Help for a journalist and human rights defender in Türkiye

Product Description

New Zealand

My name is Behrouz Boochani, I am a Kurdish journalist. I was incarcerated on Manus Island by the Australian Government for seven years after trying to seek asylum and safety in Australia.

I have been trying to help and support a fellow Kurdish journalist and human rights activist, who has been stuck in Turkey for eight years.

We have been unable to evacuate him so far, and now we have decided to apply through the humanitarian sponsorship program in Canada. However, this will cost between $16,00-$18,00 Canadian dollars. So we are asking for your support.

This is his story (due to safety risks we are not able to mention his name, but I am happy to share his name with trusted friends):

I was arrested several times in Iran due to my political and human rights activities and in the last one, subjected to an unfair trial and sentenced to 20 months in prison due to my activities in Iran. After two months under arrest including physical and mental torture, I was released on bail and was able to escape Iran and come to Turkey. In 2016, I was accepted by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees and I now live with my wife in Turkey under precarious circumstances.

I have been very engaged in the field of human rights issues, supporting political prisoners and defending the rights of refugees, and in this field I have published and spoken widely in Kurdish, Persian and English.

My wife and I live in a very dangerous situation in Turkey. I have been under immense pressure from the Turkish government, both directly and indirectly, because of my activities. At the moment, the Turkish authorities have confiscated my temporary residence card for no reason, and I currently have no residence document.

I have been threatened with deportation many times here, so that I live in secret and no longer feel safe in Turkey.

During the Woman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran, as a human rights activist, I have had many interviews with Persian-language channels abroad, including Iran International, BBC Persian, and Voice of America and as a result, the Iranian government put pressure on my family in Iran to prevent my activities.

Due to my activities, writings and interviews, I don’t believe that I am safe in Turkey. There is a constant threat of my arrest and deportation to Iran at any moment. If I am returned to Iran, my life will be in serious danger, particularly due to my prior arrests and the open case against me which entails, at least, a long prison term.

I also have type two diabetes and require medical treatment for a separate health issue every six months. Due to medical healthcare cut off by the Turkish government and expensive medical care, I am not able to seek my medical treatment.

I have no confidence in the Turkish government, particularly given that several Iranian human rights activists and journalists have been deported or disappeared in Turkey. I am in the real threat of deportation to Iran and must leave Turkey as soon as I can.

Anonymous