The Terrifying Journey of an Iranian Woman Refugee from Türkiye to Greece

Homa, 42, has experienced the hardships of refugees and asylum seekers in Türkiye, where she endured 10 years of exile without a work permit. 

As she tried to reach Greece for a better life, she was raped by people in plainclothes while Greek border police were watching.

Homa's journey began when the Ministry of Intelligence raided her office in 2013 because she had converted to Zoroastrianism. 

However, tragedy struck when her 20-year-old child, who faced the discrimination and challenges of being transgender, attempted to take her own life. 

Homa's younger daughter, aged 13, left Iran at a young age and is not able to read or write in Persian. 

She has also had to endure the anti-immigrant sentiment prevalent in Türkiye, making it difficult for her to form friendships and pursue her interests, such as swimming.

Despite the hardships she has faced, Homa remains determined to protect her children and share her story in the hope of empowering other refugees who are struggling with challenges.

Homa has to support her family by working odd jobs without proper authorization. 

A few years ago, she separated from her partner because his bipolar disorder had a negative impact on their children.

Despite being recognized as a refugee by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in 2016, Homa's asylum application was abruptly rejected by Turkish immigration officials the following year.

In such cases, asylum seekers have the right to appeal the decision before a court. But according to human rights activists and refugees living in Türkiye, the country’s courts usually uphold the decision made by the Immigration Office.

"If the court's decision comes and they deport me back to Iran, what will happen to me? If I'm lucky, they won't execute me, but with the case they've made against me, I'll probably spend several years in prison," Homa tells IranWire, in reference to the death penalty imposed in Iran for "apostasy."

Before leaving her country in 2013, Homa converted to Zoroastrianism, a religion that she had been practicing for some time. 

She was in contact with other Zoroastrians inside and outside of Iran and was seeking to practice the customs and rituals of her chosen faith when security agents raided her workplace, forcing her to flee Iran.

Homa now lives in fear of being deported to a country where the government could send her to prison for years or execute her.

In mid-October of this year, Homa decided to embark on a dangerous journey. 

Haunted by nightmares of being deported to Iran, raped by security forces, and executed, she found a Telegram group with other people who sought to cross into Greece: "I knew it was a risky path and that anything could happen. As a single mother, what I've endured with my children during these 10 years led me to believe that I should take this risk and find a way to save them and myself.

"I thought of the wild animals in the forest, the unknown people I was traveling with, and the possibility of being robbed or beaten. But I couldn't think of any other solution. I thought to myself, ‘No matter how difficult it may be, I will reach Greece and then bring my children. It's better than Türkiye anyway.’" 

On October 20, Homa, along with seven other people, including six-year-old twins, set off on foot toward the Greek border. 

After a day of walking, they crossed into EU  member state, where they were apprehended by police. Homa and a young man managed to escape, while the rest of the group was sent back to Türkiye.

Hiding in the forests around the highway No. 85, the pair awaited nightfall to resume their journey. 

Around 6:00 p.m., they were caught again by police. This time, they were stripped of their shoes to prevent escape and forced to descend the mountain barefoot.

Homa’s feet were lacerated by thorns.

After reaching a dirt road, they were loaded onto a truck “like sheeps" and were transported to a police checkpoint near a river, from where they were to be deported back to Türkiye.

Homa and the other man pretended being married together to avoid further harassment. Before reaching the police checkpoint, Homa informed them that she could face execution if deported to Iran, but her pleas went unanswered.

Finally, Homa and the man were handed over to a uniformed policeman and three people in plainclothes who had their faces concealed behind masks.

They retrieved their personal belongings, including mobile phones and money.

Subsequently, the agents subjected Homa to a degrading search during which the police officer touched her genitals.

As the pair protested vehemently, they were beaten with batons, punched and kicked by the plainclothes agents, whom Homa calls "mercenaries."

Upon reaching this part of the story, Homa's anger gives way to tears. 

"A few meters away, there was a shack, a police outpost in the middle of the forest. The policeman entered the building. 

"Minutes later, a mercenary approached and informed me that the police wanted to speak to me. He escorted me there (the shack), and the mercenary demanded my phone password. 

"I refused and I was beaten until I complied. As he perused my gallery, he made disturbing comments about my daughter's appearance, saying she is beautiful and that having sex with her would be enjoyable…it was psychological torture.

"He reached down and undid his pants, then forcibly turned my head toward him. I screamed, but he pushed my head forward so that I could not make a sound. He was moving my head back and forth...my mouth was closed and tears were streaming down my face. He pulled my hair," she recounted. 

After that, the "mercenary" summoned another masked individual and forced Homa to perform oral sex again.

Homa was later taken behind the shack, forcibly stripped and raped: "He did whatever he wanted with me. I was speechless. He threatened me, claiming they had stabbed a couple the previous night and thrown them into the river. I don't know if it was true, but I feared for my children's safety, as they have no one but me."

The police officer and masked men took Homa and her companion on a boat to cross the river and return them back to Türkiye.

Even during the short river journey, the "mercenaries" continued to sexually harass Homa. 

Eventually, they reached the Turkish side and, despite hunger, fatigue and physical injuries, they were compelled to walk barefoot through fields for hours before reaching a border village.

They were then transfered to Istanbul by car.

"I never imagined someone could be raped by the Greek police in this manner. I was in such bad shape that a friend in Istanbul screamed when she saw me,” Homa says. "She cared for me at home for two or three days until I could walk again and return to Denizli. Even now, my children are unaware of what happened.” 

Following the harrowing events, Homa reached out to the United Nations and reported the incident, but she received no response. 

After contacting Assam, a UN-funded organization that supports asylum seekers and refugees, she secured a phone appointment with a psychiatrist a month later to get medication.

Exhausted and in pain, Homa awaits the court's ruling but has little hope about the result of her appeal.

She believes that if human rights organizations hear her story, they may do something for her and other women who dared to confront a government that suppresses dissenting voices. 

Many of these women, especially over the past year, have sought refuge in Türkiye and Iraq, enduring homelessness, stress and the constant threat of deportation.