Iranian Christian Woman on the Verge of Immediate Deportation

Iranian Christians who openly express their faith are commonly forced to leave their homeland.

Mohabat News – Reports coming from Stockholm suggest that refugee rights activists are concerned over the situation of Mrs. Sakiani and many other Christian converts at the brink of being deported to Iran. They say they have been trying very hard to prevent Mrs. Sakiani from being sent back, as danger awaits her upon her return to her homeland, Iran. Despite all efforts, Swedish authorities have issued an order for her deportation.

Mr. Mahmoud Mohammadi, her husband told Mohabat News, “Stockholm police arrested Shahrzad on June 23, 2015 and sent her to a detention center for refugees called Mershta”.

Although Christian groups and Iranian residents in Stockholm have openly shown their support for Mrs. Sakiani, Swedish Immigration Board has sent her a date and a flight ticket for her return to Iran.

Reports received by Mohabat News indicate that she will be taken to the Stockholm airport on July 15, 2015 at 10 a.m. to fly to Norway and from there transit to another flight bound for Tehran.

This seemingly unfair treatment of Mrs. Sakiani by Swedish immigration authorities has concerned her family, as well as Christian activists in Sweden. They believe her deportation contradicts Sweden’s commitment to uphold Human Rights. Deportation to Iran is a real threat for many Iranian asylum seekers whose cases have been rejected.

It is surprising how a government who claims to be a defender of Human Rights seems so indifferent toward the dangers Mrs. Sakiani would face, should she return to Iran as a Christian convert. Swedish government should be well aware of how the Islamic regime of Iran treats Christian converts who come from an Islamic background.

Regarding her reason for leaving Iran, Mrs. Sakiani’s husband told Mohabat News that Iranian security authorities raided their house-church in Shiraz in 2010, arresting all in attendance. The husband remained in jail for ten months, then temporarily released to wait for his trial. He seized the opportunity and left Iran before being summoned to the court.

Iranian Christians who openly express their faith are commonly forced to leave their homeland and seek asylum in other countries, including European countries. However, they are not always welcomed in the destination country.

So far, Christian activists and Iranian residents have organized several protests in front of the Immigration Office in Stockholm in support of Mrs. Shahrzad Sakiani. She is currently under police custody waiting to be deported to Iran.