A Constantinople court sentenced two Greek nationals to prison sentence of 10 months, with 5-year suspension for the incident that occurred on April 9 at Hagia Sophia. The two defendants were arrested after displaying a flag bearing the Byzantine double-headed eagle and the phrase “Orthodoxy or Death” inside the monument. Despite the conviction, the two Greeks are not being held in custody and are free to leave Turkey without restrictive conditions. Upon completion of formal procedures, they are expected to return to Greece.
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Turkey: How the incident unfolded
The two Greeks had traveled to Turkey with a group of five Greek tourists. They are relatives (aunt and nephew), with the nephew being Greek-Australian with dual nationality (Greek and Australian) and the aunt being a Greek agronomist from Sparta.
On April 9, they visited Hagia Sophia, which now operates as a mosque. According to case details, on the upper floor of the monument, which is open to the public, one of the two unfurled a flag with the Byzantine double-headed eagle and then was photographed together with the second person.
When they were detected by the monument’s security cameras, police arrested them on charges of “insulting a section of the population.”
