Baptist Christians and activists are urging Croatia to grant asylum to Iranian Christians and to not deport them to their home country where persecution possibly awaits them.

(REUTERS / Darrin Zammit Lupi) Migrants and refugees wait to continue their train journey to western Europe at a refugee transit camp in Slavonski Brod, Croatia, February 9, 2016.

Activists and representatives of the Croatian Baptist Church were scheduled to hold a meeting in Zagreb on Wednesday to tackle the persecution that Iranian Christian refugees could face if they are deported to their home countries. They were also set to talk about the situation of a woman who could be given a death sentence in Iran if Croatia rejects her application for asylum, the Balkan Insight details.

According to Croatian theologian and human rights activist Drago Pilsel, the woman grew up as a Muslim but converted to Christianity later on in her life after studying the Bible. She and her husband reportedly flew to Croatia for a supposed vacation when authorities began investigating her, but they applied for asylum upon their arrival.

"Since the couple has already been rejected for asylum twice, now they are under threat of being deported [to Iran] by the police," Pilsel said.

Iran allows its citizens to practice other religions, but there are some Christians who are still discriminated against. Muslims who convert to other faiths are sometimes jailed. There are also others who have been sentenced to death but have not been executed.

In 2016, the number of asylum-seekers in Croatia increased to 2,235 from just 211 the previous year. Last year, it granted asylum to 83 individuals and 16 subsidiary protection statuses. However, it has also been accused of driving Afghani refugees to Serbia and the illegal deportation of asylum seekers.

Last March, the Balkans shut down the migrants' route towards western Europe after borders were closed because of opposition to the influx of refugees. However, many Croatians expressed support for Iraqi, Syrian, and Afghan migrants because they went through the same experience during the Balkan Wars, said Lin Taylor of the Thomson Reuters Foundation .

Vanja Grundmann, who now manages a volunteer program at a refugee center in eastern Croatia, said they walked 25 years ago on the same streets that the migrants trudged on. She said they do not assure the migrants that everything will turn out alright, but they can offer hope.