Turkish police detained a married couple from Russia after they began reading a Bible in the Hagia Sophia mosque in Istanbul, the tourists told the outlet Ostorozhno, Novosti.
Viktoria Filonova, 35, and Igor Filonov, 32, from Moscow, said they visited Hagia Sophia, one of Istanbul's main landmarks, on July 14. Igor took out a Bible he had brought with him and started reading it. The couple said they were then surrounded, escorted out of the mosque, and taken to a police station in the Fatih district.
Russia's consulate general in Istanbul confirmed the detention. Sources in Istanbul police told TASS that the couple is being held at a deportation center, and authorities are deciding whether to expel them from the country. Diplomats are in contact with the couple's lawyer.
According to the detainees, the police report states they are suspected of "inciting hatred or enmity among the population." The couple was not allowed to return to their hotel and were separated — the man and woman were placed in different rooms at the deportation center in the Arnavutkoy district. "We were separated from my wife. We haven't eaten for a long time and feel very unwell," Igor said.
Hagia Sophia was built in the 6th century as a Christian cathedral. In the 20th century, the building became a museum, and in 2020 Turkish authorities re-designated it as a mosque.