While Iranian Christian converts are increasingly seeking asylum to escape persecution, many are being denied based on diplomatic relations with Iran.
One such individual, Jalal Darzi, is preparing for the worst after his asylum claim was rejected by authorities in Georgia. His application was denied following his second interview with Georgian officials on the basis that he had not sufficiently proven his Christian faith.
A report released Monday by Article18, Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Open Doors, and Middle East Concern describes the plight of Iranian Christians fleeing persecution in their home country, many of whom are being denied asylum in Georgia because their faith is deemed not to be “genuine.”
The report points out that despite facing persecution in Iran, Georgia's immigration services have accepted fewer than 1% of the over 1,000 Iranians who applied for asylum in the past three years.
“The asylum-seekers, therefore, face an uncertain future, with little hope of being recognized as refugees but having few alternative options to access international protection,” the report stated. It also mentioned that several individuals whose asylum claims were rejected in Georgia had spent years as refugees in neighboring countries like Turkey, expressing uncertainty about their next steps.
Notably, nearly one-fifth of all individuals seeking asylum in Georgia are Iranian. While Turkey remains the most common destination for Iranian asylum seekers, worsening conditions for minority faiths in Turkey have led many to seek alternatives like Georgia.
Despite the Islamic Republic of Iran's assertions that it protects the rights of Christians, converts and followers of Christianity continue to face arrests, sometimes for “propagating a religion contrary to Islam.” In Iran, possession of a Farsi-language Bible or conversion from Islam to Christianity is illegal, and those who associate with converts often face imprisonment on national security charges.
The report highlights that approximately 85% of Georgia's population identifies as Orthodox Christian. Religious freedom advocacy groups suggest that one reason for the rejection of various asylum applications stems from “intolerance of expressions of Christianity other than Georgian Orthodox.”
Another factor cited for the rejection of applications, according to an anonymous asylum lawyer, is Georgia’s developing relationship with Iran.
Pastor Reza Fazeli reported that he was summoned by the Georgian Secret Service in July 2024, where he was told that Georgia's commitment to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations outweighed its obligations under the Refugee Convention. “They said the diplomatic relationship was more important: that it came first for them, and that ‘secondly we must obey the refugee and asylum seeker rules,’” the pastor explained.
Fazeli was reportedly ordered to close his church and to “refrain from gathering with others in groups of more than five, and from conducting interviews with any news agencies.” As of the report’s writing, the pastor's church remained shut.
The advocacy groups included several recommendations, urging officials to recognize the “diversity of Christian belief” when assessing the genuineness of an individual’s conversion. They also recommended that officials consult the United Nations Special Rapporteur’s reports on Iran when determining whether asylum claimants have a well-founded fear of persecution upon return.
The organizations also call on Georgian authorities to recognize the persecution Christians face in Iran and urge the international community to “open up new safe, legal routes for resettlement.”
