A reflection on the European Court of Human Rights' case law regarding the asylum application of Iranian citizens

The European system of human rights in the framework of the European Convention on Human Rights and the ECHR has played an undisputed role in the protection of asylum seekers and refugees. The Court, as the oversight mechanism of the Convention, has accepted the filing of lawsuits by non-Eu nationals against Eu States Parties to the Convention. In the meantime, several lawsuits have been filed by Iranian asylum seekers against European countries on three issues: religious freedom, sexual freedom and political freedom. Iranian asylum seekers mainly claim that they will face punishment if they are returned to Iran, which is contrary to the obligations of European countries under Article 3 of the Convention. The key question is what was the Court's approach to these causes of asylum? This article, in order to evaluate the Court's case law in the development and growth of asylum law, with an explanatory-analytical review and library method, shows that the Court accept a very low threshold to prove apostasy for Iranians. While having abnormal sexual behaviors due to the practical tolerance of the Iranian government in imposing punishment, in most cases has not been accepted as a reason for granting asylum. Political reasons have been less considered and accepted by the Court, mainly due to the superficial nature of the documents submitted by the applicants.