IRAN - Morteza Amiri and Shahrbanou Beykramiani

IRAN - Morteza Amiri and Shahrbanou Beykramiani could be deported from Turkey to Iran.

February 18, 2026:

February 18, 2026 - IRAN. Morteza Amiri and Shahrbanou Beykramiani could be deported from Turkey to Iran. Turkey has a troubling tradition of collaboration with Iran.

URGENT: IHRNGO Calls on Turkey to Immediately Halt Deportation of Iranian Baluch Human Rights Activist and His Family

Morteza Amiri, an Iranian-Baluchi human rights defender, is at imminent risk of being deported back to Iran with his wife Shahrbanou Beykramiani, and two children Sepehr and Adrian Amiri. Morteza was arrested at around 8 PM on 18 February and transferred to the Denizli Provincial Directorate of Security.

Iranian-Baluchi human rights defender, Morteza Amiri was detained in Denizli and is reportedly scheduled to be deported to the Islamic Republic of Iran in the coming days. Morteza was previously arrested in Iran and subjected to torture to extract false confessions. His family were also informed that he had been sentenced to death in absentia. Morteza managed to leave Iran after being temporarily released and entered Turkey in 2014.

Morteza Amiri belongs to Iran’s Baluch minority and has been a human rights activist since escaping Iran. He has also been actively working with IHRNGO since the beginning of 2025.

His wife, Shahrbanou, who is suffering from cancer, was due to undergo life-saving surgery at a hospital on 20 February 2026 (in two days). The couple also have two teenage children who were also arrested. Deportation at this stage would not only place Morteza Amiri at grave risk but would also endanger his wife’s life by depriving her of urgently needed medical treatment.

Emphasising that Morteza Amiri’s deportation would expose him to an imminent risk of execution, imprisonment, torture, and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, in clear violation of the principle of non-refoulement, IHRNGO calls on the Turkish authorities to immediately halt any deportation order against Mr Amiri and his family.

Moreover, in the aftermath of the largest mass killing of protesters in recent times, and while hundreds of detained protesters remain at risk of execution, deporting a human rights activist to Iran is more dangerous than ever.

Mindful of the significant responsibility borne by Turkey in hosting refugees from the region, IHRNGO urges the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to take urgent action to facilitate the relocation of Morteza Amiri and his family to a safe third country.

IHRNGO further calls on countries with the capacity to accept refugees, particularly signatories to the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol, to act without delay to help protect Morteza Amiri and his family and ensure their safety.

https://iranhr.net/en/articles/8623/