Expelled as “Security Threats”: European Parliament Rebukes Turkey over Christian Missionaries
On 12 February 2026, the European Parliament adopted, by an overwhelming margin of 502 votes to 2 (with 59 abstentions), a resolution condemning the Republic of Turkey for expelling foreign Christian missionaries and religious workers under opaque “national security” classifications.¹ The text urges Ankara to respect freedom of religion and belief and to permit the return of those expelled.
The vote represents a rare instance of near-unanimous cross-party alignment in Strasbourg on a matter explicitly framed in terms of religious liberty and the rule of law.
National Security as Administrative Instrument
At the centre of the controversy are administrative designations reportedly used by Turkish authorities—commonly referenced as security codes such as “N-82” and “G-87”—which classify certain foreign nationals as threats to national security. According to the resolution and supporting documentation, these classifications are frequently issued without public evidence, detailed explanation, or meaningful legal remedy.²
Christian legal advocacy group ADF International states that at least 160 foreign Christian workers and their families have been expelled or denied re-entry in recent years.³ Many of these individuals had resided in Turkey for decades, serving small Protestant, Catholic, or evangelical communities. In numerous cases, bans were imposed abruptly, leaving local congregations without pastoral leadership.
Approximately twenty cases are now before the European Court of Human Rights, where applicants are challenging the legality of the exclusions under the European Convention on Human Rights.⁴ The Court’s eventual determinations may clarify whether such security classifications, as applied, violate Articles 8, 9, and 13 of the Convention (private life, freedom of religion, and effective remedy).
Debate in Strasbourg
During plenary debate, Dutch MEP Bert-Jan Ruissen framed the issue in stark terms: missionaries who “bring the Good News of the Gospel” are treated as threats to national security and barred from entry. He called upon Turkish authorities to “take freedom of religion seriously” and to cease targeting churches and Christian workers.
The adopted text condemns what it describes as arbitrary expulsions lacking transparency and due process. It calls on Turkey to ensure the fair and equal application of national security measures and to comply with its international human-rights obligations.
Although resolutions of the European Parliament are not legally binding, they carry diplomatic weight. They may influence the European Commission and the European External Action Service in bilateral engagements with Ankara and further complicate an already stalled EU–Turkey accession process.
Turkey’s Response and the Wider Context
Turkish authorities have rejected the accusations as “baseless” and characterised the resolution as interference in domestic judicial matters. Ankara maintains that all actions taken are consistent with national law and security requirements.
The dispute unfolds within a broader context of strained EU–Turkey relations and longstanding European concerns regarding judicial independence, civil society, and minority rights in Turkey. For the country’s small Christian population—estimated at well under one percent of the total population—the expulsions intensify perceptions of vulnerability and institutional marginalisation.
Religious Freedom as a Test Case
The resolution is not merely symbolic. It signals that the European Union regards freedom of religion and belief as a non-negotiable component of international partnership. Where national-security language is deployed without transparent evidentiary standards or effective judicial oversight, questions inevitably arise concerning proportionality and discrimination.
For the expelled families, the issue is not abstract. Communities built over decades have been fractured. Ministries have been abruptly terminated. And the right to share and practise one’s faith—protected under international law—has been recast as a security liability.
The coming judgments of the Strasbourg Court may determine whether such measures withstand scrutiny under European human-rights jurisprudence. Until then, the resolution stands as a formal and unusually forceful rebuke from the EU’s legislative body.
- European Parliament, Resolution of 12 February 2026 on the situation of foreign Christian workers expelled from Turkey, adopted during the February II plenary session in Strasbourg by 502 votes in favour, 2 against, and 59 abstentions. The text was tabled under Rule 132 of the Parliament’s Rules of Procedure (resolutions on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law). Official roll-call results and plenary debate video are available via the Parliament’s legislative observatory and multimedia centre.
- Ibid., paras. 3–7. The resolution references the use of administrative “security codes” (including classifications commonly referred to as N-82 and G-87) under Turkish immigration and public-order law. These codes reportedly result in entry bans or deportations without detailed reasoning being disclosed to the affected individual. See also ADF International, Christians Banned from Turkey: Legal Analysis Briefing, 2025, outlining procedural concerns including lack of access to evidence and restricted judicial review.
- ADF International, press release and case documentation, 2025–2026, estimating that at least 160 foreign Protestant, evangelical, and other Christian workers (together with immediate family members) have been expelled or denied re-entry since the intensification of such measures. The organisation notes that many of those affected had resided lawfully in Turkey for extended periods and had no criminal convictions.
- European Court of Human Rights, communicated applications concerning entry bans imposed on foreign Christian residents in Turkey (2024–2026 docket). Claims invoke Articles 8 (right to respect for private and family life), 9 (freedom of thought, conscience and religion), 13 (right to an effective remedy), and, in some submissions, Article 14 (prohibition of discrimination) of the European Convention on Human Rights. See Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, Rome, 4 November 1950.
- Statement of Bert-Jan Ruissen during European Parliament plenary debate, Strasbourg, 12 February 2026, intervention recorded in official verbatim report (CRE). Ruissen called upon Turkish authorities to “take freedom of religion seriously” and to cease targeting Christian churches and workers under security classifications.
- Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, public response to the European Parliament resolution, February 2026, rejecting the allegations as “baseless” and asserting that judicial proceedings are conducted in accordance with national law and are not subject to external interference.
- For background on EU–Turkey relations and accession status, see European Commission, Türkiye 2024 Report (Enlargement Package), Brussels, 2024, detailing ongoing concerns regarding rule of law, fundamental rights, and judicial independence within the accession framework.
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