Another Victim of Iranian/Turkish Persecution Exposes Coercion and Abuses

The Divine Just State magazine received another report from another Iranian National, Mehdi Akbari, in which he tells us of his experiences under the oppressive regimes in Iran and Turkey for believing in the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light. The following report, in his own words, highlights just some of his encounters over the past few years.

“I, Mehdi Akbari, born on January 31, 1993, am from Iran. I embraced the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light in the year 2021. In 2022, after my brothers and their families were arrested near the border on charges of attempting to flee the government, I was summoned to the ideological office by Mr. Tajari, who was my superior during my service in the Law Enforcement Forces. He reprimanded me for not reporting my brother’s religious beliefs and ordered for me to spy on my brother. He also warned me about the consequences of disobeying this order and threatened my life. 

After my brother escaped again successfully during the Nowruz of 2023, six security officers entered our house forcefully during the holidays. They insulted me and my friend, physically assaulted me, searched the house, stole our phones, and left. The next day, we went to our rural hotel, only to find that it had also been raided by security forces and everything had been ransacked. As a result, I developed both psychological and physical illnesses. Due to my physical condition following gastric bypass surgery (weight-loss surgery), my digestive system had become very sensitive. Under stress and pressure, I developed stomach ulcers, digestive disorders, and suffered from repeated vomiting of blood.

 I fled from my hometown, Gorgan, without a phone, out of fear of being tracked by security forces. I went to Karaj, at the beginning of the Chalous Road, where I started working in a restaurant called Tirozh Restaurant (Head Chef Ham) and I also stayed there. Due to my worsening condition, I could not perform my job properly, so my employer offered me a lighter job. I became the caretaker of his house. 

In August 2023, my bank account was blocked. When I inquired at a local branch of Bank Melli, they told me it was because my late father had guaranteed a loan for someone else. However, this action was against legal procedures in Iran, because normally the assets of the deceased are first distributed among heirs, and then debts are deducted. In my case, no inheritance had yet been distributed, yet my account was blocked. Out of fear of being pursued by security forces, I did not return to Gorgan to resolve the issue; and I survived for about a year using bank cards belonging to distant relatives. 

After about a year, I decided to return briefly to Gorgan to unblock my account and then go back to Karaj. I contacted my mother and told her I was on my way home and did not have my key. When I arrived at the front of the house, three individuals got out of a private car, forced me into the vehicle, and took me to an unidentified building on the outskirts of the city. They detained me in a room for about an hour. Then a person entered, beat me, and said I deserved it for not informing them of my whereabouts. After him, another person came, took my employer’s address and phone number, and threatened me saying that if I did not surrender to the court and repent from my faith, my fate would be death. A few days later, I was summoned by the Special Clerical Court. In order to escape these individuals, I was forced to make a false repentance. 

However, the searches, harassment, and threats continued. They would raid our home at any time - day or night - searching, threatening, and insulting me. Many times, they came late at night or early in the morning. Eventually, they told me that soon they would summon me again to record a video statement against the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light. After that, I stayed mostly at relatives’ and friends’ houses and rarely returned home. I decided to flee the country.

When I went to the Police +10 office to apply for a passport, I found out that I was banned from leaving the country and could not obtain a passport. I contacted a person named Mahdavi, whom I had known during my service in a special forces unit in Varamin. He was the head of the ideological section of the passport police in Tehran. I met him in Tehran and asked him to resolve my passport situation so I could escape the country. The next day, he told me he could solve the problem and send me a passport. He asked for 2,000 USD, which was most of my life savings, and I paid him. In the autumn of 2025, I received my passport.

Without saying goodbye to my mother, I left for Turkey by car to Tehran, then by bus to Urmia, and from there by car to Van. My physical condition was extremely poor, I thought I was near death. My brother took great care of me, he took me to doctors, arranged tests, and provided my medications, ultimately saving my life. They also threatened my brother with death in Turkey, which is a separate case in the Turkish immigration system.

After I left Iran, they continued to harass and threaten my family and relatives.”

Mehdi Akbari (right) with his brother (left)

This brief report shows that innocent human beings have been treated like serious criminals by the regime in Iran and they continue to suffer extreme persecution and harassment by their pursuers across borders. Not only that, but they are also targeted by the authorities in other countries like Turkey for no other reason than the belief which they hold on to. A belief which teaches humanity comes first above religion. A belief which states that only God has a right to appoint a leader.

This magazine will continue to highlight the plight of all who are persecuted for believing in the Ahmadi Religion of Peace and Light.