Turkey Targets Christian in North Cyprus
02/03/2021 Cyprus (International Christian Concern) – An expatriate Christian living in North Cyprus had his home and business raided and his name slandered in Turkish media. Ryan Keating formerly resided in Turkey but was targeted for his Christian faith and activity and later moved to North Cyprus. Deportation is a common tactic used by Turkey to eliminate the presence of Christianity.
On January 27, authorities searched and seized Bibles and Christian literature in various languages after claiming that police were conducting an investigation regarding his business operating without a permit. A day later on January 28, a Turkish language newspaper, Kibris Postasi, published an article claiming that Keating was linked with Pastor Andrew Brunson. Brunson was wrongly imprisoned for two years on terrorism charges because of his faith. Kibris Postasi later changed the article to include another Christian living in North Cyprus.