Russian couple detained in Istanbul after reading Bible in Hagia Sophia
A married couple from Russia were detained in Istanbul this week after reading the Bible inside the Hagia Sophia, the Telegram channel Ostorozhno, Novosti reported.
Viktoria, 35, and Igor F., 32, both from Moscow, told the channel they entered the mosque on Tuesday, where Igor took out a Bible and began reading. Within minutes, the couple said, they were “surrounded and escorted downstairs, out of the mosque”, and taken to a police station. Istanbul police sources confirmed the detention to Russian state media.
According to the couple, the police report accuses them of “inciting hatred or enmity”.
Barred from returning to their hotel, Viktoria and Igor were later transferred to a foreigners' removal centre in the Arnavutköy district, where they await a possible deportation order. “They separated me from my wife. We haven't eaten in a long time and we feel very unwell,” Igor said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry told Ostorozhno, Novosti that Moscow's consulate general in Istanbul is following the case and that its diplomats are in touch with the couple's lawyer.
Hagia Sophia was built as a Christian cathedral in the 6th century. It became a museum in the 20th century, before Turkish authorities restored its status as a mosque in 2020.
