(Christian Daily International).
Protestant Christians in Turkey continued to face opposition for practicing their faith in 2023, according to a rights report.
Both written and oral hate speech incidents, along with some violence, were reported, according to the Human Rights Violation Report 2023 issued on June 4 by the Protestan Kiliseler Derneği (Association of Protestant Churches).
Some of the 205 Protestant churches, all independent or in fellowship clusters, saw opposition to their church buildings. The report also cited the denial of legal rights in training ministry leaders.
“No progress was made in 2023 with regard to the rights of Christians to train their own religious workers,” the association reported. “Many foreign church leaders were deported, were denied entry into Turkey or faced problems with getting their residence permits renewed.”