred to the Denizli City Deportation Camp, sparking concerns about his future and safety.

Dehghan's history is marked by his past as a political detainee. 

In November 2019, Turkish authorities detained him for his involvement in a protest rally organized by Iranians in Denizli. 

The rally aimed to demonstrate solidarity with demonstrators who had taken to the streets in 2019, to protest the cost of living in Iran, and victims of the violent government crackdown on the protest.

Dehghan also faced arrest in 2009 by the security agencies of the Islamic Republic. He was held at the notorious Evin Prison for several years and, after his release, he chose to learn the country. Dehghan travelled to Turkey where he applied for asylum – before then falling into eight years of administrative limbo.

He may now soon be deported back to Iran. Friends fears severe judicial sentences will be handed down against him considering his history as a political dissident and former prisoner.

On August 3, Turkish authorities deported another former political prisoner, Shahryar Baratinya, to Iran. He was detained upon his return to Iran and is currently in Evin Prison.

An informed source told IranWire that the former political prisoner was taken from a camp in Dogubeyazit to the nearby Iranian border on August 3.