Russians detained in Istanbul for reading the Bible in the Ayia…
Russians detained in Istanbul for reading the Bible in the Ayia Sophia mosque were sent back to Russia.
Consensus
- Two Russian citizens, Viktoriya Filonova (35) and Igor Filonov (32), were detained in Istanbul for reading the Bible at Ayia Sophia.
- The incident occurred on July 13 or 14, with the couple reportedly entering the site as tourists.
- They were taken to a police station in the Fatih district after being surrounded and removed from the building.
- The couple was held in a deportation center for foreigners prior to their departure.
- Their detention was linked to Article 216 of Turkey’s Criminal Code, which criminalizes inciting hatred or enmity among populations.
- They were flown back to Moscow on July 17 at 19:50 local time (same as MSK).
- The Russian consulate in Istanbul confirmed their departure and stated it was actively involved in the case.
Points of divergence
- The couple claimed they were detained after reading the Bible aloud, which prompted police intervention. They reported being separated and suffering poor conditions during detention. — meduza
- The incident occurred in the museum section of Ayia Sophia; however, other sources state it was inside the functioning mosque area. — kommersant
- Igor Filonov reported that he and his wife were separated during detention and felt unwell due to lack of food. — novaya_eu
- The Turkish police received a prior warning about the couple reading the Bible loudly in the visitor area. — meduza
Coverage (20 sources)
- Family couple from Russia arrested in Istanbul for reading the Bible has flown to Moscow — Вести
- Russians detained in Istanbul for reading the Bible in Ayasofya Mosque sent back to Russia — Meduza
- Russians detained in Istanbul for reading the Bible in Hagia Sophia have flown back to Russia — Дождь (Telegram)
- Russians detained in Istanbul's Ayasofya Cathedral for reading the Bible plan to be deported on Friday — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Russian nationals detained in Istanbul to be deported on July 17 — Вечерняя Москва
- Russians arrested for reading the Bible in Hagia Sophia will be deported from Turkey — Коммерсантъ
- Russian citizens detained in Istanbul to be deported on Friday — Вести
- Turkey Resolves Issue of Deporting Russians Who Read the Bible in Hagia Sophia — Вести
- Turkish authorities detained two Russians in the Hagia Sophia cathedral — Вести
- Russian tourists arrested in Istanbul for reading the Bible at Hagia Sophia — Новая газета Европа
- Russians detained in Ayasofya placed in deportation center — Ведомости
- Russian tourists detained for reading the Bible in Ayasofya Mosque in Istanbul; sent to deportation center — Медиазона
- Russian diplomats are investigating the detention of Russians in Hagia Sophia, TASS reported from the consulate — ТАСС (Telegram)
- Russian detained in Istanbul's Hagia Sophia for reading the Bible — Коммерсантъ
- Russian tourists detained for reading the Bible in Hagia Sophia — Дождь
- Found the Bible — ended up in a deportation center. What happened to Russians in Hagia Sophia — Фонтанка
- Russian Consulate to Verify Data on Detention of Russians in Istanbul — Ведомости
- Russian tourists detained in Istanbul for reading the Bible in Hagia Sophia — Дождь (Telegram)
- Russian diplomats are investigating the detention of Russians in Hagia Sophia — Вечерняя Москва
- Russian diplomats are investigating the detention of Russians in Hagia Sophia, TASS reported from the Embassy — ТАСС (Telegram)
Key entities
- Stambole
- Hagia Sophia
- Russia
- Hagia Sophia
- Moscow
- TASS
- Turkey
- Victoria
- Consulate General
- Caution, News
- Media
- Victoria Filonova
- Igor Filonov