The Federal Administrative Court of Switzerland has rejected the asylum application of Iranian refugee and Jewish conversion candidate Behnam Vali Heydarian, also known as Ben Vali, putting him at risk of deportation to Georgia and potentially Iran, Vali told The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday.
Vali previously spoke with the Post in August, describing the violent transnational aggression he said Iran had directed against him while he was in Georgia. A convert to Christianity at the time and a prominent figure in the refugee community, Vali drew the regime’s attention after initially being targeted for distributing Bibles in Iran and later for his pro-Israel advocacy following the October 7 attacks.
After being assaulted multiple times, Vali said he was threatened over his continued pro-Israel advocacy, had his bank accounts repeatedly frozen without warning, and was threatened with deportation by a person he believed was a member of Georgia’s security services.
'He was an active, hardworking, kind, and responsible person'
Mikheil Grishashvili, a Jewish community leader and representative of the Peace Synagogue in Georgia, told the Post that Vali has been an active member of the community since 2023.
“He was an active, hardworking, kind, and responsible person, and he very quickly became part of our community,” Grishashvili said, adding that Vali became increasingly involved in Judaism.
Returning to Iran would likely lead to Vali's execution
Aware that returning to Iran would likely lead to his execution due to his open support for Israel, his conversion and his proselytizing, Vali fled to Switzerland, where he had been granted a business visa.
Though Vali entered Switzerland legally, the country rejected his asylum application, stating that he had entered the country illegally and fled from a “safe” country, despite evidence he provided demonstrating what he described as a clear and present threat in Georgia. Offers from Swiss nationals to provide Vali with employment and housing, so he would not burden the system, also went unanswered.
Ibrahim Alvac, the representative of a Swiss lawyers’ bureau representing Vali, told the Post, “The Swiss authorities have ordered his removal to Georgia because he holds refugee status there and Georgia has agreed to readmit him. His Swiss asylum application was not examined on its merits as a claim concerning persecution in Iran. We challenged the decision to return him to Georgia and sought reconsideration, but we have been unable to persuade the Swiss asylum authorities that his personal circumstances make that return unsafe. The negative judgment of 17 September 2026 has made his situation still more troubling.
“Mr Vali Heydarian is living with the uncertainty of a removal order while trying to make his concerns heard through the legal procedures available to him. He has not hidden from the authorities. He has presented his identity, his history and his objections openly.”
“We appealed the reapplication, arguing that based on my individual risks and the problems I faced, they had to assess, analyze, and examine my individual case and circumstances. But they didn’t,” Vali said. “The final answer was that the State Secretariat for Migration had already done its job and that Georgia is a safe country. You can go back to the safe country and stay there. That’s it. That was the final hope that we had.”
Vali said that the entry ban now in place, preventing him from returning to Switzerland, would stop him from seeking refuge throughout the European Union. He said he has also been attempting to contact Israeli authorities, hoping his pro-Israel advocacy and position as a student of Judaism would encourage some protection, but did not receive a response.