Ashkan Sarvari, a 21-year-old Christian convert and Kurdish political asylum seeker from Saqqez in Kurdistan Province, faces the risk of forcible deportation from Sweden after his asylum application was rejected.
Sarvari applied for asylum in Sweden in 2015 with his parents when he was 11 years old. His father, Salahaddin Sarvari, told the Kurdistan Human Rights Network (KHRN) that the family fled Iran due to their political activities.
He said the asylum process took several years, and after Ashkan turned 18, his case was reviewed separately.
“Last year, my wife and I were granted asylum, but my son’s application was rejected. On 18 August, he was arrested and transferred to a closed deportation camp for forced return to Iran,” he added.
Born in December 2003 in Saqqez, Sarvari converted to Christianity in recent years and has taken part in several protest gatherings against the Islamic Republic in Sweden.
If forcibly returned to Iran, he would face a serious risk of arrest and prosecution.
