Turkey: Ongoing uncertainty for Kurdish political asylum seeker Ajin Hosseini in the deportation camp

Hengaw: Tuesday, December 24, 2024

Ajin (Fahmideh) Hosseini, a Kurdish political asylum seeker, has spent the last nine months in detention in Turkey, with her physical and mental condition reported as deteriorating in a temporary deportation camp. Meanwhile, her husband, Rashad Mohammadi, was recently released.

According to a report received by the Hengaw Organization for Human Rights, Ajin Hosseini, originally from Sarvabad, Kurdistan province, has been held at the “Pehlevan Koy” temporary deportation camp in Edirne for nine months. Her fate remains uncertain, and the threat of deportation looms large.

Rashad Mohammadi has stated that his wife is under severe psychological pressure due to their prolonged separation and that the lack of hot water and proper sanitation facilities has led to her falling ill.

A court hearing for the couple was held on Thursday, December 12, 2024, but their lawyer reports that a final verdict has yet to be issued.

Previously, Hengaw quoted Ajin Hosseini as saying that during the last month of her detention, she was allowed to see her husband only once.

Ajin Hosseini, 30, and Rashad Mohammadi, 34, had been living in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq as political activists before being forced to flee due to ongoing pressure from security forces.

The couple was arrested by Turkish police in early April 2024 and has since been transferred between facilities multiple times, currently remaining in limbo at the camp.

Hengaw has expressed grave concern over the potential deportation of this Kurdish couple to Iran, where they may face torture or other inhumane punishments by the Iranian government’s security institutions. The organization urgently calls on international human rights organizations, particularly those advocating for refugee rights, to take immediate action to prevent such an outcome.